Flora Batson was an internationally acclaimed concert singer of the nineteenth century whose talent and prestige earned her the title “Queen of Song.” She was born on April 16, 1864 in Washington, D.C., to Mary A. Batson, a Civil War widow. Mother and daughter moved … Read More … Read MoreFlora Batson (1864-1906)
Born into slavery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 14, 1760, Richard Allen went on to become an educator, writer, minister and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Benjamin Chew, a Quaker lawyer, owned the Allen family, which included Richard’s parents and three other children. … Read More … Read MoreRichard Allen [Pennsylvania] (1760-1831)
The citizens of Colorado elected their first African American legislator in 1894, eighteen years after gaining statehood in 1876. The man they elected, Joseph H. Stuart, came to the United States from the British West Indies where he had been born in 1854. He studied … Read More … Read MoreJohn H. Stuart (1854-1910)
Anthony (Tony) Martin, lawyer, author, professor, and scholar was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1942. He migrated to England where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Economics from the University of Hull and qualified as a barrister (attorney) at the Honorable Society … Read More … Read MoreAnthony (Tony) Martin (1942–2013)
Born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina on February 11, 1813, Harriet Ann Jacobs was the daughter of slaves, Delilah and Daniel Jacobs. Harriet Jacobs is best known for her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, edited by white abolitionist Lydia Maria Child, … Read More … Read MoreHarriet Jacobs (1813-1897)
Cassandra Quin Butts is Deputy White House Counsel to President Barack Obama on issues relating to civil rights, domestic policy, healthcare, and education. She brought seventeen years of experience in politics and policy to her position. She is a long-time friend of the President, acting … Read More … Read MoreCassandra Quin Butts (1965- )
Image Ownership: Public Domain One year after his Atlanta Compromise Speech 40-year-old Booker T. Washington was on his way to becoming the most influential African American in the United States. One example of that growing influence was the invitation from the Harvard Alumni to speak … Read More … Read More(1896) Booker T. Washington, “Address to the Harvard Alumni Dinner”
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This entry is for juvenile audiences. To see the full version of this entry, click here.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]What happened (Who are they): Sojourner Truth was the most prominent African American woman to participate in both the abolition of slavery and women’s rights movements in the 19th century. … Read More … Read MoreSojourner Truth (1797-1883) [Children’s Edition]
“Image Ownership: Rollin Riggs” D’Army Bailey, founder of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis Tennessee, was a political and civil rights activist whose career spanned over half a century. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 29, 1941, Bailey was one of three children … Read More … Read MoreD’Army Bailey (1941-2015)
Saint Peter Claver (Mission) Church was the first African American Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. The church was built by Irish-born Margaret Mary Healy Murphy, the widow of John Bernard Murphy, who was the mayor of Corpus Christi from 1889 to 1884. Margaret Mary … Read More … Read MoreSaint Peter Claver Church, San Antonio, Texas (1888- )
