Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1906, Thomas Nelson Baker was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from The Ohio State University. The third child of Rev. Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker, Sr. and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Baytop Baker, Thomas had one brother, Harry … Read MoreThomas Nelson Baker Jr. (1906-1977)
LeRoy Homer Jr., co-pilot of United Airlines Flight #93, was born on August 27, 1965 in Long Island, New York. Homer and his three sisters were raised on Long Island by their German mother, Ilse, and their African-American father who died from a stroke when … Read MoreLeRoy W. Homer Jr. (1965-2001)
The Combahee River Collective, founded by black feminists and lesbians in Boston, Massachusetts in 1974, was best known for its Combahee River Collective Statement. This document was one of the earliest explorations of the intersection of multiple oppressions, including racism and heterosexism. For the first … Read MoreCombahee River Collective (1974-1980)
In the article below historian Robin Dearmon Muhammad discusses the growth of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) or the Garvey Movement in the American West, with particular emphasis on its influence in black working-class organizing in the San Francisco Bay Area after World War … Read MoreGarveyism Looks Toward the Pacific: The UNIA and Black Workers in the American West
The Albina Ministerial Alliance is an umbrella group that represents 125 churches in North and Northeast Portland, Oregon. It was founded in the early 1960s by two ministers, Rev. John Jackson and Rev. O.B. Williams. The majority of churches represented in the Albina Ministerial Alliance … Read MoreAlbina Ministerial Alliance (ca. 1964- )
Wayne Brady, comedian, singer, actor, and television personality, was one of the first African Americans to host a daytime game show. Brady became host of Let’s Make a Deal in October 2009. Wayne Brady was born on June 2, 1972 in Orlando, Florida. As a … Read MoreWayne A. Brady (1972- )
Corey Flournoy is an educator, diversity advocate, and entrepreneur. Flournoy went from an early life in Chicago’s crime-ridden projects to a career in agricultural sciences, becoming the first African American to be named president of the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization. He was … Read MoreCorey D. Flournoy (1974- )
Ellis (Eli) Reed is a professor, author, and photographer. He is the first African American selected as a full member into the Magnum Photos agency, the elite international photojournalist collective. Having been published in close to 30 magazines, Reed is best known for his three … Read MoreEllis Reed (Eli) (1946- )
Bernard Anthony Harris Jr. is a scientist, surgeon, astronaut, entrepreneur, and leader. He is best known for having been the first African American to walk in space, and developing the non-profit known as the Harris Foundation. Harris was born on June 26, 1956 in Temple, … Read MoreBernard A. Harris Jr. (1956- )
Floyd Calvin was a journalist who also launched a newswire service and hosted the first black radio show during the Harlem Renaissance. Calvin was born in 1902 to a school teacher and a farmer in Washington, Arkansas. He graduated from Shover State Teacher Training College … Read MoreFloyd Joseph Calvin (1902-1939)
