Judge Eileen R. Petersen, an advocate for women’s and children’s rights, was born on April 18, 1937, in Christiansted, Virgin Islands (VI), and reared in Free Gut to Anna Leevy and Hugo Petersen. She was a product of the islands’ public schools, graduating from Christiansted … Read MoreEileen Ramona Petersen (1937-2023)
Raymond Lawrence Finch, a Federal District Court and contributor to the development of the Virgin Islands Legal System, was born on October 4, 1940 in Christiansted, St. Croix, to Wilfred Christopher Finch and Beryl Esther Bough Finch. His siblings were Gordon A. Finch, a former … Read MoreRaymond Lawrence Finch (1940-2023)
On March 7, 2023, Jennifer Leigh McClellan was sworn in as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 4th congressional district. The former Virginia state senator is the great-great-grandchild of enslaved African Americans and the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. McClellan was born on … Read MoreJennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-)
Carolyn J. Purnell, a 1971 graduate of the University of Washington’s School of Law, is one of two women who are the first Black women known to have graduated from that institution (Gwendolyn Howard is the other). William McDonald Austin, the first Black man, graduated … Read MoreCarolyn Purnell (1939- )
Sandra Douglass Morgan is an attorney and executive currently serving as the president of the Las Vegas Raiders football team. Morgan was born on April 10, 1978, in Las Vegas Nevada. Her father, Gilbert, is African American, and her mother, Kilcha, is Korean. She attended … Read MoreSandra Douglass Morgan (1978- )
Glenn Frederick Ivey was elected to the United States House of Representatives in the Congressional election of 2022. He was sworn in to start his first term in office on January 3, 2023. Ivey represents Maryland’s 4th congressional district which encompasses portions of Prince George’s County … Read MoreGlenn Ivey (1961- )
Jasmine Felicia Crockett, elected to the United States House of Representatives on November 8, 2022, was born on March 29, 1981, in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Crockett attended Rhodes College, a private liberal arts school in Memphis, Tennessee. While there, she and several other Black … Read MoreJasmine Crockett (1981- )
Bernette Joshua Johnson is a retired Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. She is the first African American woman to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court and the second female to hold the position of Chief Justice. Born in Lemannville, Louisiana on June 17, … Read MoreJustice Bernette Joshua Johnson
Richard Gordon Hatcher was an American attorney, politician and the first African American mayor of Gary, Indiana. He served in that post for 20 years from 1968 to 1988. Hatcher was born on July 10, 1933, in Michigan City, Indiana. Hatcher and Carl Stokes, who … Read MoreRichard G. Hatcher (1933-2019)
Joseph Auguste Anténor Firmin was a Haitian scholar, politician and civil servant who is best known for his anthropological text published in 1885, De l’égalité des races Humaines (On the Equality of Human Races). Born in Cap-Haitien to a working-class family on October 18, 1850, … Read MoreAnténor Firmin (1850-1911)
