Viola Harris McFerren was a civil rights activist alongside her husband, John McFerren, in Fayette County, Tennessee. Viola Harris was born on October 19, 1931 in Benton County, Mississippi to Joseph and Rose Harris. She attended high school in Fayette County, walking five miles to … Read MoreViola Harris McFerren (1931-2013)
Georgina Falú Pesante, university executive, community organizer, professor, and Pan-Africanist, was born on April 23, 1939 in Santurce, Puerto Rico to María Magdalena “Malen” Pesante Santana, business owner and homemaker, and Juan “Juanín” Falú Zarzuela, civil rights activist. Her father created the League to Promote … Read MoreGeorgina Falú (1939- )
Alton Parker Hornsby, Jr., author, historian and professor, was born on September 3, 1940 in Atlanta, Georgia to Lillie Mae Newton Hornsby, an entrepreneur and voting rights activist, and Alton P. Hornsby, an automobile painter. Hornsby was one of six children whose parents briefly owned … Read MoreAlton Hornsby, Jr. (1940-2017)
Maude Craig, public school teacher, suffragist, civil rights and community activist, was born in Austin, Texas in February 1880 to Marie Sanders Craig, a homemaker, and George Washington Craig, a grocer. In 1900, Craig graduated from Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie … Read MoreMaude E. Craig Sampson Williams (1880-1958)
Raymond A. Brown, a prominent civil rights activist, attorney, and military officer was born on May 6, 1915 in Fernandina Beach, Florida. His mother, Elizabeth Christopher Traeye, was a domestic, teacher and homemaker who in 1930 helped establish Christ the King, Jersey City’s only Black … Read MoreRaymond Aloysius Brown (1915-2009)
Marion Stokes, best known for her collection of television news recordings, was born on November 25, 1929 in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Girls High in Philadelphia and worked as a librarian for the Free Library of Philadelphia from the 1940’s … Read MoreMarion Marguerite Butler Stokes (1929-2012)
Ann Atwater is best known for her work in civil rights, and for her unlikely friendship with Ku Klux Klan leader C.P. Ellis. Ann G. Atwater was born on July 1, 1935, in Hillsboro, North Carolina. Her parents were sharecroppers, and her father was also a deacon of … Read MoreAnn G. Atwater (1935-2016)
Jesse O. Thomas, early 20th century civil rights leader and protégé of Booker T. Washington, established the Atlanta, Georgia chapter of the National Urban League, a civil rights organization based in New York City, New York in 1919. Thomas was born in McComb, Mississippi to Amanda Johnson and Jefferson Thomas on December 21, 1885. Until the … Read MoreJesse O. Thomas (1885-1972)
Ernest “Rip” Patton, Jr., a civil rights activist and a veteran of the Freedom Riders, was born in 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee. From a young age, Patton desired to see societal change due to his childhood memories of observing the harsh effects of racial segregation … Read MoreErnest “Rip” Patton (1940–2021)
Julian Hudson Mayfield was best known as an American actor, director, writer, lecturer, and civil rights activist. Mayfield was born on June 6, 1928, in Greer, South Carolina, and was raised from the age of five in Washington. He attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School … Read MoreJulian Mayfield (1928-1984)
