Judge Eileen R. Petersen, an advocate for women’s and children’s rights, was born on April 18, 1937, in Christiansted, Virgin Islands (VI), and reared in Free Gut to Anna Leevy and Hugo Petersen. She was a product of the island’s public schools, graduating from Christiansted … Read MoreEileen Ramona Petersen (1937-2023)
Rufus Calvin Kuykendall was an attorney, politician, and one of the first African Americans to be elected judge in Indiana’s Marion County Superior Court. Kuykendall was born on September 24, 1903 in Indianapolis, Indiana to John, a former slave from Tennessee, and Belle (Jackson) Kuykendall. … Read MoreRufus Calvin Kuykendall (1903-1977)
Jasmine Twitty is the youngest judge to be appointed or elected in Easley, South Carolina, and one of the youngest judges ever in the history of the United States. Twitty was born on December 4, 1989 in Greenville, South Carolina. She attended St. Anthony of … Read MoreJasmine Twitty (1989- )
Image Ownership: Public Domain David Augustus Straker, author, lawyer, and politician, was born and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, where he achieved success as a teacher and principal at St. Mary’s Public School. In 1868, he moved to Kentucky, where he taught at a freedman’s school … Read MoreDavid Augustus Straker (1842-1908)
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)
Longtime Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was born on January 12, 1950 in Queens, New York. She graduated from Jamaica High School in Queens, New York in 1968. She then graduated from Yale University in Connecticut with a B.A. in political science in 1972 followed … Read MoreSheila Jackson Lee (1950-2024)
William Henry Brisby was born free in New Kent County, Virginia in 1831 and lived on 32 acres of land that he inherited from his father. He later bought additional land and eventually had a 179 acre farm. Brisby worked mostly as a blacksmith and … Read MoreWilliam H. Brisby (1831-1916)
John Edmondson Prim was the first African American to serve as deputy prosecuting attorney for King County and the first African American judge in the State of Washington. He was born to Charles and Sara Prim in Nashville, Tennessee on September 15, 1898. In 1904, … Read MoreJohn E. Prim (1898-1961)
George Lewis Ruffin was born December 16, 1834 in Richmond, Virginia, the son of free Blacks. He was educated in Boston, Massachusetts and soon became a force in the city’s civic leadership. After marrying Josephine St. Pierre, Mr. Ruffin supported his family by working as … Read MoreGeorge Lewis Ruffin (1834-1886)
