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.
Marie Louise Anderson Greenwood was the first African American teacher to obtain tenure in the state of Colorado. Greenwood was born in Los Angeles, California on November 24, 1912 to Joseph Anderson who worked as a railroad chef, and Sarah Garrett Anderson, a laundress. At … Read MoreMarie Louise Greenwood (1912- )
Donald Payne Jr. has been the U.S Representative for New Jersey’s 10th congressional district since 2010, winning elected to a seat previously held by his father, Donald Payne Sr. Payne was born on December 17, 1958 in Newark, New Jersey to Donald and Hazel (Johnson) … Read MoreDonald Milton Payne Jr. (1958- )
Jahana Hayes rose to national attention in 2016 when President Barack Obama named her National Teacher of the Year. A former history teacher, she is the first African American woman and African American Democrat to represent Connecticut in the United States Congress. Hayes was born … Read MoreJahana Hayes (1973- )
James E. Walton, longtime professor of English at California State University, Fresno, was born on September 13, 1944 in Bessemer, Alabama to Willie Walton, Sr. and Mary Woods Cutts. Walton attended a two-room schoolhouse in Alabama. At age three, his grandmother taught him to read … Read MoreJames E. Walton (1944-2019)
Memphis Minnie, known as the “Queen of the Blues,” was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her title stems from her legacy of successfully recording music across four decades as well as being the lone female voice in a male dominated blues scene. Memphis Minnie was … Read MoreMemphis Minnie (1887-1973)
Janet Mock is an African American, Hawaiian, and Transgendered person. She was born on March 3, 1983 in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised there and in Oakland, California and Dallas, Texas as Charles Mock III. Her father is Charles Mock II and her mother is Elizabeth … Read MoreJanet Mock (1983- )
Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester has served in the cabinet of two Delaware governors, including five years as Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Services and three years as the Secretary of Labor for Governor Tom Carper, and as State Personnel Director for Governor Ruth Ann … Read MoreLisa Blunt Rochester (1962- )
Julius “Nipsey” Russell was a comedian, dancer, and poet. Russell was born on October 13, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother gave him the nickname Nipsey, and he embraced it because he liked the way it sounded. Russell attended Booker T. Washington High School in … Read MoreNipsey Russell (1924-2005)
James Richardson Bacote was an artist, preservationist, historian and co-founder of the Geechee Kunda Cultural Center in Georgia. Bacote was born on December 18, 1948 in Brunswick, Georgia, to Sally and James Bacote Sr. He attended local schools on the Georgia Coast, as well as … Read MoreJames R. Bacote II (1948-2018)
Reconstruction-Era Attorney Joseph E. Lee was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 15, 1849. Lee graduated from Howard University’s law school in 1873 and then moved to Florida where he was admitted to the state bar and became Jacksonville, Florida’s first African American lawyer. Lee, … Read MoreJoseph E. Lee (1849-1920)