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.
Minnie Forbes is one of a handful of women to own a Negro League Baseball Team. Forbes owned the Detroit Stars team from 1956 to 1958. Forbes was born in Mississippi in 1932, and in 1945, her family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to live … Read MoreMinnie Forbes (1932- )
Henry Vinton Plummer was an American Baptist preacher and a chaplain with the United States Army with the Buffalo Soldiers. Plummer was born into slavery on July 30, 1844 on the Three Sister Plantation near Bowie, Maryland. His father was Adam Francis Plummer, and his … Read MoreHenry V. Plummer (1844-1905)
Marc H. Morial is an American politician and civil rights activist. He is best known as an influential political figure in Louisiana and the CEO and president of the National Urban League. Morial, the second of five children, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on … Read MoreMarc H. Morial (1958- )
Benjamin Harrison Hill was a legislator, teacher, and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister born in Sidney, Nova Scotia, Canada on November 1, 1903 to Joseph L. Hill, a laborer in the steel mill industry and Anna E. Hill, a servant for a private family. Hill … Read MoreBenjamin Harrison Hill (1903-1971)
Clyde Foster, scientist and mathematician, was a significant figure who worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). His calculations helped launch rockets into space and throughout his career he was an advocate for African Americans in Science. Foster was born in Birmingham, Alabama … Read MoreClyde Foster (1931-2017)
George Washington Biggs was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. Biggs was born on July 2, 1925 in Nogales, Arizona to Dolores and Levi Biggs. Biggs’ father was a member of the 25th Infantry (Buffalo Soldiers) where he rose to the rank of master sergeant. … Read MoreGeorge Washington Biggs (1925-2020)
On January 13, 1997 Lieutenant Charles L. Thomas was awarded the Medal of Honor for “heroism in action” in Climbach, France during World War II. born on April 17, 1920 in Birmingham, Alabama. Thomas’s family relocated to Detroit, Michigan as part of the Great Migration. … Read MoreCharles L. Thomas (1920-1980)
On January 2, 2019, Melody J. Stewart became the first African American woman sworn in to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court. Justice Stewart was born on February 19, 1962, in Cleveland, Ohio. Growing up in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland, Stewart was raised by … Read MoreMelody J. Stewart (1962- )
On August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake, an African American man, was left paralyzed after being shot by a white police officer in front of an apartment complex in Kenosha, Wisconsin. While there are conflicting details surrounding Blake’s arrest, the incident occurred during the aftermath of … Read MoreJacob Blake (1991- )
