by StanleyFreeman | Nov 24, 2022 | African American History, Businesses and Institutions
E.E. Ward Moving and Storage, recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce as the oldest continuously operating Black-owned business in the United States, was founded in 1881 by William Ward and his father, John T. Ward. The company’s beginning included two helpers,...
by DavidJMason | Jan 24, 2022 | African American History, Businesses and Institutions
During a period in history when little attention was paid to Black consumers, husband and wife George and Joan Johnson co-founded the Johnson Products Co. in Chicago, Illinois, to cater specifically to Black consumers. The Johnsons founded the company with just $254...
by PeltonTristan | Mar 24, 2018 | African American History, People
Thomas Day, master cabinetmaker and entrepreneur, was born in 1801 in Dinwiddie County in southern Virginia to free African American parents. While little is known about his childhood, by the time he became an adult he would develop an outstanding career as a...
by MikellRobert | Sep 28, 2016 | African American History, Businesses and Institutions
The Wormley House, ca. 1884 “Image Ownership: Public Domain” Just one block away from President’s Square, now Lafayette Square, in Washington, D.C. stood the Wormley House, one of the most prominent private hotels and social clubs of its time, and the only...
by WellmanJennifer | Nov 2, 2015 | African American History, People
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Sylvanus Smith, once described in a city directory as a “hog driver,” was a free black Brooklynite who promoted and protected racial equality, business ownership, and property development in the community of Weeksville, New...
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