Margaret Vernell James Strickland Collins (1922-1996)

Margaret Vernell James Strickland Collins was a leading scientist on termite diversity and a Civil Rights activist. She was the first professionally trained Black woman entomologist and the third Black female zoologist in the United States. She was born Margaret Vernell James on September 4, … Read MoreMargaret Vernell James Strickland Collins (1922-1996)

Gisèle Rabesahala (1929-2011)

Gisèle Rabesahala, a political and human rights activist and councilwoman, was born Marie Gisèle Aimée Rabesahala on May 7, 1929, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, which had been a French colonial possession since 1896. Her father was a non-commissioned French army officer, and Rabesahala spent her childhood … Read MoreGisèle Rabesahala (1929-2011)

Isaura Tavares Gomes (1944- )

Cape Verde independence activist, women’s rights activist, and pharmacist Isaura Tavares Gomes was born on February 22, 1944, in Santiago, Praia, Sotavento Islands, Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), one of the smallest nations globally, comprising ten islands and five islets off the western coast of the … Read MoreIsaura Tavares Gomes (1944- )

Henry W. “Hank” McGee, Jr. (1932-2024)

Law professor and legal activist Henry W. “Hank” McGee, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 31, 1932, to Henry W. McGee, Sr., from Hillsboro, Texas, the first African American Postmaster appointed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Attye Belle Truesdale McGee, from … Read MoreHenry W. “Hank” McGee, Jr. (1932-2024)

Karine Jean-Pierre (1977- )

Karine Jean-Pierre is an American political campaign organizer, political commentator, author, university lecturer, and activist. She is the first “Black, gay, immigrant woman” to hold the position of White House Press Secretary. Born in Fort-de-France, Martinique to Haitian parents on August 13, 1977, Karine Jean-Pierre … Read MoreKarine Jean-Pierre (1977- )