Dr. Carol Johnson-Dean (1948-)

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 (1850-1924)

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 (1940-2023)

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)

Wayne Shorter (1933-2023)

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)

Jennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-)

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-)