Lonna Romaine Hooks is an attorney and the first Black secretary of state for New Jersey. Hooks was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father was head of the art department at Fisk University, and the Hooks family lived on campus. While attending her … Read MoreLonna Hooks (1959- )
An international human rights and civil rights attorney since 2003, Kimberley Chongyon Motley is well known for her legal practice in both the United States and Afghanistan, as well as her research regarding juvenile justice. Motley is the founder of Motley Legal Services, co-founder of … Read MoreKimberley Motley (1978?- )
Global marketer Frank Cooper, III was born on May 8, 1964, in San Francisco, California. He received the Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986 and the Juris Doctorate in Constitutional Law from Harvard Law School in … Read MoreFrank Cooper III (1964- )
Barbara Ann Rowan was the first Black woman to become a prosecutor in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Born on September 6, 1938, in Upper Manhattan, New York, she was the only child of Norman B. Rowan, … Read MoreBarbara Ann Rowan (1938-2020)
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- )
Activist for ethnic and intellectual diversity, author, and attorney Lawrence Otis Graham was born December 25, 1961, in New York City, New York to Richard C. Graham, a real estate developer, and Betty J. Graham, a social worker. He and his brother, Richard, were reared … Read MoreLawrence Otis Graham (1961-2021)
Moses Simons was the first black Yale graduate and the first black lawyer in the nation. Simons practiced law in 1816, decades earlier than some of the more well-known, and believed to be first, black practitioners like Macon B. Allen (1844); George Vashon (1848); and … Read MoreMoses Simons (?- 1822)
Jamila Taylor represents Washington State’s 30th Legislative District, which includes the cities of Federal Way, Des Moines, Auburn, Algona, Pacific, and Milton, as well as unincorporated parts of King County and a small part of Pierce County. Taylor, a Democrat, was elected to the legislature in November 2020 and took her … Read MoreJamila Taylor (1975- )
George David Hackney is the current Washington State Representative for the 11th Legislative District Position 1 representing the Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods of Seattle, Washington, as well as Tukwila and portions of Renton, Kent, and unincorporated King County. Representative Hackney was born in Cleveland, … Read MoreDavid Hackney (1965- )
Fred Whitfield is the President, Chief Operating Officer, and minority co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a franchise in the National Basketball Association. Whitfield shares ownership with his longtime friend and basketball great Michael Jordan. Together they are the only African American owners in the league. … Read MoreFred Whitfield (1959- )
