Alton Augustus Adams, Sr. (1889-1987)

Composer, conductor, and flutist Alton Augustus Adams, Sr., was born in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, the Danish West Indies, on November 4, 1889, to Jacob Henry Adams, a carpenter, and Petrina Evangeline Dinzey, a seamstress. They were handcrafters and encouraged their children to be entrepreneurs. … Read MoreAlton Augustus Adams, Sr. (1889-1987)

The Fireburn Labor Riot, United States Virgin Islands (1878)

Chattel slavery was practiced in the Danish West Indies from around 1650 until July 3, 1848, when Colonial Governor Peter von Scholten issued an emancipation proclamation. The Danish government, however, then enacted rules that kept people enslaved by contracts for another two years. In 1847, … Read MoreThe Fireburn Labor Riot, United States Virgin Islands (1878)

Emmanuel Francis Joseph (1900–1979)

“Image Ownership: Oakland Public Library & African American Museum” Emmanuel Francis (E.F.) Joseph was the first professional African American photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Born on November 8, 1900 on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Joseph would later move to … Read MoreEmmanuel Francis Joseph (1900–1979)

Samuel (“Sammy”) Leamon Younge, Jr. (1944-1966)

Samuel (“Sammy”) Leamon Younge Jr. was a 21-year-old civil rights activist who was shot to death on January 3, 1966 when he attempted to use a whites-only restroom at a gas station in Macon County, Alabama. He was a navy veteran studying political science at … Read MoreSamuel (“Sammy”) Leamon Younge, Jr. (1944-1966)

Lloyd A. Barbee (1925-2002)

Image Ownership: Wisconsin Historical Society Attorney Lloyd Augustus Barbee was born August 17, 1925 in Memphis, Tennessee.  He was the youngest of three brothers from Earnest A. Barbee and Adelina Jenkins Gilliam, both from Mississippi.  Barbee attended LeMoyne College in Memphis and later went to … Read MoreLloyd A. Barbee (1925-2002)