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Hello. My name is John Thomas Biggers. I am a Civil Rights Activist and Black artist in the United States. In the year of 1957, I will receive a UNESCO fellowship, and travel to Africa.I, John Biggers, was born on April 13th, 1924. I was born inside a shotgun house built by my father in Gastonia, North Carolina. My father's name was Paul A. Biggers. He was a Baptist, Preacher, Farmer, Shoemaker, School Teacher, and Principal of a three room school. My mother, Corina Biggers, was a housekeeper for white families. When my father died, My mother took a job in an Orphanage for Back children, and sent me and my brother to Lincoln Academy. Which is an American Missionary Association school, for African-American children in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Years later, I began studying art under an Austrian artist named Viktor Lowenfield, who was also a Jewish Refugee. More years later, I earned awards for making art, In 1950, I had won first prize for my painting "The Cradle" at the annual exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Because of my achievements, I was able to get a UNESCO fellowship, which I had to travel into Africa. I got a glimpse of their cultures, their people, but best of all, I was able to learn more about the black community in Africa and America.