Stafford Fitzgerald Haney, an international businessman and diplomat, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 3, 1969, but grew up in Naperville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He graduated from Central High School in Naperville and then attended the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where … Read MoreStafford Fitzgerald Haney (1969- )
Crystal Nix-Hines is an attorney, screenwriter, producer, and diplomat who was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on August 23, 1963. Her father, Theophilus R. Nix Sr., was the second African American attorney admitted to the Delaware bar, and her mother, Dr. Lulu Mae Nix, was the … Read MoreCrystal Nix-Hines (1963- )
Cheryl D. Mills was the Counsel and Chief of Staff for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from January 2009 until January 2013. She was also deputy White House counsel during the Clinton Administration 1993 to 1999. Born on January 1, 1965, Mills grew up on … Read MoreCheryl Mills (1965- )
Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo is a Nigerian-American economist. He is best known for serving as Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council during President Barack Obama’s administration. In late 2020, Adeyemo was nominated by President-Elect Joseph Biden to … Read MoreAdewale “Wally” Adeyemo (1981- )
Law professor and federal government official Christopher F. Edley Jr. was born on January 13, 1953, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Christopher Edley Sr. and Zaida Coles. Edley attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where he studied math and economics. After graduating in 1975, he followed in … Read MoreChristopher F. Edley, Jr. (1953-2024)
Kendrick Meek, former highway patrolman, Florida state representative, and state senator, served in the United States House of Representatives as a Democratic representative from Florida’s 17th District from 2003 to 2011. Meek was born on September 6, 1966 in Miami, Florida. He is the youngest of three children of Harold and former … Read MoreKendrick Meek (1966- )
Frazier Baker, a schoolteacher and married father of six, was appointed the first African American postmaster of Lake City, South Carolina, in July 1897 by President William McKinley. Baker and his wife Lavinia were born in Effingham, South Carolina, a mostly black area, where he had previously served … Read MoreLynching of Julia and Frazier Baker (1898)
Judge George Neves Leighton and his twin sister, Georgina, were born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on October 22, 1912, to Cape Verdean immigrants Antonio Neves Leitao and Anna Silva Garcia Leitao. His last name was changed, with his parents’ permission, to Leighton by an elementary … Read MoreGeorge Neves Leighton (1912-2018)
An early career in health care led to political aspirations for Eddie Bernice Johnson, culminating in her position representing Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was an advocate for women, children, and human rights. Born in Waco, Texas, in 1935 to parents Lee … Read MoreEddie Bernice Johnson (1935-2023)
The East Pasco African American community emerged quickly during World War II when thousands of black workers were recruited to help construct the Hanford Atomic Energy Complex just north of neighboring Richland, Washington. African American workers and their families were confined to the area called … Read MoreEast Pasco Co-op (1965- )
