Person · 1731–1806
Benjamin Banneker
The free-born, self-taught mathematician and astronomer who published almanacs and challenged Jefferson on race.
An early proof against the lies of [[white-supremacy]]; a founder of [[black-science]].
Largely self-educated, Benjamin Banneker calculated astronomical tables for a series of almanacs and helped survey the boundaries of Washington, D.C. He sent a copy of his almanac to Thomas Jefferson with a letter condemning slavery and the hypocrisy of the new republic.