Samantha Kealoha

Independent Historian

Samantha Nicholas Kealoha is an Undergraduate Student in the Political Science Department at the University of Washington. Samantha is interested in law, specifically American law. Samantha expects to graduate from the University of Washington with a B.A in Political Science in June 2008. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school and pursue a career in law.

John Conyers (1929-2019)

John Conyers Jr., who served in the U.S. Congress fifty-years (from 1965 to 2017), was born on May 16, 1929 in Detroit, Michigan. He attended public schools and graduated in 1947 from Northwestern High School. After high school, he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined … Read MoreJohn Conyers (1929-2019)

Ronald Vernie Dellums (1935-2018)

Ronald Vernie Dellums was born on November 24, 1935, in Oakland, Californiato Willa Terry Dellums and Vernie Dellums. His father, Vernie Dellums, was a longshoreman, and his mother was a labor organizer. As a child, he attended St. Patrick Catholic School in Oakland. After high school, Dellums served … Read MoreRonald Vernie Dellums (1935-2018)

Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990)

Ralph David Abernathy was born on March 11, 1926 in Linden, Alabama. His boyhood was spent on his father’s Alabama farm but he joined the U.S. Army and served in World War II from 1941 to 1945. After his service Abernathy returned to his home … Read MoreRalph Abernathy (1926-1990)

Sharon Pratt Dixon Kelly (1944- )

Sharon Pratt Dixon was born on January 30, 1944 in Washington, D.C. to parents Carlisle Pratt and Mildred (Petticord) Pratt. Carlisle was a Washington, D.C. Superior Court Judge. Mildred Pratt died of breast cancer when Sharon was four years old. Pratt’s father played a major … Read MoreSharon Pratt Dixon Kelly (1944- )

Ella Baker (1903-1986)

Through her decades of work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and later with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Ella Baker emerged as one of the most important women in the civil rights movement. Baker was born on December … Read MoreElla Baker (1903-1986)

Diane Nash (1938- )

Civil rights activist Diane Judith Nash was born on May 15, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois to Leon Nash and Dorothy Bolton Nash. Nash grew up a Roman Catholic and attended parochial and public schools in Chicago. In 1956, she graduated from Hyde Park High School … Read MoreDiane Nash (1938- )

William Henry Hastie (1904-1976)

William Henry Hastie Jr., attorney and diplomat, was born on November 17, 1904 in Knoxville, Tennessee to parents William Henry Hastie Sr. and Roberta Childs. He spent his childhood in Tennessee until his family moved to Washington, D.C. Hastie graduated from Dunbar High School in Washington, … Read MoreWilliam Henry Hastie (1904-1976)

Hulan Edwin Jack (1905-1986)

Hulan Edwin Jack was born in 1905 in St. Lucia but migrated with his parents to the United States from British Guiana (now known as Guyana). The family settled in New York City. Jack, a high school dropout, eventually went to work for the Peerless … Read MoreHulan Edwin Jack (1905-1986)

Betsey Stockton (1798-1865)

Betsey Stockton was born into slavery in Princeton, New Jersey in 1798. She belonged to Robert Stockton, a local attorney. Presented to Stockton’s daughter and son-in-law, the Rev. Ashbel Green, then President of Princeton College, as a gift, Betsy Stockton was now in a household … Read MoreBetsey Stockton (1798-1865)