Curated OER
Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography: American Indians: Black Hawk
Scroll down to the portrait of Black Hawk to read a brief biography of this famous Native American chief. From the Smithsonian Institution.
Other
Maria Martinez Biography
Read about Maria Martinez and her amazing life accomplishments as a Native American potter. Includes fantastic pictures of both her and her work.
Utah State University
Teacher Link: Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights
Come and check out this lesson plan focused on the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. Students will be able to identify the important events in the life of this famous African-American leader.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Famous Americans: Booker T. Washington
The National Postal Service provides brief biographical details on Booker T. Washington, black educator involved with the Tuskegee Institute. He was featured on the United States Postage ten cent stamp.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Bell Hooks
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features bell hooks, an American scholar whose work examined the varied perceptions of black women and black women writers and the development of feminist identities.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Julius Rosenwald
Biographical sketch of the life of Julius Rosenwald, an American merchant and unorthodox philanthropist who opposed the idea of perpetual endowments and frequently offered large philanthropic gifts on condition that they be matched by...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Ru Paul
Learn about RuPaul, the American entertainer who carved out an idiosyncratic place in popular culture as perhaps the most famous drag queen in the United States in the 1990s and early 21st century.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Sonia Sanchez
Biographical details on American poet, playwright, and educator, Sonia Sanchez, who was noted for her black activism.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: William Julius Wilson
Biographical details on William Julius Wilson, an American sociologist whose views on race and urban poverty helped shape U.S. public policy and academic discourse.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Naomi Ruth Sims
Brief biographical details on American model and business executive, Naomi Ruth Sims, who was the first black supermodel to adorn the cover of Ladies' Home Journal.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Charles Clinton Spaulding
Brief account of the life of Charles Spaulding, American business leader who built the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company into the nation's largest black-owned business by the time of his death, when it was worth about $40...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Guion S. Bluford, Jr.
Brief biographical sketch of the life and career of the first African American launched into space.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Charles Spurgeon Johnson
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Charles Spurgeon Johnson, a U.S. sociologist, authority on race relations, and the first black president (1946-56) of Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn. (established in 1867 and long...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Howard Thurman
Biographical account of Howard Thurman, an American Baptist preacher and theologian, the first African American dean of chapel at a traditionally white American university, and a founder of the first interracial interfaith congregation...
Other
Famous Texans: Bill Pickett
Discusses the life of William Pickett, "a legendary cowboy from Taylor, Texas of black and Indian descent."
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Byllye Avery
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Byllye Avery, an American health care activist whose efforts centred on bettering the welfare of low-income African American women through self-help groups and advocacy networks.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Maggie Lena Draper Walker
Summarizes the life of Maggie Lena Draper Walker, an American businesswoman, who played a major role in the organizational and commercial life of Richmond's African-American community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin
Biographical sketch of Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, an American community leader who was active in the women's rights movement and particularly in organizing African American women around issues of civic and cultural development.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Augustus Tolton
Summarizes the life and career of Augustus Tolton, an American religious leader who is regarded as the first African American ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Carl Rowan
Learn about the life and career of Carl Rowan, an American journalist, writer, and radio and television commentator, who was one of the first African American officers in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Carl Stokes
Biographical sketch of American lawyer and politician, Carl Stokes, who became the first African-American to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city, having been elected to that office in Cleveland, Ohio (1967-71).
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Floyd Mayweather, Jr., an American boxer whose combination of speed, power, and technical prowess made him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of his generation.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Adah Isaacs Menken
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Adah Isaacs Menken, an American actress and poet widely celebrated for her daring act of appearing (seemingly) naked, strapped to a running horse.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Albert King
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Albert King, an American blues musician who created a unique string-bending guitar style that influenced three generations of musicians.