Henry Adams was a Louisiana leader who advocated the emigration of southern freed blacks to Liberia after emancipation. Born a slave in Newton County, Georgia on March 16, 1843, Henry Adams was originally born as Henry Houston but changed his name at the age of … Read MoreHenry Adams [Louisiana] (1843-?)
Scholar, African traditionalist poet, and Senegal’s first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor was born on October 9, 1906, in Joal, Senegal. His father, Basie Diogoye Senghor, was a Malinké landowner. His mother, Gnilane Bakhoum, came from a Christian Fulani family. They gave Senghor a European name … Read MoreLéopold Sédar Senghor (1906-2001)
Georgia Congressman Sanford Dixon Bishop Jr. was born on February 4, 1947, in Mobile, Alabama to Minnie B. Slade, who was a librarian, and Sanford Dixon Bishop, who was the first president of the Bishop State Community College. Bishop attended public schools until his entrance … Read MoreSanford Dixon Bishop, Jr. (1947- )
North Carolina Congressman George Kenneth Butterfield Jr. was born in Wilson, North Carolina on April 27, 1947 to a father who was a dentist and civic leader as well as the first black elected official in eastern North Carolina in the 20th century; and a … Read MoreGeorge Kenneth Butterfield, Jr. (1947- )
Award winning actor, director, and author, Sidney Poitier broke racial barriers and stereotyping in the film industry to become one of the leading African American actors of the 20th Century. In a career that spanned 57 years, Poitier was a featured performer or starred in … Read MoreSidney Poitier (1927-2022)
Image Ownership: Public Domain Born on December 25, 1840, in Baltimore, Maryland, John Henry Murphy grew up as a slave and freed by the Emancipation Act of 1863. He enlisted in the military at age 24, during the Civil War and quickly progressed to … Read MoreJohn Henry Murphy Sr. (1840-1922)
James Armistead [Lafayette] was an African American spy during the American Revolution. Born in Virginia as a slave to William Armistead in 1760, he volunteered to join the Army in 1781. After gaining the consent of his owner, Armistead was stationed to serve under the … Read MoreJames Armistead Lafayette (1760-1832)
Charley Pride, born on March 18, 1938, on a cotton farm in Sledge, Mississippi, eventually became one of the most successful black entertainers in country music. Although he loved music and taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager, Pride’s first dream was to … Read MoreCharley Pride (1938-2020)
Roy Emile Alfredo Innis is the current National Director of the Congress for Racial Equality. He is a controversial civil rights activist whose conservative stance on many issues continues to draw national attention. Innis was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands on June 6, 1934. … Read MoreRoy Innis (1934- )
Floyd Bixler McKissick replaced James Farmer as National Director of the Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE) on January 3, 1966, making him the second ever National Director of CORE. Under McKissick’s leadership, CORE underwent a radical transformation from an interracial, non-violent civil rights organization into … Read MoreFloyd B. McKissick (1922-1991)
