Interesting African American Facts
Do you know that the cultivation of yam in the United States is traced to African slaves? Just like other races, African Americans have had lots of good and bad moments in history. In the article, we are going to be uncovering some of the interesting and less known historic facts and some great achievements by African Americans.
1. The majority of the African Americans have their ancestry in Yoruba(a tribe in Nigeria).
2. The first black athletes to play in the NFL were Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall.
3. As it has been in African culture, African-Americans are less likely to own a pet.
4. Sidney Poitier became the first African-American to win an Oscar for Best Actor in 1964.
5. In 1885, Sarah Goode became the first Black woman to receive a US patent.
6. Denzel Washington won for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Glory (1990) and Best Actor Golden Globe for The Hurricane (2000).
7. Samuel L. Jackson won the Best Actor Golden Globe for Jackie Brown in 1998.
8. Vermont was the first colony to ban the slavery of African-Americans in July 1777.
9. The Black population of the United States has grown to over 29% making up 14% of the country’s population.
10. Black American population is diverse because this group consists of people with varied racial and ethnic identities and experiences.
11. Research shows that the median age of Black people in 2019 was 32, six years younger than the average median age of 38 in the US.
12. About 30% of the African American population is made up of people under 20.
13. W.E.B Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter were the founders of the Niagara movement, a black Civil rights organization.
14. Regionally, the highest concentration of African Americans is in the south of the U.S.
15. Texas is the US state that has the largest Black population living in it, at about 3.9 million.
16. More than 56% of African Americans live in the south of the US, while 17% live in the Midwest, 17% live in the Northeast and 10% live in the West.
17. Elijah is currently the 5th most popular African American name in the US.
18. Jayden is an African American name that was very popular in 2010 and 2011.
19. The banjo is the first African-derived instrument to be built and played in the United States.
20. Robert Johnson was the first male African-American billionaire in the United States in 2001.
21. Interestingly, Oprah Winfrey became the first female African American billionaire in the United States.
22. Madam C.J. Walker became America’s first female self-made millionaire.
23. Anna Murray is the first African-American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
24. Martin Luther King Jr improvised the most iconic part of his “I Have a Dream” speech.
25. Shirley Jackson, was the first African American woman to earn a doctorate at MIT.
26. Phillis Wheatley became the first female African American author published at 12 years old.
27. The first video by a black artist to appear on MTV was “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.
28. The first-ever free black settlement in the US was the town called Gracia Real De Santa Teresa De Mose.
29. The first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal was John Baxter Taylor.
30. Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar.
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31. The cultivation of yam in the United States is traced to African slaves.
32. Sweet tea is a long-time staple of African Americans and it is made with black tea and is always served cold.
33. During the American Revolution, about 5,000 Black soldiers fought on the American side.
34. The vegetable okra was brought to New Orleans by African slaves.
35. Jollof rice is one of the popular delicacies of African Americans.
36. Kolanut, a mild stimulant was brought to America by the African slaves.
37. Black-eyed peas are one of the foods that are rooted in African-American culture.
38. African-Americans believe that gumbo delicacies have spiritual properties.
39. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is the only touring African-American Rodeo founded in 1984.
40. Tupac Shakur, the popular African American rapper died in 1996.
41. Steve Wonder was the first black person to win a Grammy for the album of the year.
42. Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” became one of the most popular albums of all time.
43. Berry Gordy founded Motown Records, the first record label to primarily feature African-American artists in 1959.
44. Model Tyra Banks became the first African-American woman on the covers of CQ magazine.
45. Nat King was the first African-American to have his own television show.
46. Controversial African American rapper Snoop Dogg reportedly sold weed when attending Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
47. Jay Z is the richest African American musician in the whole world.
48. African slaves were mostly named by their European enslavers.
49. Bryant Gumbel, a broadcast journalist, was the first African-American to host a networking morning show.
50. Gloria Gaynor won the first and only Grammy for Best Disco Recording.
51. African slaves were prevented from communicating in their own language by slave traders mixing people who spoke different African languages together.
52. After an incident at one of his performances B.B. Kings named every guitar, he owned Lucille.
53. The first major public recognition of African-American culture happened during the Harlem Renaissance.
54. Before Christianity, most African Americans practiced traditional religion and Islam.
55. The identity of African-American culture is rooted in the historical experience of the African-American people.
56. Boomerang’s original script called for Marcus (Eddie Murphy) to lose both Jacqueline and Angela.
57. Slavery greatly restricted the ability of African-Americans to practice their original cultural traditions.
58. African-American culture is primarily rooted in West and Central Africa.
59. Research shows that the African-American identity was established during the slavery period.
60. In the year 2003, President George Bush signed the bill for the construction of an African-American museum to be built.
61. The total cost of construction of the African American museum was about $540 million.
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