Sophia Gillmer, Author at

Student Historian

Sophia Gillmer is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington majoring in History and minoring in Diversity. As a bi-racial black woman, she has found herself to be passionate about social justice and listening to the voices of marginalized communities. Growing up in different parts of the country, she has met people from different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities which has made her fascinated in the way history has influenced the different experiences of people in the United States. After graduation, she plans to attend law school and pursue civil rights law in hopes of using her voice to help speak for the different people in the United States that do not have one.

Golden Asro Frinks (1920-2004)

Born April 26, 1920 in Wampee, South Carolina, Golden Asro Frinks is known for his activism during the Civil Rights Movement and his work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). When Frinks was nine, his family, including ten other siblings, moved to Tabor City, … Read MoreGolden Asro Frinks (1920-2004)

Jesse Gray (1923-1988)

Jesse Gray is best known for his leading the Harlem Tenant Council in the 1960s. Born May 14, 1923 in Junica, outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana to parents Samuel Gray and Lottie Clarke, Gray had nine other siblings. He attended Xavier College, an all-black catholic college … Read MoreJesse Gray (1923-1988)

Howard Venable (1913-1998)

Howard Venable is known for the revolutionary changes he made in the field of ophthalmology. Venable was born January 27, 1913 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, to mother, Agnes Hill, and father, William Venable. He moved to Detroit, Michigan as a child and spent most of … Read MoreHoward Venable (1913-1998)

Earl G. Graves Sr. (1935-2020)

Earl G. Graves, the founder of Black Enterprise, a nationally recognized black business magazine, was born on January 9, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York. Both his mother, Winifred Sealy, and his father, Earl Godwyn Graves, influenced their son’s successful career. His mother led many community activities, and his father was … Read MoreEarl G. Graves Sr. (1935-2020)

Al Green (1948- )

Al Green, born on April 13, 1948 in Forrest City, Arkansas, is known as one of the great rhythm and blues singers of the 1970s. He was born Albert Greene to Cora and Robert Greene who were sharecroppers and parents of ten other children. Greene and some of his … Read MoreAl Green (1948- )

Charles Kenyatta (1921-2005)

Charles Sumner Kenyatta, also known as Charles 37X and Charles Morris, organized the Harlem Mau Mau Society and worked as Malcolm X’s body guard. Kenyatta was born February 20, 1921, to Ruth Davis and Charles Morris in Boston, Massachusetts. As a teen, he trained to be a dental technician, but wanted … Read MoreCharles Kenyatta (1921-2005)

Jessie Isabelle Price (1930-2015)

Jessie Isabelle Price is known for her work as a veterinary microbiologist who developed vaccines to fight off organisms killing ducks and waterfowl. Born on January 1, 1930 in Montrose, Pennsylvania, she was raised by her single mother, Teresa Price who encouraged working hard in school. After … Read MoreJessie Isabelle Price (1930-2015)

Morris Overstreet (1950-2024)

Morris Overstreet was the first African American in Texas state history to be elected to a statewide office and the second (after Judge Louis Sturns) to sit on one of the two highest courts in the state, the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals. Overstreet was born on … Read MoreMorris Overstreet (1950-2024)

National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (1976- )

Founded in September of 1976 during a three-day symposium, The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), was created to tackle crime in low-income urban areas. Committed to justice and action, NOBLE serves to ensure equity in justice for all communities during citizens interactions with law … Read MoreNational Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (1976- )

Recy Taylor (1919-2017)

Recy Taylor, an African-American woman who grew up as a sharecropper in Abbeville, Alabama, was raped on September 3, 1944, by six white men. Her refusal to remain silent after her rape brought attention to the sexual abuse of African-American women in the Jim Crow South. Born on … Read MoreRecy Taylor (1919-2017)