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.

Alexander Louis Jackson, II (1891-1973)

Alexander Louis Jackson II, historian, journalist, athlete, and one of five founders of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), was born on March 1, 1891, in Englewood, New Jersey, to Alexander Louis Jackson and Evelyn Martha Lewis Jackson. They, … Read MoreAlexander Louis Jackson, II (1891-1973)

Institute of the Black World (1969-1983)

The Institute of the Black World (IBW) was a collective Black intellectual think tank spearheaded by Vincent Harding, chair of History and Sociology at Spelman College, Stephen Henderson, chair of English at Morehouse College, and independent scholar William Strickland from 1969 to 1983. The institute … Read MoreInstitute of the Black World (1969-1983)

Felix Tshisekedi (1963– )

Felix Tshisekedi, the current President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was born Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo on June 13, 1963, in Kinshasa just three years after the DRC gained its independence from Belgium.  He identifies with the Luba people. His parents were … Read MoreFelix Tshisekedi (1963– )

Tomás Estrada Palma (1835-1908)

Tomás Estrada Palma, an attorney, was born on July 6, 1835, in Bayamo, Oriente Province in then Spanish Cuba, to Dr. Andrés Duque de Estrada y Palma and Maria Candelaria de Palma y Tamayo. Tomás had two sisters, Margarita Duque de Estrada y Tamayo and … Read MoreTomás Estrada Palma (1835-1908)

Pravind Kumar Jugnauth
(1961- )

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, a lawyer, was born of Hindu heritage on December 25, 1961, in Vacoas-Phoenix, Mauritius, to Anerood Jugnauth, the Prime Minister of Mauritius who served more than 18 years in that office, and Sarojini Jugnauth, an elementary school teacher. He … Read MorePravind Kumar Jugnauth
(1961- )

Alassane Ouattara
(1942- )

Alassane Ouattara was born Alassane Dramane Ouattara, on born January 1, 1942, in Dimbokro, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). A member of the Islamic Dioula people, Ouattara was first elected president of Côte d’Ivoire in 2010. His brother is Téné Birahima Ouattara. In 1965, Ouattara received a Bachelor of Science … Read MoreAlassane Ouattara
(1942- )

Hage Gottfried Geingob
(1941- )

Hage Gottfried Geingob, the third democratically elected president and the first prime minister of Namibia, was born on August 3, 1941, in Otjiwarongo, Otjozondjupa Region, Republic of Namibia. He was reared by his mother-figure Ouma Hendrina Thomas Geingob.   He began his primary education in the … Read MoreHage Gottfried Geingob
(1941- )

Henry W. “Hank” McGee, Jr. (1932-2024)

Law professor and legal activist Henry W. “Hank” McGee, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 31, 1932, to Henry W. McGee, Sr., from Hillsboro, Texas, the first African American Postmaster appointed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Attye Belle Truesdale McGee, from … Read MoreHenry W. “Hank” McGee, Jr. (1932-2024)