The following are short descriptions of the women and men who have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
Carol Johnson-Dean was the first black woman superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. She held that post from 1997 to 2003. Johnson-Dean was born 1948 to Mrs. Willie Rawls and Buddy Rawls. She grew up in Brownsville, Haywood County, Tennessee about 50 miles northeast of Memphis. … Read MoreDr. Carol Johnson-Dean (1948-)
Richard Allen Tucker, born on February 13, 1850, was an ordained minister, educator, and poet. He was the son of Reverend Lewis Tucker, the first African-American ordained Baptist minister in the City and Elizabeth “Betsey” Hunter, a seamstress. Richard’s parents were free Blacks before the … Read MoreRichard Allen Tucker (1850-1924)
Raymond Lawrence Finch, a Federal District Court and contributor to the development of the Virgin Islands Legal System, was born on October 4, 1940 in Christiansted, St. Croix, to Wilfred Christopher Finch and Beryl Esther Bough Finch. His siblings were Gordon A. Finch, a former … Read MoreRaymond Lawrence Finch (1940-2023)
Philip Nathan Jefferson is an American economist who has been a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2022. Jefferson is the fourth African American to serve as Governor. Jefferson was born and raised in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His … Read MorePhilip Jefferson
Twelve-time GRAMMY-winning composer, conductor, librettist, and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter was born on August 25, 1933, in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were Joseph Wayne Shorter, a a welder for the Singer sewing machine company, and Louise Shorter, a seamstress with furriers. They also had … Read MoreWayne Shorter (1933-2023)
Freddie Stowers, recognized posthumously for his heroism and bravery during the decisive Hundred Days Offensive in France in 1918, was the first Black soldier awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S military decoration, for serving during World War I. Born on January 12, 1896, … Read MoreFreddie Stowers (1896-1918)
Jennifer Leigh McClellan, great-great-grandchild of slaves and the first Black woman from Virginia in Congress, was born on December 28, 1972, in Petersburg, Virginia, to Dr. James Fennimore McClellan, Jr., from Nashville, Tennessee, and a Virginia State University (VSU) professor, and Lois Dedeaux McClellan, a … Read MoreJennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-)
Addie Fletcher Booth was an educator, civil rights activist, and labor organizer. She was born Addie De Vault on October 29, 1902 in Independence, Texas to Reuben and Anis Gee De Vault. Although very little is known of her early life, she enrolled in Prairie … Read MoreAddie Fletcher Booth (1902-1996)
Josephine Ebaugh Jones was a community activist and possibly the first Black woman in management at a Fortune 500 company. Born to sharecroppers Anna Nance and Scott Ebaugh on July 30, 1920, in Cross Hill, South Carolina, Josephine arrived in New York City in 1946 … Read MoreJosephine Ebaugh Jones (1920-2017)
Pauline Powell Burns was a pianist and a painter who was most well known for her early art exhibitions in California in the 1890s. Powell was born in Oakland, California in 1872, to Josephine Turner, a schoolteacher and domestic worker, and William W. Powell, a … Read MorePauline Powell Burns (1872-1912)
