Robert Brown Elliott (1842-1884)

Robert Brown Elliott, Reconstruction-era Congressman, was born in 1842 in Liverpool, England. He attended High Holborn Academy in London, England and then studied law, graduating from Eton College in 1859. From there he joined the British Royal Navy.  Elliott decided to settle in South Carolina … Read MoreRobert Brown Elliott (1842-1884)

Ward Connerly (1939- )

Anti-affirmative action activist, businessman and former University of California regent Wardell (Ward) Anthony Connerly is popularly known as the key figure responsible for passage of California Proposition 209 which outlawed race and gender based preferences in state college and university admission and hiring.  Connerly was … Read MoreWard Connerly (1939- )

Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. (1911-1984)

Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. the chief lobbyist for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1950 to 1978 played a central role in winning passage of the landmark civil rights legislation that transformed the nation in the 1950s and 1960s.  Clarence … Read MoreClarence M. Mitchell, Jr. (1911-1984)

William Hooper Councill (1849-1909)

William Hooper Councill, educator and race leader, was born into slavery in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on July 12, 1849. His parents were both slaves on the Councill plantation. When William was five, his father escaped to Canada and tried unsuccessfully to obtain freedom for his … Read MoreWilliam Hooper Councill (1849-1909)