as a matter of fact

BENJAMIN BANNEKER was born in 1731 a free Black man. He was a farmer and scientist, who began his studies as a teenager. He educated himself with books borrowed from a Quaker neighbor. 

Banneker was later  chosen by President George Washington to serve on the commission that planned the city of Washington, D.C. He chose the sites for the White House, the Capitol, and many other important government buildings.

  

To read his remarkable story GOOGLE his name