Dorceta E. Taylor is an environmental sociologist who specializes in environmental justice and racism in the environmental movement. In 1991 she became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. from Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Taylor is now a professor of environmental … Read MoreDorceta E. Taylor (1957- )
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, environmental strategist, and policy expert. Born on August 23, 1980 to a teacher and an architect, Johnson was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Johnson earned a BA in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard University in 2002. … Read MoreAyana E. Johnson (1980- )
Classical pianist, mezzo-soprano, pedagogic Carmen Velma Shepperd was born on October 30, 1910, in Mona Heights, Kingston, Jamaica, to David N. Shepperd and Theresa Ann Rodriquez Shepperd, a music school administrator and seamstress, respectively. However, she was reared in New York City where she attended … Read MoreCarmen Velma Shepperd (1910-1997)
Pop singer, disco lyricist Carlton George “Carl,” Douglas was born on October 10, 1942, in Kingston, Jamaica. After the death of his grandmother, his family migrated to Tottenham in North London, England, when he was seven. There his youth was filled with playing soccer and … Read MoreCarl Douglas (1942 – )
Lana Michele Moorer is an American DJ, rapper, and actress best known under the stage name MC Lyte. Moorer was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 11, 1970, and by the age of twelve she began rapping using her book of poems and rhymes, … Read MoreMC Lyte/ Lana Moorer (1970- )
AIDS caregiver and activist Mavis Thompson-Blaize who practiced medicine and provided community services for more than five decades, was born in Newark, New Jersey, on June 20, 1927, to parents who migrated from Jamaica. After graduating from Hunter College High School in New York City … Read MoreMavis Thompson-Blaize (1927-2020)
Born on February 9, 1926, Bromley Lloyd Armstrong was a Canadian civil rights activist, community organizer, trade unionist, and Jamaican immigrant. He was heavily involved in Canada’s blossoming civil rights era, beginning with his arrival in 1947. Born in Kingston, Jamaica to working-class parents, Eric … Read MoreBromley Lloyd Armstrong (1926-2018)
On January 1, 2020, Dr. Antoine J. (Tony) Allen Sr. became the 12th President of historically Black Delaware State University in its 129-year history. The son of a Lamar Allen, Jr., who never completed the 11th grade and a mother who raised him as a … Read MoreTony Allen (1970- )
Born in Westmoreland, Jamaica on June 15, 1940, Orlando Patterson is one of the foremost sociologists in the United States. The son of Charles, a detective, and Almina, a seamstress, Patterson displayed academic talent at a young age. A frequent visitor to his local library, … Read MoreOrlando Patterson (1940- )
Johnny Lester (Johnny) Nash Jr. was a singer-songwriter and actor, best known for his 1972 hit song “I Can See Clearly Now.” Nash was born on August 19, 1940 in Houston, Texas, to Eliza (Armstrong) and John Lester Nash. He sang in his church choir … Read MoreJohnny Nash (1940-2020)
