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 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 his … Read MoreChristopher F. Edley, Jr. (1953- )
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)
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 Edward Johnson and Lillie Mae … Read MoreEddie Bernice Johnson (1935-2023)
“Image Ownership: Photofest” Dr. William H. “Bob” Bailey, Las Vegas entertainer, entrepreneur, and civil rights activist, was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 14, 1927, to John and Margaret Bailey. Bailey received a B.A. in Business Law at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, sometime in … Read MoreWilliam H. “Bob” Bailey (1927–2014)
Map of Chicot County, Arkansas, 1889 “Image Ownership: Public Domain” James W. Mason of Chicot County, Arkansas, was the first documented African American postmaster in the United States. Mason also served as a delegate to the 1868 Arkansas constitutional convention and as a state senator. … Read MoreJames W. Mason (1841–1874)
(Image Courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley) Nathaniel Sextus Colley, the first African American attorney in Sacramento, California, was born on November 21, 1918 in Carlowsville, Alabama. The youngest of six brothers, Colley grew up in Snow Hill, Alabama, and graduated from … Read MoreNathaniel Sextus Colley (1918-1992)
