Explore people and objects across Black history. Start anywhere, or follow the collection by date.
115,761 matching cards · 24 cards per page
1916–1980
Charles Baker Fowlkes (February 16, 1916 – February 9, 1980) was an American baritone saxophonist who was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra for over 25 years.
Loading image…1878–1961
Charles Franklin Moss (1878-1961) was an African American photographer and painter born in Winchester, Virginia. Moss' mother was born into slavery and his father was a mason. He showed interest in art early in his life and attended Cooper Union and the…
Loading image…1864–1937
Charles Frederick Page (c. 1864 - November 18, 1937) was a timber contractor who designed and built the first full-scale model of an airship.
Loading image…1927–1997
Charles Freeman Lee, known as Freeman Lee (August 13, 1927 – June 15, 1997) was an American Jazz Trumpeter, recording with the Elmo Hope Quintet, Bennie Green, Babs Gonzales and Howard McGhee.
Loading image…1899–1979
Charles Fremont "Pruner" West (January 25, 1899 – November 20, 1979) was an American track athlete, college football player and coach, and physician. He played football and ran track at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. He was the…
1939–2022
Charles H. Fuller Jr. (March 5, 1939 – October 3, 2022) was an American playwright, best known for his play A Soldier's Play, for which he received the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2020 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
1937–2014
Charles George Hayes (December 10, 1937 – February 12, 2014) was an American gospel musician and founding pastor of Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer. He enjoyed a career spanning over 50 years as a musician with the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir that…
1944
Charles Gaines (born 1944) is an American visual artist, whose work interrogates the discourse of aesthetics, politics, and philosophy. Taking the form of drawings, photographic series and video installations, the work consistently involves the use of…
Loading image…1939–2023
Charles Gayle (February 28, 1939 – September 7, 2023) was an American free jazz musician. Initially known as a saxophonist who came to prominence in the 1990s after decades of obscurity, Gayle also performed as pianist, bass clarinetist, bassist, and…
Loading image…1978–
Charles Gbeke (born March 15, 1978) is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Born in Ivory Coast, he made three appearances for the Canada national team. Gbeke began his career with brief stints with Seattle Sounders and Vancouver…
1936–2023
Charles Gilchrist Adams (December 13, 1936 – November 29, 2023) was an American pastor who served as the first Nickerson Professor of the Practice of Ethics and Ministry at Harvard Divinity School from 2007 to 2012.
Loading image…1945–2022
Charles Edward "Charlie" Greene (March 21, 1945 – March 14, 2022) was an American track and field sprinter and winner of the gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Greene was considered a certain…
Biography
Charles H. Barbour is a politician from Charlottesville, Virginia. He served as the first Black mayor of Charlottesville from 1974 to 1976. Barbour was also the first African-American to be elected to the Charlottesville City Council (1970–1978), and was…
Loading image…1958–
Charles H. Ellis III (born July 8, 1958) is an American Apostolic Pentecostal preacher and the former Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. He is the pastor of the Greater Grace Temple, a megachurch in Detroit, Michigan, succeeding…
1905–1978
Charles Harold Loeb (April 2, 1905 – August 21, 1978) was an American journalist known for detailing radiation casualties from the Hiroshima bomb. Loeb's article reporting on World War II was published in multiple newspapers with support of the National…
1886–1966
Charles Henry Mahoney (May 29, 1886 – January 29, 1966) was an American attorney, politician, and businessman, and the first African American appointed as a delegate to the United Nations. Mahoney was also the first African American to serve on the Detroit…
Loading image…1817–1887
Charles H. Pearce (1817–1887) was a religious and political leader in Florida. An African Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister, he was dispatched to Florida in 1865, after the American Civil War. He had previously been a missionary in Canada after moving…
Loading image…1950–
Charles H. Ramsey (born 1950) is a former American law enforcement officer who recently served as the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department. Prior to assuming that post in January 2008, he had served as Chief of the Metropolitan Police…
Loading image…1872–1967
Charles Horace Roberts (August 12, 1872 – January 1, 1967) was an American dentist and politician who, alongside George W. Harris, was one of the first two African Americans elected to the New York City Board of Aldermen in 1919. He was also the first…
Dates not recorded
Charles H. Sperry was a teacher, state legislator, and carpenter in South Carolina. He represented Georgetown County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1872 to 1874. He enrolled in law school. In 1880 he was recorded as being a carpenter.
Loading image…Biography
Charles H. Turpin (died 1935) was a constable filmmaker, theater owner, and judge in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1910, he became the first African American elected to city-wide office in St.
Loading image…1891–1987
Charles Harris Wesley (December 2, 1891 – August 16, 1987) was an American historian, educator, minister, and author. He published more than 15 books on African-American history, taught for decades at Howard University, and served as president of…
1918–2002
Charles Howard Wright (September 20, 1918 – March 7, 2002) was a Detroit physician and founder of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
1846–1897
Charles Hadley (September 30, 1846 – June 28, 1897), nicknamed "The Professor", was an African American boxer who was the third World Colored Heavyweight Champion, reigning from January 14, 1881, to February 23, 1883. The 5′9½″ boxer fought out of…
Biographies, museum objects and archive records are distinct card types. Every card links to its historical source.
