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George Moses Horton: To Catharine
About the Author: George Moses Horton (1797?–1883?) was an African-American slave who composed poetry. He was born into slavery on William Horton’s plantation in Northampton County, NC. As a very…
Robinson, JoAnn Gibson
Robinson, JoAnn Gibson (1912-1992), African American civil rights activist who was a leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Robinson was born in Culloden, Georgia. She attended Fort Valley State College…
Malcolm X: Impact on Black Politics
Ironically, Malcolm X made a bigger impact on black politics and culture dead than alive. The Watts Rebellion occurred and the Black Power Movement emerged just months after his death,…
Malcolm X: A Story with a Twist
Malcolm X was a powerful and influential speaker. This excerpt, from a speech in April 1964, clearly and directly expresses his views about the status of black people in American…
Martin Luther King: Early Life
Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the eldest son of Martin Luther Martin Luther King Sr., a Baptist minister, and Alberta Williams Martin Luther…
James Earl Ray: Life, Prison & Death
James Earl Ray, the accused assassin of Dr. Martin Luther Martin Luther King, Jr., is knocMartin Luther King on death’s door with an appeal for justice. Ray, who is suffering…
Martin Luther King: Montgomery Bus Boycott
Montgomery’s black community had long-standing grievances about the mistreatment of blacks on city buses. Many white bus drivers treated blacks rudely, often cursing them and humiliating them by enforcing the…
Martin Luther King: Motel Lorraine
Local newspapers mocked Martin Luther King when he announced he was coming back to Memphis for a second round. Among other snipes and barbs, the local press criticized him for…
Martin Luther King: James Earl Ray
As soon as Martin Luther King fell, an aide, believed to be Marrell McCullough, pointed to the bathroom window of Bessie Brewer’s boarding house. The fingers of others followed him,…
Ruby Bridges Interview 1997
In 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges Hall became the first African American child to desegregate an elementary school. In honor of National Black History Month, Hall discusses her memories of the…
Ruby Bridges: Overview
On the morning of her first day at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Ruby Bridges’ mother told her: "Now I want you to behave yourself today, Ruby, and…
Sidney Poitier
In an age of Spike Lee retrospectives, Denzel Washington blockbusters, and Magic Johnson multiplexes, it is perhaps easy to forget the pioneering impact Sidney Poitier’s career has had on American…
Ellen and William Craft
Craft, Ellen and William, name of two African American abolitionists who were husband and wife. Ellen Craft (1826-1891) was a light-skinned black who helped her and her husband escape from…
Slavery: Henry (Box) Brown
Brown, Henry ("Box") (1815-?), African American slave and abolitionist, who escaped from slavery packaged in a wooden box. Born a slave in Richmond, Virginia, Henry Brown labored first on a…
Bill Blackshear: The End of An Era:
ST. PETERSBURG, FL: William ”Bill” Blackshear, one of the cornerstones upon which The Weekly Challenger was built, retired on January 31, 2002. His departure represents the end of an era….
Cleveland Johnson, Jr: The Weekly Challenger
Few individuals make a major impact on others during their lifetime. Even less accomplish things that remain in memory after they pass. Mr. Cleveland Johnson is an exception to both….
Viola Liuzzo: The Day of Her Death
After the march ended, thousands had to get out of the city before nightfall. Viola Liuzzo got her car and headed back to Selma with a load of passengers. She…
Viola Liuzzo: The Killers
Within 24 hours, President Johnson was on television, personally announcing the arrest of the four assailants and vowing to exterminate the KKK.A March 28 Detroit News article gave profiles of…
