Michelle Taylor is a 22-year-old African American woman who was crowned Miss Alaska in 2013. Taylor was the first black woman to hold that title. After winning the title of Miss Alaska, she went on to compete in the national contest in Atlantic City, New … Read MoreMichelle Taylor (1992- )
Henry G. Parks, Jr., is best known as the founder of H.G. Parks, Inc., the first black corporation to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He was born Henry Faris Parks in Atlanta, Georgia on September 29, 1916 to Henry Green Parks Sr., … Read MoreHenry Green Parks, Jr. (1916-1989)
Addison Scurlock, photographer, was born to attorney George Clay Scurlock and wife Nannie in Fayetteville, North Carolina on June 19, 1883. In 1900, his family moved to Washington, D.C. where in 1900, 17-year-old Scurlock began an apprenticeship under Moses P. Rice, a prominent white photographer … Read MoreAddison Scurlock (1883-1964)
Jehu Jones Sr. was a free black entrepreneur in Charleston, South Carolina, most well known for owning the Jones Hotel. He was born in 1769 as a slave to Christopher Rogers, a tailor, and grew up learning his master’s trade. Rogers manumitted (freed) Jones in … Read MoreJehu Jones Sr. (1769-1833)
Famous Major League baseball pitcher Robert “Bob” Gibson was Pack and Victoria Gibson’s seventh child born November 9, 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska. Pack died three months before Bob Gibson was born. Young Gibson suffered with asthma, pneumonia, rickets, hay fever, and a rheumatic heart. He … Read MoreRobert “Bob” Gibson (1935-2020)
Constance Williams Rice became one of the most influential women in Seattle in the late 20th century and remains so well into the 21st century. She was born to the union of a subway motorman, Elliott Williams, and Beulah Marshall Williams on June 23, 1945, … Read MoreConstance Williams Rice (1945- )
Freddye Scarborough Henderson, entrepreneur, columnist, and educator, was born on February 18, 1917 in Franklinton, Louisiana. She was educated in her hometown and graduated valedictorian from Booker T. Washington High School in Franklinton. In 1937, Scarborough earned a B.S. in home economics from Southern University. … Read MoreFreddye Scarborough Henderson (1917-2007)
An American actor, film producer, and director, Lee Louis Daniels was born on December 24, 1959. He is credited with directing some of the most controversial, yet memorable films of the last decade including his directorial debut in 2004’s The Woodsman and 2006’s Shadowboxer. He … Read MoreLee Louis Daniels (1959- )
In 1991, Sherry D. Harris was the first out black lesbian elected to public office in the United States. This also gave her the distinction of being the first African American woman on the Seattle City Council in Washington State. Harris was born on February … Read MoreSherry D. Harris (1957- )
Donald Hamilton Barden was one of the nation’s most successful black businessmen and the first black owner of a major Las Vegas Casino. He earned most of his wealth through the casino, cable television, and real estate industries. He also started a record company, worked … Read MoreDon H. Barden (1943-2011)
