Eleanor Barrow Chase, a member of one of Spokane, Washington’s pioneer African American families, made many contributions to the city during her lifetime. Eleanor excelled in sports and academics, graduating magna cum laude from Whitworth College with a degree in vocal music in 1941. After … Read MoreEleanor Barrow Chase (1918-2002)
E. June Smith, a prominent leader in Seattle’s civil rights movement, was born in Cairo, Illinois in 1900 and worked as a secretary in St. Louis. Smith came to Seattle with her husband Roscoe O. Smith, a railroad porter, in 1941. Soon after her arrival, … Read MoreE. June Smith (1900-1982)
Dr. Earl V. Miller was the first African American board certified urologist in the State of Washington and the first west of the Mississippi. He was born in Natchez, Mississippi, and received his B.A. degree from Dillard University in New Orleans in 1943. He joined the … Read MoreDr. Earl V. Miller (1923-2005)
Cottrell Lawrence Dellums was born in Corsicana, Texas and came to the San Francisco Bay area as a young man. He became a major African American trade union activist, and was the uncle of Ron Dellums, who represented Oakland in the U.S. Congress for many … Read MoreC.L. Dellums (1900-1989)
Bernard Squires was the president of the Omaha, Nebraska chapter of the Urban League from 1935 to 1939 and the Seattle chapter of the Urban League from 1939 to 1943. Squires was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1904. He graduated from high school in Toledo, … Read MoreBernard Squires (1904-1947)
Raymond Pace Alexander, a prominent civil rights activist, jurist, and Harvard-trained attorney was born on October 19, 1897 in Philadelphia to a family of seven, His father, Hillard Boone Alexander, and his mother, Virginia Pace, both were former slaves who migrated to Philadelphia from Virginia … Read MoreRaymond Pace Alexander (1897-1974)
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin was born into one of Boston’s leading families on August 31, 1842. St. Pierre’s mother was an English-born white woman and her father was from the island of Martinique, and founder of the Boston Zion Church. The St. Pierre’s sent their … Read MoreJosephine St. Pierre Ruffin (1842-1924)
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was a leading activist, attorney, and educator who opened higher education to African American students in Oklahoma, and laid the foundation for the Brown v. Board of Education decision. After graduating from the segregated Langston University in 1945, Fisher volunteered to … Read MoreAda Lois Sipuel Fisher (1924-1995)
Channing H. Tobias acquired fame through his work with the YMCA. Born in Augusta, Georgia on February 1, 1882 to Fair and Bell Robinson Tobias, young Channing received his bachelor’s degree from Paine College in 1902. Tobias left Georgia to study religion at Drew Theological … Read MoreChanning H. Tobias (1882-1961)
Clara Mae Luper was born in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, to Ezell and Isabell Shepard on May 3, 1923. She attended all-Black schools and was bussed several miles to Grayson High School, where she graduated in a class of five. After graduating from the segregated Langston … Read MoreClara Luper (1923-2011)
