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.
Joel Woodson of Omaha, Nebraska was lynched by a mob in Green River, Wyoming on December 10, 1918 at the Union Pacific Railroad yard. He had come to Green River for work three months earlier, leaving his wife and family in Omaha. Woodson was an … Read MoreJoel Woodson (?-1918)
Wade Hampton was a Wyoming lynching victim. He was taken from the Rock Springs city jail by three men who attempted to hang him. When the hanging was unsuccessful, Hampton was shot to death on December 14, 1917, shortly after midnight. We know little about … Read MoreWade Hampton (?-1917)
In 1968 Dorothy Bolden transformed domestic worker rights by founding the National Domestic Workers Union of America (NDWUA). Employed as a domestic for more than 40 years, Bolden created a union to promote their interest. The NDWUA helped maids gain better wages, better conditions, and … Read MoreDorothy Lee Bolden (1924-2005)
Eugene Moszee was a civil rights activist in Seattle during the 1940s. Born in Floresville, Texas, in 1914, the first of ten children of illiterate farm laborers, Moszee moved to Seattle during the 1930s and by 1937 owned and operated his own Mobile gas station … Read MoreEugene Moszee (1914-1945)
Eri L. Barr, the first Seventh-day Adventist minister of color, was born to free African American parents in Reading, Vermont, on May 23, 1814. He had five siblings, three of whom did not survive their teenage years. Barr studied English at Wesleyan Academy in Massachusetts … Read MoreEri L. Barr (1814-1864)
Marion William Dial was the first African American elected to a city-wide office in Missouri. Dial was born in Chetopa, Kansas, on June 27, 1903. After receiving bachelors and master’s degrees from the Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University), Dial embarked on a … Read MoreMarion William Dial (1903-1972)
Antonio Ramon Delgado is an attorney, business owner, former entertainer and the first person of African American or Hispanic descent to be elected to Congress from upstate New York. On January 3, 2019, he was sworn into the 116th United States Congress. A Democrat, he … Read MoreAntonio Delgado (1977- )
In 2018, Lauren Underwood was elected to the U.S. Congress representing the 14th Congressional district of Illinois which is suburban Chicago. She is the first African American woman to represent the district, defeating incumbent Republican Congressman Randy Hultgren. At age 32, she is also the … Read MoreLauren Underwood (1986- )
Dan Bullock was the youngest member of the United States Armed Services to die in the Vietnam War. Bullock, a U.S. Marine, was 15 years old at the time of his death. Dan Bullock was born on December 21, 1953 in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Much … Read MoreDan Bullock (1953-1969)
Leading African American anthropologist Lee D. Baker was adopted in 1969 by white parents who lived in Yakima, Washington. They traveled from their home to San Diego, California to adopt 3-year-old Baker. The family continued to live in Washington for a short period of time … Read MoreLee D. Baker (1966- )