Robert Reed Church, Jr. was born on October 26, 1885 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the youngest son of Robert Church Sr., a prominent African American businessman in the city and his second wife, Anna Wright Church. Like his father, he became an important businessman, … Read MoreRobert Reed Church, Jr. (1885-1952)
Born in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi in 1901, Richmond Barthé moved to New Orleans, Louisiana at an early age. Little is known about his early youth, except that he grew up in a devoutly Roman Catholic household, he enjoyed drawing and painting, and his formal … Read MoreRichmond Barthé (1901-1988)
Born a freeman in Pennsylvania in 1827, Jonathan Gibbs was the son of Maria Jackson and the Methodist minister, Jonathan Gibbs. Gibbs was originally trained as a carpenter until in 1848. Then he became one of only two African Americans accepted at Dartmouth College in … Read MoreJonathan Gibbs (1827-1874)
Bass Reeves was the first African American commissioned to serve as a deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River. Born a slave in Paris, Texas and owned by George Reeves, Bass Reeves grew up illiterate and remained illiterate for his entire life. When the … Read MoreBass Reeves (1838-1910)
William Harvey Carney was born a slave in Norfolk, Virginia in 1840. His father William Sr. had escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad and eventually earned enough money to buy the freedom of his wife and son. After freeing his family, the reunited Carneys moved … Read MoreWilliam H. Carney (1840-1908)
Born the son of slaves in Davidson County Tennessee in 1854, Nat Love grew up during the turbulent Civil War and Reconstruction era. Rare for African Americans born enslaved in that era, Love learned to read and write as a child. In 1869 he left … Read MoreNat Love (1854-1921)
Born on January 15, 1965 in Dunedin, Florida, Michael Clemons is the current head coach of the Toronto (Ontario) Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Clemons began his career in the CFL in 1989 as a player for the Toronto Argonauts and remained with … Read MoreMichael “Pinball” Clemons (1965- )
James Madison Nabrit, Jr. was a renowned civil rights lawyer, Howard University president, and United Nations deputy ambassador. During his legal career, he argued for the voting rights of blacks as well as school desegregation. Nabrit was born September 7, 1900, in Atlanta, Georgia. The … Read MoreJames M. Nabrit, Jr. (1900-1997)
Hobart T. Taylor, Jr, a government official and lawyer, was born to Charlotte and Hobart Taylor, Sr., on December 17, 1920 in Texarkana, Texas. Taylor graduated from Prairie View College in Texas with a B.A. degree in 1937. He received an M.A. degree from Howard … Read MoreHobart T. Taylor, Jr. (1920-1981)
John Stanford was the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools from 1995 until his untimely death from leukemia in 1998. He was born on September 14, 1938 in Darby, Pennsylvania. Stanford graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He joined the … Read MoreJohn Stanford (1938-1998)
