Otis Alexander, Author at • Page 6 of 40

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.

Colored School No. 4 (1849-1894)

In 2023, New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the former “Colored School No. 4” a protected landmark from demolition or significant alterations, preserving its architectural and historic features. Eric Leroy Adams, the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022, designated $6 … Read MoreColored School No. 4 (1849-1894)

Frank Charles Coleman (1890-1967)

Frank Charles Coleman was an American physicist who co-founded Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, one of the oldest African American Greek letter organizations, with more than 750 chapters globally. He was married to Mary Edna Brown, one of the Founders of Delta Sigma Theta, and his … Read MoreFrank Charles Coleman (1890-1967)

Mildred Coleman Crump (1939-)

Mildred Coleman Crump became the first African American councilwoman in the 336-year history of the Newark City Council in New Jersey when she assumed office in 1994. She is also the first woman to serve as council president for Newark, New Jersey, which she did … Read MoreMildred Coleman Crump (1939-)

Alexander A. Moorhead, Jr. (1945-2023)

Sen. Alexander A. Moorhead, Jr. served three terms, from 1971 to 1976, in the 9th through 11th sessions of the Legislature of the United States Virgin Islands, (U.S.V.I.). He was a member of the Independent Citizens Movement, a break-away party established in 1967 by community … Read MoreAlexander A. Moorhead, Jr. (1945-2023)

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 More

Thelma Harper (1940-2021)

Thelma Marie Claybrooks Harper, born in Brentwood, Davidson County, Tennessee, on December 2, 1940, was the first African American woman State Senator in Tennessee. She was born to the Rev. William Claybrooks, Sr., and Clora Thomas Claybrooks, a sharecropper who parented eleven children. Her early … Read MoreThelma Harper (1940-2021)

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)

Alvin Leonard Bragg, Jr. (1973-)

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Leonard Bragg, Jr. made history in 2023 with the indictment of former President Donald J. Trump for crimes committed in relation to his 2016 Presidential campaign. Born in the Manhattan borough of New York on October 21, 1973, Bragg grew up … Read MoreAlvin Leonard Bragg, Jr. (1973-)

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)

Grace Baxter Fenderson (1883-1962)

Educator Grace Baxter Fenderson was born on November 2, 1883, in Newark, New Jersey, to James Miller Baxter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Pauline Louisa Mars from Brooklyn, New York. Her father was the first Black principal in the Newark Public School system, and her brother, … Read More