Tag Archives: 100 Greatest African Americans
Antenor Firmin: Haitian Scholar and Anthropologist who predicted Barack Obama's Presidency over a century ago
Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by Leshell Hatley.
Anténor Firmin (1850-1911) was born and educated in Haiti. He studied law and held several political offices before being posted as a diplomat to Paris, where he was admitted to the Societé d’Anthropologie de Paris and wrote De L’Égalité des Races Humaines. He was a Haitian anthropologist, journalist, and politician.
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James Baldwin: Author and Civil Rights Activist
Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by Leshell Hatley.
James Baldwin established his reputation with his first novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain (1953), an autobiographical tale of growing up in Harlem. He became one of the leading African-American authors of his generation, known for novels and essays that tackled black-white and hetero-homosexual relationships. He was particularly a noted essayist during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Baldwin turned to writing after being encouraged by Richard Wright, and, like Wright, left the U.S. after World War II and moved to France.
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Dr. William 'Bill' Cosby: Educator, Activist, Comedian, Actor
Posted on 16. Oct, 2009 by Leshell Hatley.
In 1976, Bill Cosby earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled, “An Integration of the Visual Media Via ‘Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids’ Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning”. His good-natured, fatherly image has made him a popular personality and garnered him the nickname of “America’s Dad”. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included him in his book, the 100 Greatest African Americans. At 72, he has released a rap album called The Cosnarati.
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Dorothy I. Height: Educator, Activist, and Civil Rights Leader
Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by Leshell Hatley.
Presidents from Bill Clinton to Ronald Reagan have sought her advice. Arts and entertainment icons from Bill Cosby to Maya Angelou call her friend; and four million African-American women have looked to Dorothy Height for decades as their unwavering voice in the corridors of power.
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Amiri Baraka: Founder of The Black Arts Movement (1960s) – Happy Birthday!
Posted on 07. Oct, 2009 by Leshell Hatley.
Amiri Baraka, born in 1934, in Newark, New Jersey, USA, is the author of over 40 books of essays, poems, drama, and music history and criticism, a poet icon and revolutionary political activist who has recited poetry and lectured on cultural and political issues extensively in the USA, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. He is renowned as the founder of the Black Arts Movement!
