Sheila Guyse was an actress, and singer during the 1940s and 1950s. She was born Etta Drucille Guyse, on July 14, 1925, in Forest, Mississippi. Her parents, Wilbert Vincent Guyse and Ethel Williams, separated and divorced shortly after she was born. Guyse was raised by … Read MoreSheila Guyse (1925-2013)
Marie Walker Johnson was a Black Creole civil rights activist in Oakland, California, during the 1960s. A mother of five and a nurse, she also played a crucial role in multiple grassroots groups in the East Bay area. In these organizations, she marched, wrote letters, … Read MoreMarie Clara Delpit Walker Johnson (1921-1974)
William Raphael Tate was a labor movement leader and a rabbi of the Beth Shalom Congregation in Brooklyn, New York. Born September 9, 1930, and raised in Brooklyn, Tate enlisted in the New York National Guard in the late 1940s and later studied labor relations … Read MoreWilliam Raphael Tate (1930-2003)
Will Packer is a film producer who was best known for producing the 94th Annual Academy Awards (the Oscars) on March 27, 2022. Packer was born on April 11, 1974, to Birice Paker and William Packer Sr. in St. Petersburg, Florida. He completed high school … Read MoreWill Packer (1974- )
Kay Coles James is a conservative political figure who has served in various government and executive roles. She was most notably the first African American president of the Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative think tank. James was born June 1, 1949, and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She … Read MoreKay Coles James (1949- )
Clifford Wayne Houston is a nationally recognized microbiologist and became the first African American president of the American Society of Microbiology. Houston was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on December 3, 1949, to Mae Frances Hanley and Edgar Houston. He attended Gordon Oaks Elementary and … Read MoreClifford Wayne Houston (1949- )
Gilda Barabino, a biomedical engineer and world-renowned sickle cell researcher, is the first African American and woman president of Olin College of Engineering. She was born on May 28, 1956 in Anchorage, Alaska to Margaret Angus Barnes Barnum and Norman Edward Barnum III. At a … Read MoreGilda Barabino (1956- )
Edwin L. Cooper, an internationally-recognized biologist and immunologist, is credited as the founder of comparative immunology. Cooper was born on December 23, 1936 in Oakland, Texas to Ruthester Porche Cooper and Edwin Ellis Cooper. As a young child, he developed a profound interest in animals … Read MoreEdwin Lowell Cooper (1936- )
Christopher Julius “Chris” Rock is an actor and stand-up comedian. Rock, the eldest of seven children, was born on February 7, 1965, to Rosalie and Julius Rock in Andrews, South Carolina. His family moved to New York City, New York when he was a child. … Read MoreChris Rock (1965- )
Willie Melton was a farmer and a Civil Rights pioneer in Fort Bend, Texas, responsible for helping to settle what is now known as Kendleton, Fort Bend County, Texas. Melton was born on November 8, 1900, in Fort Bend, a county that in its origins … Read MoreWillie Melton (1900-1969)
