People, Locations, Episodes

The National Black Nurses Association is Formed

*The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) was incorporated on this date in 1972. Founded in Cleveland, Ohio, the organization promotes African American women in nursing. At the American Nurses Association (ANA) Convention in 1970, 200 African American nurses proposed the formation of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). After the convention, several nurses met at Doctor […]

The National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers is Formed

*The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers or NOBCChE is celebrated on this date in 1972.  NOBCChE was co-founded in 1972 by a group of chemists and chemical engineers.  They are a nonprofit, professional organization.  They aim to increase the number of minorities in science, technology, and engineering fields. […]

The Green Belt Movement is Formed

*On this date in 1977, we celebrate the founding of the Green Belt Movement (GBM).   They are an indigenous, grassroots, non-governmental organization based in Nairobi, Kenya. GBM takes a holistic approach to development by focusing on environmental justice, conservation, community development, and capacity building. Professor Wangari Maathai established the organization under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya; […]

Paula Marcela Moreno Zapata, Engineer, and Public Policy Advocate born

*Paula Marcela Moreno Zapata was born on this date in 1978.  She is an Afro Colombian engineer, professor, and public policy advocate.   Born in Bogata, Paula Marcela Moreno Zapatais, the daughter of Armando Moreno, a retired civil servant of the Bogotá Aqueducts, and María Zényde Zapata, a lawyer.   In 1998, Moreno graduated with an Italian Language and Culture degree from Istituto Italiano di […]

A Black Woman Patents an Illusion Transmitter

*On this date in 1980, a Black woman obtained a patent for the illusion transmitter. Valerie Thomas, a scientist from Maryland, was the inventor; the U.S. patent is 4229761A. Her invention transmits how a concave mirror would affect the real object that is reflected.

The National Black Deaf Association is Established

*The 1982 establishment of the National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) is celebrated on this date. It is the oldest and largest organization of deaf and hard of hearing Black people in the United States.
In the early 1980’s, Black deaf leaders were disturbed that deaf and hard of hearing African Americans were not sufficiently represented and created NBDA. They wanted to aid in leadership and policy decision-making activities affecting hearing-impaired African Americans. Beginning with the establishment of two chapters, the NBDA has grown as an organization with 30 chapters.

Kizzmekia Shanta Colbert, Immunologist born

*On this date in 1986, Kizzmekia Shanta Corbett was born. She is a Black viral immunologist.  Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Shanta Corbett was born to Rhonda Brooks in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina. She grew up in Hillsborough, a rural town in North Carolina, where she had a large family of stepsiblings and foster siblings. Corbett attended A.L. Stanback Middle School and graduated from Orange High […]

Black America and HIV/AIDS, an article

On this date, which is World AIDS Day, the Registry looks at HIV/AIDS in African American.

Sickle Cell Anemia, an article

On this date’s Registry, we discuss Sickle cell anemia. Although it is not a leading cause of death, sickle cell in the United States (and elsewhere in the Americas) occurs predominantly in people of African descent.

Nobel Winner Racially Critiques About HIV/AIDS

On this date in 2004, Kenyan ecologist Wangari Maathai restated her claim that the AIDS virus was a deliberately created biological agent.

The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner said, “Some say that AIDS came from the monkeys, and I doubt that because we have been living with monkeys [since] time immemorial, others say it was a curse from God, but I say it cannot be that. “Us black people are dying more than any other people in this planet.” Maathai spoke at a press conference in Nairobi a day after winning the prize for her work in human rights and reversing deforestation across Africa.

Environmental Justice, and Racism, a story

*On this date in 2011, World Environmental Health Day, Environmental racism is affirmed; a culture to protect the environment. This environmental justice movement developed in the United States throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The term describes environmental injustice within a racialized context in practice and policy.  In the United States, environmental racism criticizes inequalities between urban […]