The year 1827 saw the first African American owned and operated newspaper called Freedom’s Journal, which operated out of New York. The paper was founded by Rev. Peter Williams, Jr., and other free black men, with John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish working as senior and junior editors respectively.

Despite its mere two-year life span, Freedom’s Journal had a profound impact. Its aim was to discuss issues that mattered to the black community and counter the racist commentary of mainstream media. According to Black Past, a subscription to the Journal cost $3 per year and, at its peak, it circulated in 11 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Haiti, and parts of Europe and Canada.

From PBS:

Freedom’s Journal provided its readers with regional, national, and international news and with news that could serve to both entertain and educate. It sought to improve conditions for the over 300,000 newly freed black men and women living in the North. …

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By the 1920s a mere 10,000 black Americans were college educated – or about 0.1 percent of the population.

Of that number, in 1921 three black women became the first to receive PhDs: Georgiana Simpson in German philology from the University of Chicago; Sadie Mossell Alexander in economics from the University of Pennsylvania; and Eva Dykes in English philosophy from Radcliffe College. The order is based on their believed commencement schedules that year.

Simpson worked through college, attending Harvard and Clark University before enrolling full time at the University of Chicago at the age of 41. Although Simpson was not Chicago’s first black student, she sparked a protest when she decided to live on campus.   [Read more…]

In 1961, Air Force Captain Ed Dwight became the first black astronaut trainee, assigned directly by the Kennedy Administration. As a candidate, he faced discrimination but was able to overcome adversity until the assassination of John F. Kennedy, after which government officials created a hostile environment and reassigned Dwight to a non-existent test pilot school in Germany. He resigned from the Air Force in 1966. 

In 1967, Robert Henry Lawrence became the first black man to complete astronaut training, but died later that same year while instructing an Air Force flight test trainee.

A U.S. Air Force officer, Guion Stewart Bluford became the first black astronaut to enter space. Guion was chosen by NASA out of thousands of applicants, and his space career spanned 24 years. He spent a little more than a total of 28 days in space.

In 1985, Frederick Gregory became the first black astronaut to pilot a space craft and later to command a mission. In 1992, Mae Carol Jemison became the first black female to travel in space. Two years later, Bernard A. Harris, Jr., made history as the first black astronaut to walk in space.

According to a 2012 informational sheet, NASA states a total of 321 astronauts have been selected for the intensive Astronaut Candidate training program. At that time, the number of black astronauts totaled 16, or roughly 5 percent.   [Read more…]

Marvel Comics’ Black Panther was America’s first African comic book superhero, debuting in 1966 — 32 years after Mandrake the Magician, who is believed to be America’s first ever superhero. It would be 50 years before Black Panther would be introduced in live-action, appearing in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Black Panther is the T’Challa (politician) turned Prince turned King of the fictional African nation Wakanda.

In 1969, Marvel’s Falcon was introduced as the first African-American superhero. He would later become Captain America’s partner and is the first black superhero to not have the word “black” in his title. He wasn’t introduced on the silver screen film until Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014.

Luke Cage, or Power Man, followed in 1972, also with Marvel Comics. Originally, Cage sported an afro; however, his modern appearance has a shaved head. In 1973, Blade was introduced. Initially hailing from London, England, his on-screen portrayals depict him as being from Detroit, Chicago.   [Read more…]

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the few hospitals to attend to black patients at the time, for treatment of cervical cancer.

After a biopsy, it was soon discovered that the young mother of five had cells that differed from any others previously studied: where other cells would die, Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours. The cells were nicknamed HeLa and are still used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans.

Lacks died on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31. Lacks was never informed that her cells had been harvested and her family was never compensated for the incredible scientific breakthrough she inadvertently provided to modern medicine. The issue of compensation is still ongoing.   [Read more…]

The day has come.

Donald Trump is rallying in San Diego at the Convention Center at 2 p.m. (doors open at 11 a.m.). The San Diego Free Press will be live blogging today’s events. We’ll be pulling pictures and updates from people on the front lines who use the hashtag #NeverTrumpSD or you can send them directly to contact@sandiegofreepres.org.

Here’s what you need to know right now, plus a list of anti-Trump protests throughout the day:   [Read more…]