Michael Battle is an educator, religious leader, and diplomat. Born on July 28, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri, he was one of twelve children from Jessie Battle Sr., a Pentecostal pastor, and Mary Battle. Michael received his bachelor’s degree from Trinity College (1973), his Master … Read MoreAnthony Michael Battle (1950- )
Hall of Fame National Basketball Association (NBA) player Moses Eugene Malone was born March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia, and was raised by his mother, Mary Malone, a store clerk. Malone was the first player in history to go to the professional ranks directly from … Read MoreMoses Eugene Malone (1955-2015)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Clementa Carlos “Clem” Pinckney, was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) pastor, South Carolina State Senator, and rising star in the national Democratic Party. On June 17, 2015, he and eight local black leaders were assassinated in Charleston, South Carolina, during Bible … Read MoreClementa C. Pinckney (1973-2015)
James A. Joseph is a lifelong educator and public policy activist who served as the first African American U.S. ambassador to post-apartheid South Africa from 1996-1999. Joseph has worked to promote leadership opportunities in both the corporate world and through the Federal government. The father … Read MoreJames A. Joseph (1935- )
John Gloucester, founder of the first African American Presbyterian Church in the United States, was born enslaved in Blount County, Tennessee, in 1776. Before gaining his freedom, his name was Jack, and as a believer he began converting slaves to Christianity at an early age. … Read MoreJohn Gloucester (1776- 1822)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Ambassador Charles Richard Stith, a diplomat, minister, professor, and urban reformer, presently serves as the Director of the African Presidential Archives and Research Center at Boston University in Massachusetts. In 1998, President Bill Clinton named him ambassador to Tanzania. Stith … Read MoreCharles R. Stith (1949- )
Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith, a leading New Thought minister, was born in 1956, and is married to Rickie Byars Beckwith, also a New Thought leader. Together they have four children and six grandchildren. Dr Beckwith was the founder, in 1986, of the Agape International Spiritual … Read MoreMichael Bernard Beckwith (1956- )
José María Morelos y Pavón, statesman and Roman Catholic priest, was one of the greatest insurgent military commanders during the Mexican War of Independence. Morelos was born into a poor “pardo” (Afro-Mexican) family in Valladolid, Mexico on September 30, 1765 to José Manuel Morelos y … Read MoreJosé María Morelos y Pavón (1765-1815)
To escape enslavement on a plantation near Richmond, Virginia, Henry “Box” Brown in 1849 exploited maritime elements of the Underground Railroad. Brown’s moniker “Box” was a result of his squeezing himself into a box and having himself shipped 250 miles from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia, … Read MoreHenry “Box” Brown (1816-1889)
Bishop T.D. Jakes—megachurch pastor, best-selling author, playwright, and movie producer—was born Thomas Dexter Jakes on June 9, 1957, in South Charleston, West Virginia, to Ernest L. Jakes, Sr., owner of a janitorial service that had three offices and 52 employees, and Odith Patton Jakes, a … Read MoreThomas Dexter Jakes (1957- )
