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Encyclopedia Britannica: Roland Burris
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Roland Burris, an American Democratic politician who was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Illinois. His appointment as U.S. senator (2009-10) to fill the seat...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Ida B. Wells Barnett
Provides biographical details on the life of African-American journalist, Ida B. Wells, who led an antilynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s. She later was active in promoting justice for African Americans.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Al Sharpton
Biographical details on Al Sharpton who began preaching at age four and became an ordained Pentecostal minister at age 10. A colorful and popular figure in the African American community, he embarked upon controversial protests that...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Bobby Seale
Learn about the life of Bobby Seale, African-American political activist, founder, along with Huey Newton, and national chairman of the Black Panther Party. Seale was one of a generation of young African-American radicals who broke away...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Sapphire
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Sapphire, an American author of fiction and poetry that features unsparing though often empowering depictions of the vicissitudes of African American and bisexual life.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Larry Doby
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Larry Doby, an American baseball player, the second African-American player in the major leagues and the first in the American League when he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1947.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: T Bone Walker
Biographical information on African-American musician and songwriter T-Bone Walker, a major figure in modern blues. He was the first important electric guitar soloist in the blues and one of its most influential players.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Willie Simms
Learn about American jockey, Willie Simms, who is the only African American to have won all three of the races that compose the Triple Crown of American horse racing: the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, and the Preakness Stakes.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Bayard Rustin
Biographical information on Bayard Rustin, African-American civil rights activist who was a close adviser to Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Venus Williams
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Venus Williams, an American tennis player who-along with her sister Serena-redefined the sport with her strength and superb athleticism. This site, rich in detail...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Howard W. Odum
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Howard W. Odum, an American sociologist who was a specialist in the social problems of the southern United States and a pioneer of sociological education in the South. He worked to replace...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: James E. Clyburn
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features James E. Clyburn, an American politician who served as a Democratic congressman from South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives (from 1993). He was the second African-American and...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Michael S. Steele
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Michael S. Steele, an American politician, the first African-American to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC; 2009-2011).
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Robert E. Park
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Robert E. Park, an American sociologist noted for his work on ethnic minority groups, particularly African Americans, and on human ecology, a term he is credited with coining. One of the...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Amanda Smith
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Amanda Smith, an American evangelist and missionary who opened an orphanage for African-American girls.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Constance Baker Motley
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Constance Baker Motley, an American lawyer and jurist, an effective legal advocate in the civil rights movement and the first African American woman to become a federal judge.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Dorothy West
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Dorothy West, an American writer who explored the aspirations and conflicts of middle-class African Americans in many of her works and was one of the last surviving members of the...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Gordon Parks
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Gordon Parks, an American author, photographer, and film director, who documented African American life.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Hattie Mc Daniel
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Hattie McDaniel, an American actress and singer who became the first African-American to be honored with an Academy Award.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Horace Pippin
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Horace Pippin, an American folk painter known for his depictions of African American life and of the horrors of war.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Isaac Burns Murphy
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Isaac Burns Murphy, an American jockey who was the first to be elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York; he is one of only two African American...
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Encyclopedia Britannica: James Augustine Healy
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features James Augustine Healy, the first African American Roman Catholic bishop in the United States and an advocate for children and Native Americans.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: James Winkfield
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features James Winkfield, an American jockey, the last African-American to win the Kentucky Derby.
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Encyclopedia Britannica: Lorna Simpson
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Lorna Simpson, an American photographer whose work explored stereotypes of race and gender, most often with an emphasis on African American women.