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Black History Facts, Los Angeles, CA, United States, California (2026)

02/20/2026

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (1925–1978)
Shown are three members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. (names unknown at this time)
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was a labor union organized by African American employees of the Pullman Company in August 1925 and led by A. Philip Randolph and Milton P. Webster. Over the next twelve years, the BSCP fought a three-front battle against the Pullman Company, the American Federation of Labor, and the anti-union, pro-Pullman sentiments of the majority of the black community. Largely successful on each front, the BCSP is a significant institution in both the labor and civil rights history of the twentieth century United States.

02/17/2026

Teddy Pendergrass, Bobby Womack, Smokey Robinson,
James Brown, Marvin Gaye,Luther Vandross
Curtis Mayfield,Marvin Gaye and Barry White
Music icons

02/04/2026

This granny wants to be rated for her beautiful crochet work⭐️⭐️⭐️

02/01/2026

Are you familiar with the song “Blackbird” by The Beatles? Most of us are. I had no idea the meaning behind it. Did you? I will never listen to it the same way again.
“Paul McCartney was visiting America. It is said that he was sitting, resting, when he heard a woman screaming. He looked up to see a black woman being surrounded by the police.
The police had her handcuffed, and were beating her. He thought the woman had committed a terrible crime. He found out "the crime" she committed was to sit in a section reserved for whites.
Paul was shocked. There was no segregation in England.
But, here in America, the land of freedom, this is how blacks were being treated. McCartney and the Beatles went back home to England, but he would remember what he saw, how he felt, the unfairness of it all.
He also remembered watching television and following the news in America, the race riots and what was happening in Little Rock, Arkansas, what was going on in the Civil Rights movement.
He saw the picture of 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford attempt to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School as an angry mob followed her, yelling, "Drag her over this tree! Let's take care of that n**ger!'" and “Lynch her! Lynch her!” “No n**ger b*tch is going to get in our school!”
McCartney couldn't believe this was happening in America. He thought of these women being mistreated, simply because of the color of her skin. He sat down and started writing.
Last year at a concert, he would meet two of the women who inspired him to write one of his most memorable songs, Thelma Mothershed Wair and Elizabeth Eckford, members of the Little Rock Nine (pictured here).
McCartney would tell the audience he was inspired by the courage of these women: "Way back in the Sixties, there was a lot of trouble going on over civil rights, particularly in Little Rock. We would notice this on the news back in England, so it's a really important place for us, because to me, this is where civil rights started.
We would see what was going on and sympathize with the people going through those troubles, and it made me want to write a song that, if it ever got back to the people going through those troubles, it might just help them a little bit, and that's this next one."
He explained that when he started writing the song, he had in mind a black woman, but in England, "girls" were referred to as "birds." And, so the song started:
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting
for this moment to arise."
McCartney added that he and the Beatles cared passionately about the Civil Rights movement, "so this was really a song from me to a black woman, experiencing these problems in the States: ‘Let me encourage you to keep trying, to keep your faith, there is hope.’ "
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting
for this moment to be free.”

02/01/2026

Writer Ann Petry was born Ann Lane on October 12, 1908 to pharmacist Peter Clark Lane, Jr. and podiatrist Bertha James Lane in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
"Like her father, Ann was trained as a pharmacist and practiced in the family’s drugstores in Old Saybrook. However, she always wanted to write."
In 1938, she married George D. Petry of Louisiana and moved with him to Harlem, New York, where she began her career as a writer. In 1943, she took a job working as an editor, columnist, and reporter for the People’s Voice. She also took courses in writing at Columbia University and joined the American Negro Theatre in Harlem in the 1940s.
Petry emerged as a novelist in 1946. Her first book, The Street, was her rendition of neighborhood life in Harlem. The Street presented a powerful and painful portrait of the effects of racism and sexism on an African-American mother as she attempts but fails to provide a better life for herself and her son in an urban environment.
"The book subverted gender roles to challenge patriarchal domination in the 1940s, suggesting a feminist discourse long before it was popular in literature."
The novel made Petry the first African-American woman writer to attain bestseller status and she won several literary awards thereafter. Petry was unprepared for the public attention garnered by her bestselling novel and sought sanctuary by moving back to her hometown, Old Saybrook.
The Street was followed a year later by Country Place. Petry did not publish another novel until 1971 when The Narrows appeared. She also published Miss Muriel and Other Stories in 1971.
Petry did publish several short stories and children’s books in the 1950s and 1960s. In her novels, Petry shows how biases of race, gender, class, and age influence the lives of all people, regardless of whether they are women or men, black or white, rich or poor.
Petry’s first two novels, though set in Harlem are often considered part of the Chicago (Illinois) Black Renaissance (1935-1953) in literature, and are often compared with the works of the prominent Chicago writer and social critic Richard Wright.
Both authors held a deterministic outlook for urban America, seeing black urban life as a site of hopelessness that generated only slums and limitations, especially after the Great Migration.
In 1958, she left Old Saybrook for the first time in a decade to work on a Hollywood movie script for That Hill Girl. She later served as visiting professor at Miami University of Ohio in 1972 and the University of Hawaii in 1974.
In 1983, 1988, and 1989, she received honorary degrees from Suffolk University, the University of Connecticut, and Mount Holyoke College. Through all of this, Ann Petry consistently returned to her hometown, where she died on April 28, 1997 at the age of 88.

01/31/2026

Elayne Jones, percussionist, (1928-2022)
Born in NYC to Barbadian immigrants, Elayne Jones became one of the most prolific and important percussionists in music history. Playing with the San Francisco Symphony and Opera, and the American Symphony Orchestra, Jones became the first Black opera orchestra member of the New York City Opera in 1949, where she played for eleven years! In 1958 she became the first documented African American to play with the New York Philharmonic, and in 1960 she became part of the newly created American Symphony Orchestra led by Leopold Stokowski. In 1972 she won a blind audition for the San Francisco Symphony under the supervision of Seiji Ozawa, making her the only African American to attain such a position at the time. She co-founded the Symphony of the New World, which advocated integration. Overcoming racism and sexism, Elayne Jones stood strong and provided the world her artistry and vision.
Elayne Jones began her musical journey at a young age. Growing up in Harlem, she started in her local church choir, learning piano and voice as a child. One day, her mother saw that Duke Ellington was giving out scholarships to Juilliard. Jones was the only black and only female to recieve one!
Following her graduation at Juilliard, Elayne went on to work as a freelance musician in New York City, Cleveland, San Francisco, and many other major operas and symphonies across the country. Her spirit and talent became widely known. Elayne Jones was a trailblazer, opening her own, integrated symphony. She gave hundreds of lectures in San Francisco and taught at Bronx Community College in the 60s and 70s. In her retirement, she wrote a 310 page autobiography called, "Little Lady with a Big Drum." In 2019, she became the fourth female member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

01/30/2026

Congratulations to Tyra Randle crowned Miss Wheelchair Missouri 2024! Tyra is a beacon of resilience and advocacy. Her life was forever changed four years ago when she sustained injuries from domestic abuse. Today, she dedicates her life to empowering survivors and the disabled community.

01/30/2026

Marlon Jackson is one of the members of the iconic musical group The Jackson 5, which also included his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Michael Jackson.

Marlon David Jackson was born on March 12, 1957, in Gary, Indiana, USA. He was the sixth child in the Jackson family. Marlon and his siblings grew up in a modest household and were introduced to music at a young age by their father, Joseph Jackson.

Marlon rose to fame as a member of The Jackson 5, a group formed in the late 1960s. The Jackson 5 gained immense popularity with hits like "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "I'll Be There." Marlon played a vital role in the group, contributing vocals and also showcasing his dance skills.

After The Jackson 5, Marlon pursued various solo projects and continued to be involved in the music industry. He released a self-titled solo album in 1987, which featured the single "Don't Go." Although his solo career didn't reach the same level of success as his time with The Jackson 5, Marlon remained active in music production and performance.

Outside of music, Marlon has also been involved in various business ventures and philanthropic activities. He has occasionally appeared in television shows and documentaries about his family and The Jackson 5, contributing to the legacy of one of the most influential musical families in history.

Throughout his life, Marlon Jackson has remained dedicated to his family, music, and charitable endeavors, leaving a lasting impact on the world of entertainment and beyond

01/27/2026

DID YOU KNOW A BLACK GIRL HELPED CREATE THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG?
Grace Wisher, a free-born Black girl from Baltimore, Maryland, helped stitch the Star-Spangled Banner during the six-year apprenticeship she began with flag-maker Mary Pickersgill around 1810. The original Star-Spangled Banner is on view at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.
Grace Wisher, an African American apprentice, played a significant yet often overlooked role in the creation of the Star-Spangled Banner. In 1813, at the age of 13, Wisher was indentured to Mary Pickersgill, the Baltimore seamstress tasked with creating the enormous garrison flag that would fly over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. This flag later inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become the lyrics of the United States national anthem.
Grace Wisher's work on the flag highlights the contributions of African American women in American history, even during a time when their labor and efforts were frequently unrecognized or undervalued. Her involvement in making one of the nation's most enduring symbols illustrates the diverse hands that have shaped American heritage. Wisher's story adds depth to the understanding of how the iconic Star-Spangled Banner came to be, recognizing the collaborative effort behind its creation and celebrating the contributions of African Americans in the fabric of American history

01/27/2026

Dorothy Dandridge was a trailblazing African-American actress and singer. She rose to prominence in the 1950s as one of the first black actresses to achieve mainstream success in Hollywood. Dandridge's talent and beauty captivated audiences, and she became a symbol of elegance and grace. She starred in notable films such as "Carmen Jones," for which she earned an Academy Award nomination, and "Porgy and Bess." Dandridge faced racial discrimination and limited opportunities in the film industry but left a lasting impact on the entertainment world. Her legacy as a talented performer and barrier-breaking artist continues to inspire generations.

01/25/2026

Did you know that the man widely regarded as the father of Russian literature was Black?

His name was Alexander Pushkin.

Long before Russia claimed him as a national icon, Pushkin carried African ancestry in a Europe that often tried to erase it. His great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal, was an African child taken from his homeland, brought to Europe, and later rose to become a nobleman and military engineer in Russia. From that stolen beginning came a literary revolution.

Pushkin transformed the Russian language itself. He moved it away from rigid, elite traditions and wrote in a voice closer to everyday people. Without Pushkin, there is no Tolstoy. No Dostoevsky. No Gogol. The entire Russian literary canon stands on the foundation he built.

Yet his Black ancestry is rarely centered. It is softened, minimized, or quietly left out. History celebrates his genius while whitening his image.

Pushkin never denied who he was. He wrote about his African roots with pride in a world that tried to bury them.

This is not trivia. It is historical correction.

Black intellect has always shaped global culture, even when the world refused to acknowledge it.

The pen that built Russian literature was held by a Black man.

Black History Facts

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02/01/2026

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01/31/2026

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