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.
Civil rights activist Edwin C. “Bill” Berry was affiliated with the Urban League for over 30 years and served as executive director of the Chicago Urban League from 1956 to 1970. When he arrived in Chicago he denounced the city’s segregationist practices and drove anti-discrimination … Read MoreEdwin C. “Bill” Berry (1910-1987)
Charlayne Hunter-Gault, an award-winning journalist, author, and the first African American woman to integrate into the University of Georgia (UGA), was born in Due West, South Carolina, in 1942. Hunter was born to Charles, a chaplain in the United States Army, and Althea Hunter. She … Read MoreCharlayne Hunter-Gault (1942- )
Wallace Delaney Muhammad was born on October 30, 1933 to Clara Evans and Elijah Poole in the impoverished Paradise Valley in Detroit, Michigan. A year later, Poole, later known as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, took over the Nation of Islam as “Supreme Leader” upon the … Read MoreWarith Deen Mohammed (b. Wallace Delaney Muhammad) (1933-2008)
Michael P. Anderson, a former Spokane, Washington resident, was one of seven astronauts who died when Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry on February 1, 2003. Born on December 25, 1959, in Plattsburgh, New York to Robert and Barbara Anderson, Michael Anderson had three sisters, … Read MoreMichael P. Anderson (1959-2003)
Attorney and philanthropist Franklin A. Thomas was the first African American president of the Ford Foundation, the trust endowed by automobile manufacturer Henry Ford. The organization currently is the second-largest philanthropic foundation in the U.S., distributing funds for initiatives relating to democracy, poverty, and cultural … Read MoreFranklin A. Thomas (1934- )
William Anthony (Tony) Brown, a pioneer in television programming for African American audiences, was born in Charleston, West Virginia on April 11, 1933 to Royal and Katherine Brown. The youngest of five children, he did well in school, excelling in English and drama, and overcame … Read MoreTony Brown (1933- )
Image Ownership: Public Domain Russell Simmons, a multimillionaire who is estimated to be the third wealthiest man in the Hip-Hop industry, just behind Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs, was born on October 4, 1957 in Queens, New York City. His parents were Damian Simmons, … Read MoreRussell Simmons (1957– )
Tommie Smith is best known as a world class sprinter and for protesting (along with John Carlos) U.S. racism and human oppression on the winner’s podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Smith was born in Clarksville, Texas, and raised in Lemoore, California. … Read MoreTommie Smith (1944- )
Image Ownership: David Shankbone (CC BY-SA 3.0) Gloria Naylor, a major 20th century writer of African American literature, was born on January 25, 1950 in New York City, New York to Roosevelt and Alberta Naylor. She was born just six weeks after her parents … Read MoreGloria Naylor (1950-2016)
Map of the Coachella Valley Image Ownership: Courtesy Matthew Trump (CC BY-SA 3.0) John Nobles was a black pioneer who mysteriously came to own a large swath of land in the 1930s in the Coachella Valley, California. This happened at a time when the sale … Read MoreJohn Nobles (c. 1880s-c. 1940s)
