W.E.E. See You…

The year 1955 was like a dream come true for Mary Alexander of Ocala, Florida. She was a junior at Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia concentrating on her studies when her dorm mother insisted that she go to a local audition for a Coca-Cola promotion on campus. Little did Alexander know that she would become [...]

A slave named Molly Williams was the first known female firefighter in the United States. Little is known about her life, but female firefighters know her heroic story. Owned by a New York merchant named Benjamin Aymar, Williams became part of the Oceanus Engine Company firehouse in 1815 and would be known as Volunteer Number [...]

When the students at the University of Pennsylvania enter its veterinary school, one of the first portraits they see is of Augustus Nathaniel Lushington. Lushington, a native of Trinidad, became one of the first Black degreed veterinarians in 1897. Looking for job opportunities, Lushington left his British West Indies home with his new wife and [...]

Selena Sloan Butler was the past president of Georgia Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers 1919-1926. Following the success of the National Congress of Mothers PTA, African-American teacher and Spelman College graduate Selena Sloan Butler heard the call, so on May 7, 1926, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (NCCPT) was formed, with [...]

Textile artist Lois Mailou Jones was a Harlem Renaissance artist; in fact, she was one of the longest living members of the Harlem Renaissance. Jones found her inspiration in Martha’s Vineyard as a teen. As her interest grew, she decided to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1937, learning textile design. [...]

A bust of William McAnulty, the first black Supreme Court Justice in Kentucky, was revealed last week in the Capitol Rotunda of the Kentucky Supreme Court chambers. McAnulty became the first African-American justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2006. McAnulty started his career on the bench as a juvenile court judge in Jefferson County [...]

Clarence Otis Jr. has become a household name in America. Well, families at least talk about and visit his chain of restaurants every day of the week. Since 2004, Otis, 53, has served as the chief executive officer of Darden Restaurants – which includes Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, The Capitol Grille and Bahama [...]

How will you identify yourself on the 2010 Census?  Black, African American, or NEGRO? Melissa Harris-Lacewell weighs in. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Field Negro weighs in here: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 Just check Negro. Boy you Negroes sure are sensitive. Now you don’t even want the man to [...]

“We are one woman, blessed to be born Black in America … I rejoice for every little girl, every teenager, young adult and yes even every senior, who like me, can look at you and see herself.”~~Excerpt from a letter to Michelle Obama Go, Tell Michelle: African American Women Write to the New First Lady [...]

Among Disney’s Royal Ladies, Princess Tiana Is a Notable First AP/Mike Cidoni—For most of the last century, the Disney ‘toon heroine was as white as, well… Snow White, the studio’s first feature-film superstar, who marked her debut in 1937′s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” It would take some 60 years for the Disney artists [...]

Today’s interview features Susan L. Taylor, discussing her profoundly inspirational and thought-provoking book, All About Love: Favorite Selections from ‘In The Spirit’ on Living Fearlessly. All About Love is a gathering of Susan’s favorite In the Spirit essays, as well as the favorites of many Essence readers. Several themes reoccur ~ finding harmony with ourselves [...]