Born on September 16, 1860, William D. “Bill” Foster was a late 19th/ early 20th century showman who was among the first to prove the commercial viability of making Black-cast films and marketing them to Black audiences. He was the first African American to establish … Read MoreWilliam D. Foster (1860-1940)
George Washington Lee was an African American civil rights leader, minister, and entrepreneur. On May 7, 1955, Lee was murdered by white supremacists in Belzoni, Mississippi. Lee’s murder was one of two key events that occurred in Mississippi in 1955, along with the Emmett Till … Read MoreGeorge Washington Lee (1903-1955)
Global marketer Frank Cooper, III was born on May 8, 1964, in San Francisco, California. He received the Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986 and the Juris Doctorate in Constitutional Law from Harvard Law School in … Read MoreFrank Cooper III (1964- )
Grafton Tyler Brown was a cartographer, lithographer, and painter, widely considered the first professional African American artist in California. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1841, Brown learned lithography in Philadelphia and then became part of a cohort of African Americans who sought better economic and … Read MoreGrafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918)
Ice cream innovator Augustus Jackson was born on April 16, 1808, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began working at the White House in Washington D.C. when he was just nine years old and worked as a chef there for twenty years, from 1817 until 1837. Jackson … Read MoreAugustus Jackson (1808-1852)
Gregory Dimitri Gadson is a retired United States Army colonel, motivational speaker, actor, and business owner. Gadson was born on February 19, 1966, in Chesapeake, Virginia. He attended Indian River High School, where he was a standout football player. Gadson graduated in 1985 then attended … Read MoreGregory D. Gadson (1966- )
Robert Kyagulanyi “Bobi Wine” Ssentamu is a Ugandan politician, singer, actor, and businessman. Ssentamu was born on February 12, 1982, in Nkozi, Uganda, and grew up in the Kamwekya slums in the northeast part of Kampala, Uganda. He attended Kitante Hill Senior Secondary School, located … Read MoreRobert Kyagulanyi “Bobi Wine” Ssentamu (1982- )
Frederick Douglas Patterson was the first African American to build motorized cars. His father, Charles Rich Patterson, a former enslaved person, created C. R. Patterson and Sons Company, located in Greenfield, Ohio. Beginning in 1865, the company built fashionable carriages. Frederick Patterson inherited the company … Read MoreFrederick Douglas Patterson (1871-1932)
April Berg represents Washington State’s 44th Legislative District, which includes Marysville, Lake Stevens, the town of Snohomish, Mill Creek, and portions of unincorporated Snohomish County, Washington. Rep. Berg was elected in November, 2020 and took office in January 2021 despite being seriously injured the day … Read MoreApril Berg (1974- )
Fred Whitfield is the President, Chief Operating Officer, and minority co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a franchise in the National Basketball Association. Whitfield shares ownership with his longtime friend and basketball great Michael Jordan. Together they are the only African American owners in the league. … Read MoreFred Whitfield (1959- )
