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Launched in 2015, Black Mail is your source for lesser-known black history facts. We celebrate history makers, movements, and moments that have shaped our world.
The African American Negro Academy
Reading time: 3 minutesFounded in 1897, the African American Negro Academy (ANA) was a society of black intellectuals committed to African American education,…
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.: Performed The 1st Implantation of An Automatic Heart Defibrillator
Reading time: 3 minutesDr. Levi Watkins, Jr., made history in 1980 when, he performed the first implantation of an automatic heart defibrillator on…
106 Year Old Virginia McLaurin Visits President Obama At The White House
Reading time: 1 minutesAt 106 years old, Virginia McLaurin gets to meet the black president she thought she would never live to see.…
Rev. Daniel J. Jenkins: Founder of Jenkins Orphanage & Jenkins Orphanage Band
Reading time: 4 minutesJenkins Orphanage was started by a former slave, Rev. Daniel J. Jenkins in 1891 when Jenkins found for 4 black…
Visual Artist Chakaia Booker: Transforming Rubber Into Works of Art
Reading time: 2 minutesChakaia Booker is an African American artist known world-wide for sculpture creations often made of rubber tires. Her art often…
Betrayed By Pharaoh: Gabriel Prosser’s Slave Revolt
Reading time: 3 minutesIn 1800, Gabriel Prosser, a Virginia slave organized a slave revolt. He hoped to rally 1,000 slaves to join him…
The Black Codes: A Continuation of Unequal Treatment After The Civil War
Reading time: 2 minutesThe Black Codes were enacted after the Civil War to restrict the freedom of blacks as well to provide a…
John Francis: An African American Environmentalist and “Planet Walker”
Reading time: 3 minutesKnown as the Planet Walker, John Francis took a vow of silence for 17 years and did not use any…
BREAKING: Denise ‘Vanity’ Matthews Has Died
Reading time: 1 minutesDenise ' Vanity' Matthews has died at age 57. Click the link to learn more.
Thomas Moorehead: The World’s 1st African American Rolls Royce Car Dealer
Reading time: 3 minutesThomas Morehead is part of an elite group of only 33 Rolls Royce dealers across the globe that sells Rolls…
Mary E. McCoy: Philanthropist & Community Leader
Reading time: 2 minutesMary E. McCoy was the wife of black inventor Elijah McCoy. Many are not aware of her tireless work as…