Academic Historian

Otis D. Alexander, Library Director at Saint John Vianney College Seminary & Graduate School in Miami, Florida, has also directed academic and public libraries in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia. In addition, he has been a library manager in the Virgin Islands of the United States as well as in the Republic of Liberia. His research has appeared in Public Library Quarterly, Scribner’s Encyclopedia of American Lives, and Virginia Libraries journal. Alexander received the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from the University of the District of Columbia and the Master of Library & Information Science degree from Ball State University. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from International University and studied additionally at Harvard Graduate School of Education Leadership for Academic Librarians, Oberlin Conservatory of Music Voice Performance Pedagogy, and Atlanta University School of Library & Information Studies.

John S. Moorhead (1905-2008)

John S. Moorhead was a physician, surgeon, federal public health officer, and the first local Commissioner of Health in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Moorhead was born on October 2, 1905, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Alexander and Justine Moorhead, both from St. Croix, Danish West Indies. … Read MoreJohn S. Moorhead (1905-2008)

Golden Elizabeth Johnson (1944-2010)

Newark’s first Black woman municipal court judge, Golden Elizabeth Johnson, was born April 10, 1944, in Newark, New Jersey, to LeRoy Johnson, a civil rights activist and tenant president of a housing project, and Lucy Melton Johnson from Wilson, North Carolina. Golden had two sisters, … Read MoreGolden Elizabeth Johnson (1944-2010)

Frank S. Greene, Jr. (1938-2009)

Frank S. Greene, Jr. is an inventor, scientist, venture capitalist investor, educator, and the first African American to graduate from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. He is also responsible for developing the world’s fastest microchip in the 1960s. Greene was born on October … Read MoreFrank S. Greene, Jr. (1938-2009)

Richard Allen Tucker (1850-1924)

Richard Allen Tucker, born on February 13, 1850, was an ordained minister, educator, and poet. He was the son of Reverend Lewis Tucker, the first African-American ordained Baptist minister in the City and Elizabeth “Betsey” Hunter, a seamstress. Richard’s parents were free Blacks before the … Read MoreRichard Allen Tucker (1850-1924)

Jennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-)

On March 7, 2023, Jennifer Leigh McClellan was sworn in as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 4th congressional district. The former Virginia state senator is the great-great-grandchild of enslaved African Americans and the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. McClellan was born on … Read MoreJennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-)