Opal (Flake) Lee is a retired teacher and activist who is considered the “grandmother of Juneteenth.” Flake was born on October 7, 1926, in Marshall, Texas, to Otis Flake and Mattie Broadus. When Lee was a child, her family home burned down in a fire, … Read MoreOpal Lee (1926- )
Choreographer, dancer, artistic director and LGBTQ community activist Alexander Emanuel Simon was born on November 27, 1980, in Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands, to Rufus Emanuel Simon from Basseterre which is part of the Caribbean Island federation of Nevis St. Kitts, and Martha Maria Santiago … Read MoreAlexander Emanuel Simon (1980- )
John Eric Teamer was a gay public high school teacher in Sacramento and San Francisco, California, who emerged as an important community activist in San Francisco and leader in the nationwide LBGTQ community. Teamer was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on April 26, 1941. Beginning … Read MoreJohn Eric Teamer (1941-1994)
Ted Rasberry was a player and team owner in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Rasberry was born on October 8, 1913, in West Point, Mississippi, and in his youth, played basketball, baseball and football. He attended Mississippi Industrial College and graduated with a degree in teaching … Read MoreTed Rasberry (1913-2001)
Jesús Abraham “Tato” Laviera Sánchez, community activist, poet, declamador, playwright, author, and “a chronicler of life in El Barrio,” was born May 9, 1951 in Santurce, Puerto Rico to Maria Sánchez Ramos, an embroiderer, and Pablo Laviera Ramírez, a political nationalist, bricklayer, and contactor. Laviera … Read MoreTato Laviera (1951-2013)
Reby Cary, educator, community activist, politician, entrepreneur and World War II veteran, was born on September 9, 1920, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Reverend Smith and Maggie B. Cary. A graduate of I. M. Terrell High School in 1937, he received his Bachelor of Arts … Read MoreReby Cary (1920-2018)
Herb Cawthorne, teacher, community leader, and news reporter, was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Roosevelt and Edythe Odrene Cawthorne in June 1947. He is the youngest of four children, including John, Elsa, and Edythe. He attended North Des Moines High School in Omaha from 1962 … Read MoreHerb Cawthorne (1947- )
Robert Browning Flippin was an important community leader and racial activist in San Francisco beginning in the 1930s through the 1950s. He was also the first African American parole officer at the California State Prison at San Quentin. The son of the black physician George … Read MoreRobert Browning Flippin (1903-1963)
Louise McKinney (née Jones) was an African-American educator, human rights advocate, philanthropist, business woman, community activist, and patron of the arts. She was a long-established galvanizing force of civic life in Seattle and in the State of Washington. Born Louise Jones on July 12, 1920 … Read MoreLouise Jones McKinney (1930-2012)
Lisa Williamson, also known as Sister Souljah, is an author, lecturer, rap singer, activist, community organizer and political commentator. Through her music, books, lectures and community work she advocates black power, personal responsibility and activism. She proudly challenges black Americans to strengthen their communities and … Read MoreSister Souljah/Lisa Williamson (1964- )
