There Were Nearly a Million Black Farmers in 1920 — What Happened?

In the year 1920, the number of Black farmers in the U.S. peaked at 949,889. Since then, however, that number has never increased and instead has consistently spiraled downward. Today, there are merely 45,508 Black farmers, most of whom are struggling to make a decent living. It's no surprise that racial discrimination is the main reason why!

Black Kings (and Queens) Ruled Europe For Almost 700 Years

History confirms that the Moors ruled in Europe -- primarily Spain and Portugal -- for almost 700 years. They were known for their influence in European culture, but not many people know that the Moors were actually Black.

We Know Her as Toni Morrison, But That's Not Really Her Name -- Here's Why She Changed It!

The late Toni Morrison, a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner, is known as the author of many notable novels that highlight African American culture. Her works include Beloved and The Bluest Eye. For decades, people have known her name to be Toni Morrison, but what many people don't know is that her real name is actually Chloe Anthony Wofford.

Private School in DC Believed to Had Taught Slaves How to Read Actually Sold Slaves Instead

The Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a prestigious girls' school in Washington, D.C. founded in 1799, has always had an admirable reputation as it was once believed that the founding nuns allowed slaves to attend classes and taught them to read. But recent research contradicts that legend and reveals a different story -- the nuns actually sold slaves!

Meet Sister Rosetta Tharpe - the Black Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll Music!

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, famous in the 1930s for her upbeat electric guitar playing style, is the original godmother of rock and roll music. She was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, and recognized for her contributions in paving the way for other artists in the industry.

This 14-Year Old Boy Was Cleared of Murder... 70 Years After Being Executed!

A 14-year old African-American boy named George Stinney Jr. was executed in 1944 after being accused of murdering two white girls. He is the youngest person ever put to death in the electric chair. But 70 years later, his wrongful conviction was overturned!

The Truth About Black People and Country Music — We Created It!

The global success of rapper Lil Nas X's hip hop country song "Old Town Road" should not be a surprise to anyone. According to The True Origins of Country Music, a very powerful TED Talk by vocalist/ historian Queen Esther, not only is country music rooted in Black culture, but it also originated with blues music and West African music traditions.

The Ugly History of America's Racist Soft Drink Brands

The truth about the history of America's favorite soft drinks, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, may shock you. Coca-Cola, for example, founded in the year 1892, was originally a product only intended for white people. According to the New York Times, Coke's recipe was heavily influenced by white supremacy and it was marketed mainly to the white middle class. Throughout the 1920's and 1930's, the company "studiously" and purposely ignored the African-American market.

When Hattie McDaniel Won an Oscar, She Was Banned From Sitting With Her Co-Stars

Hattie McDaniel became the first Black Oscar winner in 1940 for her portrayal of a slave named Mammy in the 1939 film Gone With the Wind. Sadly though, when she attended the Academy Awards ceremony at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in The Ambassador Hotel, she wasn't even allowed to sit with her co-stars.

The Fourth of July Used to Be a Black Holiday

In 1852, famed abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass told a large, mostly white crowd in Rochester, New York, "This Fourth [of] July is yours not mine." And many other African Americans of that time period felt the same way. But after the Civil War in 1865, things had changed. African Americans in the South had transformed Independence Day into a celebration of their newly won freedom.