Explore people and objects across Black history. Start anywhere, or follow the collection by date.
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Biography
Billy Banks (c. 1908 – October 19, 1967, Tokyo, Japan) was an American jazz singer. Banks is most prominently remembered for being a successful female impersonator on record.
Loading image…1874–1968
William Sylvester Alpheus Beal (16 January 1874 – 25 January 1968) was a Canadian sawmill engineer. Beal was one of the first Black settlers to move to Manitoba and lived in Swan River Valley for almost sixty years, homesteading property there after his…
Loading image…1955–
William Wayne Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American actor, martial artist, and fitness personality. He was a nationally ranked competitor in semi-contact and point karate during the 1980s, winning a bronze medal at the 1981 World Games, before…
Loading image…1934–2026
Sir William John Boston (6 August 1934 – 24 August 2026) was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who played as a winger or centre. Born and raised in Cardiff, Wales, Boston started his career as a rugby union player before joining Wigan in 1953.…
Loading image…1862–1965
Billy Bowlegs III, Billy Fewell, aka Cofehapkee (c. 1862–1965), was a Seminole historian of mixed Indigenous and African American descent from Florida.
1945–
Billy Broomfield (born January 15, 1945) is an American politician. He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 110th District, from 1992 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
1971–
Billy Brown (born October 30, 1970) is an American actor best known for his lead roles as Richard 'Death Row' Reynolds on the FX sports drama series Lights Out (2011), Archer Petit on the CBS drama series Hostages (2013–14), and Detective Nate Lahey on the…
Biography
Billy C. Hawkins is an American academic administrator, and teacher. He served as a past president of Talladega College. Hawkins also serves as a board member of the United Negro College Fund and is a past member of the White House Board of Advisors on…
Loading image…1957–
William Edward Childs (born March 8, 1957) is an American composer, jazz pianist, arranger, and conductor from Los Angeles, California. Childs's In the Arms of the Beloved was a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
mid 20th century
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGBilly club from the Rock Rest tourist home. The small, wooden club is a solid piece of stained, brown wood. The handle is turned at the top and bottom, and has an incised banded grip.
Loading image…1944–
William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
1956–2011
Billy Costello (born William Donald Castiglioni; April 10, 1956 – June 29, 2011) was a professional boxer in the United States.
Loading image…1941–
William Cox (born October 18, 1941) is an American bassist known for performing with Jimi Hendrix. His work with Hendrix included the Band of Gypsys.
Loading image…1915–1988
William Boone Daniels (September 12, 1915 – October 7, 1988) was an American singer active in the United States and Europe from the mid-1930s to 1988, notable for his hit recording of "That Old Black Magic" and his pioneering performances on early 1950s…
1938–
J. C. Davis (born April 29, 1938), known as Billy Davis, is an American rock and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his work with Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. He is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
1972
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA small booklet pamphlet with green covers. The front has the title [Billy Dean Smith] at the top with an image of Smith below. There are fourteen (14) pages total with text and black and white images. There is a small centerfold poster with the title,…
1951–
William Randall Daniels (born September 25, 1951), better known by the stage name Billy Dee, is an American retired adult film actor.
Loading image…1937–
William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise and has also…
1967–2012
Billy Downey (October 28, 1967 – October 3, 2012) was a Canadian former boxer who won a gold medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
Loading image…Biography
Edreys Wajed, also known as Billy Drease Williams, is an American hip hop artist, emcee, singer and producer from Buffalo, New York; known for his uptempo production, clean lyrics, and motivational messages. Billy Drease Williams started as part of a short…
Biography
Doctor Billy E. Jones is an American psychiatrist. He is considered an expert on the subject of the intersection of African American mental health and LGBTQ concerns.
Loading image…1914–1993
William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously awarded the…
1980
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGA black-and-white photograph of singer and bandleader Billy Eckstine in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He is photographed slightly from above with a wood paneled wall behind him. He is lighting a pipe and wears a dark striped suit with a polka-dot handkerchief.
ca. 1955
FROM THE SOURCE CATALOGThis black and white photograph depicts Billy Eckstine on stage looking down at his audience. Wearing a light grey suit and dark shirt, he stands in front of a microphone that he grasps in both hands. Behind him on stage is a man in a dark suit holding a…
Biographies, museum objects and archive records are distinct card types. Every card links to its historical source.
