Independent Historian

Wilma Johnson is currently Executive Director of Greater Love, Inc., Christian Educational Institute, an educational consulting firm in Georgia.  She received an Ed.D. degree in 2004 and a MSW degree in 1994 from Clark Atlanta University, and her undergraduate degree in Black Studies from San Jose State University.  Dr. Johnson has been accepted into the Biblical Studies, Master’s program at Beulah Heights University.  A native of San Jose, California she now resides in Riverdale, Georgia.  Wilma is currently working on a history project, from the Pentecostal perspective, on African American women preachers and evangelists who lived in the 1800s.

Victoria Earle Matthews (1861-1907)

Victoria Earle Smith was an accomplished journalist, author, lecturer, clubwoman, social worker, and missionary.  She was born on May 27, 1861 in Fort Valley, Georgia, to Caroline Smith, a slave, and a man who was believed to be the family’s master.  Caroline fled the plantation … Read MoreVictoria Earle Matthews (1861-1907)

Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar-Nelson (1875-1935)

Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar-Nelson was an educator, poet, activist, and playwright. Moore was born on July 19, 1875 in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a family of mixed black, white, and Indian ancestry. Her mother, Patricia Wright, was formerly enslaved, and worked as a seamstress and … Read MoreAlice Ruth Moore Dunbar-Nelson (1875-1935)

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Houston, Texas (1866- )

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, the first African American Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, was organized in January 1866 by formerly enslaved people.  These individuals were assisted by white missionaries from the First Baptist Church and the German Baptist Church.  Antioch’s members worshiped at the two … Read MoreAntioch Missionary Baptist Church, Houston, Texas (1866- )

Antioch Baptist Church, San Jose, California (1893- )

Organized on August 2, 1893 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hawkins, Antioch Baptist Church was the first African American Baptist church in San Jose, California. Rev. C.C. Laws was called as the first pastor, requesting a salary of $10.00 a month with … Read MoreAntioch Baptist Church, San Jose, California (1893- )