Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts published in “African-American Firsts”

Yale University to Name Residential College After Civil and Women’s Rights Activist Anna Pauline Murray

By goodblacknews on May 2, 2016

Anna Pauline Murray
Anna Pauline Murray

article via naacp.org
Yale University is naming a new residential college after African-American Yale alumna and civil rights activist Anna Pauline “Pauli” Murray.  Pauli Murray is best known as a staunch civil rights and women’s rights advocate, lawyer and ordained Episcopal priest.  Ms. Murray’s lifelong commitment to ensuring a fair and just society for everyone serves as an inspiration and role model to NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks as well as many civil rights lawyers.
In 1938, Ms. Murray was denied admission to the University of North Carolina’s law school because she was African American – all schools and public facilities in the state were segregated.  Influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and his practice of nonviolent civil disobedience, she joined with Bayard Rustin, George Houser and James Farmer to form the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).  While a student at Howard Law School, she participated in sit-ins to challenge the discriminatory seating policies of area restaurants.  These sit-ins preceded the more widespread and well-known sit-ins of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
After graduating from law school, Ms. Murray sought to continue her study of the law at Harvard University but was rejected because of her gender.  Her experiences with racism and gender inequality fueled her activism in the civil rights and women’s rights movements.  She authored a book, “States Laws on Race and Color” in 1951. Thurgood Marshall, then chief counsel at the  NAACP, described her book as the Bible for civil rights lawyers.  Upon completion of her doctorate in 1965, she became the first African American woman to be awarded a J.D.S from Yale University.

Harriet Tubman Officially Chosen as New Face of $20 Bill, Replacing Andrew Jackson

By goodblacknews on April 20, 2016
article by Samantha Masunaga via latimes.com
Harriet Tubman will replace President Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill, a Treasury Department official said Wednesday.
The official did not give a timetable for the change, saying only that the department is looking to make it as quickly as possible without compromising security.
The news deviates from Treasury Secretary Jack Lew’s original plan, which was unveiled last summer. Lew’s plan involved changing the $10 bill, not the $20; the department planned to put a woman on the $10 bill by 2020, in time for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
The $10 bill currently features Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s first Treasury secretary. In June, Lew said that either Hamilton would share the bill with a woman or the Treasury would release two different bills.

The Treasury Department official did not comment Wednesday morning on any planned changes for the $10 bill.
Lew’s original plan to change the $10 suffered backlash from several directions. Many who objected said the only woman on the nation’s paper currency should be featured alone on the bill, rather than sharing space with a man. Some said the $20 bill should be changed instead, as its ubiquity in ATMs gives it a much higher profile than the $10.
Some objected to the plan because of the historical figures involved: Hamilton played key roles in founding the nation and establishing the Treasury, whereas Jackson was a slave owner whose policies led to the deaths of countless Native Americans, and he opposed having a U.S. central bank. And Hamilton’s popularity has grown in the past year with the success of “Hamilton,” the blockbuster Broadway musical chronicling his life.
To read more, go to: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-harriet-tubman-20-bill-20160420-story.html

Makayla Reynolds becomes 1st Black Female Class President at University of Pennsylvania

By goodblacknews on April 17, 2016
makayareynolds
Makayla Reynolds (photo via dailypennsylvanian.com)

After the votes were tallied on Friday night, small town Floridian and College sophomore Makayla Reynolds was elected as the first black female class president in Penn’s history.

“I tried to sell myself as the outsider,” Reynolds said. “My background and where I come from and what I stand for is very underrepresented at Penn.”

Reynolds will be replacing the previous class president College sophomore Vadim Ordovsky-Tanaevsky.   After having the experience of being a class president in high school, Reynolds decided to pursue the same position in college.  “I don’t think that Vadim has done bad at all,” Reynolds said. “I think he’s done great. People just wanted a change.”

Many students have expressed concern that the class board has little impact on student lives. Reynolds speaks to this concern.  “If you aren’t involved, it’s hard to see what the class board is doing,” she said. She hopes that she will be able to make a tangible difference.

Reynolds said that “the hardest part is getting people to be interested in voting.” Only about 800 of the over 2400 students in the sophomore class voted in the election.

Over the past weeks, Reynolds worked tirelessly to get her name out to other sophomores. She wanted to make an impression online as well as face-to-face with voters. Her Facebook and website served as a platform to inform the Class of 2018 about why she was a good candidate.

Reynolds said that a lot of her campaigning was talking one-on-one with friends and acquaintances she knows from activities she’s involved with on campus.

Outside of class board, Reynolds is part of MedLife Penn, a group that promotes health equity both locally and globally, and a public speaking advisor for communication within the curriculum.

Reynold’s favorite extracurricular is being a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters. This gives her a chance to make a difference in the community.

In her time as president, she hopes to inspire other students and have an impact. Reynolds wants to maintain Penn traditions, but also start new programs and initiatives within the student body.

One of the challenges of being president is the expectation to bring together a group of students with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Reynolds hopes to work with some of the many cultural groups at Penn to create events that appeal to students who identify with different cultural backgrounds.

Another goal is to bring greater awareness to mental health. Reynolds is passionate about making an impact. She hopes to make Penn a less stressful environment, but realizes that most mental health problems are deeper than that.

To read more, go to: http://www.thedp.com/article/2016/04/makayla-reynolds-first-black-class-president?utm_content=buffer2d1e5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Black History Heroes: Annie Turnbo Malone: a Philanthropist and Entrepreneur

By goodblacknews on April 17, 2016

Annie Turbo Malone (photo via blackhistoryheroes.com)

Before Oprah Winfrey and Madame C.J. Walker, there was Annie Turnbo Malone (aka Annie Minerva Turnbo Pope Malone and Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone), an African American entrepreneur and philanthropist during the early 20th century.
Malone is recorded as the U.S.’s first Black woman millionaire based on reports of $14 million in assets held in 1920 from her beauty and cosmetic enterprises, headquartered in St. Louis and Chicago.
On August 9, 1869, Robert Turnbo and Isabella Cook became parents to Annie in Metropolis, Illinois. Annie attended school in Illinois where she apprentenced with her sister as a hairdresser. By 1889, Malone had developed her own scalp and hair products that she demonstrated and sold from a buggy throughout Illinois.
By 1902, Malone’s business growth led her to St. Louis, Missouri, which at the time held the fourth largest population of African Americans. In St. Louis she copyrighted her Poro brand beauty products. In 1914, in a St. Louis wedding, Malone married the school principal Aaron Eugene Malon.
By 1917, Malone opened the doors of Poro College, a beauty college which was later attended by Madam C.J. Walker. The school reportedly graduated about 75,000 agents world-wide, including the Caribbean. By 1930, the first full year of the Great Depression, Malone had moved from Missouri after divorcing her second husband and settled on Chicago’s South Side.
To read more, go to: Black History Heroes: Annie Turnbo Malone: A Black Philanthropist and Entrepreneur

Kanye West Becomes The 1st Artist to Reach No.1 On Billboard Albums Chart From Streaming Only

By goodblacknews on April 10, 2016
kanye-west-the-life-of-pablo-640x427
Kanye West (CREDIT: Getty Images)
article by Richy Rosario via vibe.com
Kanye West is reportedly the first artist in history to have an album at No. 1 solely on music streams from major outlets. His latest project The Life of Pablo, was distributed and consumed by the masses through some paid downloads from his personal G.O.O.D / Def Jam page, but most of the revenue (a nice 90k), came from music streaming services like Apple Music and Tidal, according to HITS Daily Double. 
Reports state that this strategy was created by Ye’s new management team: Scooter Braun, Steve Bartels and Def Jam. You can also catch Kanye at the top of the iTunes chart along with Drake in their collaboration on “Pop Style.”
This comes as no surprise to us as it was reported last month that TLOP was streamed over 250 million times since its release.

Oberlin College Acquires a Collection of Papers of Early Civil Rights Activist Mary Church Terrell

By goodblacknews on April 1, 2016
Mary Church Terrell
Mary Church Terrell

article via jbhe.com

Oberlin College in Ohio has received an archive of documents relating to Mary Church Terrell.

The papers were donated by Raymond and Jean Langston, the current occupant of the home in Highland Beach, Maryland, where Terrell died. The collection includes documents, letters, diaries, photographs and other artifacts, some dating to the 1890s and earlier.

Mary Church Terrell was the daughter of former slaves. She was a 1884 graduate of Oberlin College and went on to become a teacher and principal of M Street Colored High School, now known as Dunbar High School.

Terrell was the founding president of the National Association of Colored Women and was a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Terrell was the first African American woman to serve on the Washington, D.C. Board of Education.

In 1949, Terrell, then in her 80s, was refused service at a Washington, D.C., restaurant. She filed suit and in a case eventually decided by the Supreme Court, racial segregation of restaurants in the nation’s capital was ruled unconstitutional.

Mary Church Terrell died on July 24, 1954 at the age of 90.

SPORTS: Meet Tia Norfleet, the 1st Black Female NASCAR Driver

By goodblacknews on March 21, 2016

Tia-Norfleet
article by Da’ryl Victoria via thesource.com
When we think of women in NASCAR we often think of internationally celebrated Danica Patrick, however there’s one woman in particular we should be paying more attention to. Meet Tia Norfleet, the first African-American female NASCAR driver and daughter of legendary NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet.
The adrenaline and skill of driving at high speeds resides in the bloodline of the Norfleet family, and the love and passion for the sport has been held by Tia since age seven. Having a Hot Wheels Barbie car was a top priority for millions of young girls in the early 90s, but Norfleet’s car would trump others when Mr. Norfleet doubled the battery power of her Barbie Corvette.
Barely a teen, and roughly 10 years removed from the legal age to drive, Bobby Norfleet handed his pre-teen daughter the keys to their family mini-van, knowing she could handle the road alone. At nine years old Tia, now a semi-pro behind the wheel, embarked on daily trips to karate practice, convenient stores, and traveling around her neighborhood in preparation of becoming one out of a handful of women in a high speed and dangerous male dominated sport.
At age 14, Norfleet began competing on a local and regional level in kart racing, leading into a successful drag racing career resulting in top rank stats: winning 37 out of 52 events. In 2000, she switched her focus, setting her sights on dominating the track in entry level spec racing, competing in Bandolero cars. Eventually in 2004, Norfleet would move on to late model stock car racing on short tracks, later becoming the first African-American to obtain a NASCAR late model series racing license.

Bradley Gayton Named General Counsel of Ford Motor Company

By goodblacknews on March 18, 2016

Unknown-4
Bradley Gayton, general counsel, Ford Motor Company (Photo via twitter.com)

article by Porsha Monique via rollingout.com
General counsel is a highly revered post that comes with an immense amount of prestige, respect and great responsibility. For Ford Motor Company, Bradley Gayton is the accomplished man who holds this distinguished position.
On Jan. 1, 2016, Gayton was named general counsel and vice president of Ford Motor Company and it’s definitely a position Gayton earned as he worked his way up the corporate ladder. He started his career at Ford as a law clerk during his second and third year of law school at the State University of New York at Buffalo and is now a Ford Motor Company officer who reports directly to Ford’s president and CEO, Mark Fields.
Gayton invited rolling out inside his executive level office in Dearborn, Michigan, for an exclusive interview. The view from his office was spectacular, even on a cloudy day. He mentioned that on a clear day, one could see miles and miles away, as far as downtown Detroit. The impeccably groomed Gayton wore a perfectly tailored suit with a red tie, along with a custom-made, monogrammed, button-down shirt that displayed his signature. He definitely looked ready for his interview as he graciously welcomed us in and made us feel like we were at home.
Check out the inspiring interview below:
You are the general counsel and vice president for Ford Motor Company. You’ve been with Ford since 1991. You’ve held many roles during your tenure at Ford. Tell us about your journey to becoming the general counsel and vice president at Ford Motor Company.
It started in the summer of 1990 when I came here as a law clerk. In the fall of 1989, I interviewed for a summer job. I came here in the summer of 1990 in between my second year and third year of law school at the University of Buffalo. I spent time in taking assignments in the different departments in the legal office over the summer. Then in the fall of 1990 when I got back to law school, I was given an offer to join the company’s legal department after I graduated. Aug. 5, 1991, I joined the legal office. I started off in the tax office, and I spent a fair amount of my career in different jobs within the tax office. At one point in my career I had the opportunity to manage legal affairs for Canada, Mexico and Latin America. Then later on became assistant secretary, and then became the company’s sixth corporate secretary. And then in October, we announced that I was going to be our general counsel, effective Jan. 1. So, that’s a nutshell of the journey.

How Drew Hawkins Went From Intern to 1st Black Managing Director in Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management Business

By goodblacknews on March 16, 2016

Drew Hawkins
Morgan Stanley executive Drew Hawkins (photo via black enterprise.com)

article by Courtney Connley via blackenterprise.com
As a University of Delaware finance major, Drew Hawkins recognized his love for stock markets and investing early.
After stumbling into the university’s career planning office, Hawkins was informed of a two-year unpaid internship with Morgan Stanley, then known as Dean Witter. He came on board as an intern in 1989 and as the cliché saying goes, ‘the rest is history.’
“I can remember my first couple of weeks where I saw things that intrigued me and some I found disappointing,” said Hawkins. “Number one, I didn’t see many African American financial advisors and I didn’t see that many African American clients.”
In an effort to change that dynamic, Hawkins worked his way up from intern, to financial advisor to eventually being named the first African American managing director in Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management business in 2008. Now, as head of the company’s global sports and entertainment division, which has approximately $37 billion in assets, Hawkins opens up to BlackEnterprise.com about his journey to climbing the corporate ladder.
BlackEnterprise.com: Talk about your journey to climbing the ranks at Morgan Stanley.
Hawkins: My career started out as a financial advisor. I received a call from my regional director one day who said I want you to come into my office and take the assessment exam to consider going into management. While the thought of going into a management role where I give up my entrepreneurial hustle was not compelling, it was coming from someone I respected a lot and being in management gave me the opportunity to lead and bring others into the industry.
Are there any specific challenges you faced as an African American?
There are things that are unique with being a person of color in this industry. There were some [people] I could connect with from a management perspective and get sound advice, but still they could not speak to my experiences because they hadn’t walked in my shoes. I had the experience of being the first black managing director in Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management business, and while I was excited to attain that title it was still a bit startling that in 2008 I was the first for that to occur. Fortunately, we’ve had a lot of others come in since then.
To read full article, go to: http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/drew-hawkins-intern-managing-director-morgan-stanley/
 

Virginia Commonwealth University Acquires Rare Copy of "All-Negro Comics No. 1"

By goodblacknews on March 10, 2016

all_negro_comics_coverarticle via jbhe.com
Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond has more than 175,000 volumes in its Comic Arts Collection, including more than 125,000 comic books. The university recently acquired a rare copy of All-Negro Comics No. 1, the first comic book written and drawn solely by African American writers and artists.
The 48-page comic book was published in 1947 and features characters such as police detective Ace Harlem and Lion Man, a college-educated scientist and superhero. All-Negro Comics No. 1 was published by Philadelphia newspaperman Orrin C. Evans.
A letter from the publisher in All-Negro Comics No. 1 reads: “Dear Readers: This is the first issue of All-Negro Comics, jam-packed with fast action, African adventure, good clean humor and fantasy. Every brush stroke and pen line in the drawings on these pages are by Negro artists. And each drawing is an original: that is, none has been published ANYWHERE before. This publication is another milestone in the splendid history of Negro journalism. All-Negro Comics will not only give Negro artists an opportunity gainfully to use their talents, but it will glorify Negro historical achievements.”
It was the first and only published comic in the series.