Johnson, Sgt William Henry – Honored By John C Abercrombie   This is part of a series that speaks to thename changing of United States military bases. The bases having their names changed are bases named after Confederate Officers. We look at this move, starting with the officers themselves. They were commissioned officers of the United States and had sworn allegiance to the United States. Allegiance = the fidelity owed by a subject or citizen to a sovereign or government. These men had to denounce their allegiance to America, lay down arms they had from the United States and take off the ..read more

Johnson, Sgt Henry – Medal of Honor By John C Abercrombie   As I prepare this post, I am filled with a myriad of emotions. Some good and some not so good. We examine the man Sgt William Henry Johnson, a member of the United States 369th Harlem Hellfighters and their accomplishments during World War I that should be inspiring to all Americans yet is all but hidden in American history. William Henry Johnson was born July 15, 1892, in Winston Salem, North Carolins and died July 1, 1929. He is widely known as Henry Johnson and known for his service to America during World War I. While on watc ..read more

All Black Towns By John C Abercrombie   In many areas of Black life, we have a tendency to only think about the subject presented without question of logic. Why? Does this make sense? Because few people have written about it, one of these topics is all-Black towns. We see generations of people who have lived in captivity for hundreds of years, working under incredibly harsh conditions. Not being paid for their labor, owning nothing because they were not paid. Had remarkably untrue myths spread about them, including that slavery was the best thing for them, ever. Just looking at the time o ..read more

Ann Lowe – Black Fashion Designer – Jackie Kennedy Wedding Dress By John C Abercrombie As we look at amazingblackhistory.com we are often left wondering how it is possible to have people of great achievement fail to make the pages of history. The case of Ann Lowe is just one study, and we will look at how she fell between the cracks for so long. She is not alone in failing to attain the level of success that others would have found heaped on them. She was born in rural Clayton, Alabama in 1898. She was the granddaughter of enslaved woman and an Alabama plantation owner. It is important to reme ..read more

Emmett W Chappelle By John C Abercrombie We frequently think of segregation as a Southern thing, but in 1925 Emmett Chappelle was born in Phoenix, Arizona in segregation. He was born to his parents Viola White Chappelle and Isom Chappelle. Because of segregation he attended Phoenix Union Colored High School in Phoenix. After graduation he enlisted in the United States Army and was fortunate to be able to take some engineering courses before being assigned to the 92nd Infantry Division and was stationed in Italy. In 1925, Emmett Chappelle was born in Phoenix, Arizona to his parents, Viola White ..read more

The Greensboro Sit in By John C Abercrombie   The dawning of a new day began in 1960 when four Black students engaged in a sit in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. First, we will unwrap the backstory. The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company and one of the pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was among the most successful American and international five-and-dime businesses, setting trends and creating the modern retail model that stores follow worldwide today. Most towns had one of these stores in the downtown area. The Greensboro sit-in w ..read more

James P Beckwourth – Black Explorer who discovered the Beckwourth Pass By John C Abercrombie As we start this post, we need to be aware of one the most misleading facts of the old west. After years of watching television, movies, listening to the radio and even reading novels and history books, many of us have seen a lily-White west. This is completely wrong as one of every four cowboys was Black. Even trail bosses were Black and entrusted with the payroll and other finances for the entire drive.  Nothing is gained here except to trash an entire race of people for some undisclosed reason ..read more

Montgomery Improvement Association and the Rise of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. By John C Abercrombie   As we approach the celebration of the birth of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr we will look at the movement that gave him his start as a national and international leader in the world of civil rights. There is little doubt that he was respected around the world for his study, thought and outspokenness on matters of importance to all citizens of the world. We will look not only at the movement that started it all, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) but we will look at what made him a g ..read more

Ross-Lee, Dr Barbara By John C Abercrombie   Dr Barbara Ross-Lee is best known for being a Black physician, academic and the first Black woman to serve as dean of a United States medical school. We often see greatness in a family with several members belonging to a particular community, such as medicine, the arts, construction, teaching and so on. Barbara set her own course. The oldest of six children, she attended Wayne State University for her undergraduate education. We discuss this and other topics every Sunday at 4:00 pm Eastern time, 1:00 pm Pacific use the following information to ..read more

Miller, Doris “Dorie” United States Navy Hero By John C Abercrombie   Dorie Miller is a Black American hero who served during World War II. Born in Waco, Texas on October 12, 1919. He was named Doris by the midwife who assisted his mother that the baby would be a girl. His parents were Connery and Henrietta Miller, the third of four sons. As he grew up, he as did his siblings worked around the house, cooking, doing laundry and working on the farm. He also played fullback on the Waco Black high school, Alexander James Moore High School football team. Most people are not aware of the value ..read more