The Unhidden Minute

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent leader in the American civil rights movement, was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was in the city to support a strike by African Ameri…

Shirley Chisholm was a groundbreaking American politician, educator, and author. Born on November 30, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, she became the first Black American woman elected to the United Stat…

The march from Selma to Montgomery on March 21, 1965, was a pivotal event in the American civil rights movement. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., thousands of demonstrators set out from Selma, Alab…

George Frazier Monroe (c.1844-1886) was a renowned Black American stagecoach driver in the late 19th century. Known for his skill and daring he drove through the rugged terrain of Yosemite National P…

On June 2, 1863, Harriet Tubman led a daring raid along the Combahee River in South Carolina, becoming the first woman to plan and execute a military operation in U.S. history. Working alongside Unio…

Private Gordon, an enslaved man who escaped to became one of the most iconic figures of the Civil War. Photographs of his severely scarred back were published in 1863. Born into slavery in Louisiana,…

Susie King Taylor was the first Black American nurse in the Civil War and a pioneering educator. Born into slavery in Georgia in 1848, she defied the law by secretly learning to read and write. When …

Major Martin Delany (1812-1885) was a pioneering Black American abolitionist, physician, and military officer. Born in 1812 in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia), he became one of the first B…

Lewis Henry Douglass (1840-1908), the eldest son of Frederick Douglass, was a sergeant in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first Black American regiment raised in the North during the Civil War. …

Dangerfield Newby (1815–1859) was an enslaved man who joined John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in an attempt to free his wife and children from slavery. Born in Virginia to an enslaved mother and a …

Clara Brown (1800–1885) was a formerly enslaved woman who became a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community leader in Colorado. Born into slavery in Virginia, she was separated from her…

Hercules Posey was an enslaved chef for George Washington and one of the earliest influencers of American cuisine. Born around 1754, he became Washington’s head cook at Mount Vernon and later in the …

Oney Judge was an enslaved woman who served as Martha Washington’s personal maid before escaping to freedom. Born around 1773 at Mount Vernon, she was of mixed African and English ancestry. When Geor…

In the early 18th century, a legendary African pirate who operated off the coast of Florida. They called him Black Caesar. According to folklore, he was once an African chieftain who was captured by …

Joseph Savary was a Haitian military leader who played a significant role in the War of 1812. He commanded the 2nd Battalion of Free Men of Color under General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orl…

Toussaint Louverture was a leader of the Haitian Revolution, which led to the first independent Black republic in 1804. Born enslaved in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) around 1743, L…

Sally Hemings was an enslaved woman of mixed race owned by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Born in 1773 in Virginia, she was the half-sister of Jefferson’s wife, Martha, s…

Peter Salem was a Black American soldier who played a crucial role in the American Revolution. Born into slavery in Massachusetts in 1750, he was later freed by his owner to enlist in the Continental…

Barzillai Lew was an Black American soldier and musician who played a significant role in the American Revolution. Born free in Massachusetts in 1743, he was a skilled fifer and drummer. He first ser…

The Stono Rebellion of 1739 was the largest slave uprising in colonial British America. It occurred on September 9 in South Carolina, near the Stono River. Led by an enslaved man named Jemmy, a group…