Wes Montgomery was a jazz guitarist whose natural genius and distinctive sound earned him recognition as one of the most important jazz musicians of the 20th century. Montgomery was born on March 6, 1925 in Indianapolis, Indiana into a musically inclined family. Although he was … Read MoreJohn Leslie “Wes” Montgomery (1925-1968)
Kwame Kilpatrick is a former American politician who served as a Democratic Michigan state representative and Mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. Kilpatrick was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 6, 1970, to Carolyn and Bernard Kilpatrick. He attended Cass Technical High School and … Read MoreKwame Malik Kilpatrick (1970- )
One of the first African American actors to receive critical acclaim, James Edwards was born in Muncie, Indiana in 1918. He majored in psychology at Knoxville College in Tennessee and continued his education at Northwestern University where he received a master’s degree in drama. While … Read MoreJames Edwards (1918-1970)
Best remembered for the role of Reverend Sykes in the film classic To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), William Walker was born in Pendleton, Indiana in 1917. The son of a freed slave, Walker was the first African American graduate of Pendleton High School. After graduating, … Read MoreWilliam Walker (1917-1992)
Charlie Wiggins, known as “the Negro Speed King,” was an African American motor racing pioneer who competed in the segregated Midwest in the early decades of the 20th Century. In addition, he was a highly skilled mechanic, often sought after by white racing drivers competing … Read MoreCharlie Wiggins (1897-1979)
Yvette M. Jarvis has the distinction of being the first African American woman elected to serve on the Athens, Greece City Council from 2002 to 2006. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1957, Jarvis traveled to Greece in 1982 after graduating from Boston University (Massachusetts). … Read MoreYvette M. Jarvis (1957- )
Elected in 1963 and named president in 1964, Jomo Kenyatta was the first president of Kenya and is still today often referred to as mzee (the Father of the Nation). Kenyatta was born under the name Kamau to Kikuyu parents in the town of Gatundu, … Read MoreJomo Kenyatta (c. 1894-1978)
James Poindexter clergyman, abolitionist, politician, and civil rights activist, was born in Richmond Virginia in 1819. He attended school in Richmond until he was about sixteen when he started to apprentice as a barber. In 1837 Poindexter married Adelia Atkinson and the coupled moved to … Read MoreJames Poindexter (1819-1907)
William Warrick Cardozo, physician and pediatrician, was a pioneer investigator of sickle cell anemia and a leader in medical research of problems affecting people of African descent. Cardozo, born in Washington, D.C. on April 6, 1905, came from a prominent family of educators and politicians; … Read MoreWilliam Warrick Cardozo (1905-1962)
Lionel Wilson, lawyer, judge, and politician, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 4, 1915 to Jules and Louise Wilson. In 1918 the family moved to Oakland, California, where his parents believed a smaller and less-noticeable black community would afford them greater freedoms and … Read MoreLionel Wilson (1915-1998)
