Donald McHenry is a diplomat, scholar, corporate governor and educator who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN). Because the hospitals of his home town, East St. Louis, Illinois, where he would grow up, were segregated, McHenry was born in St. Louis, Missouri … Read MoreDonald Franchot McHenry (1936- )
Walter Samuel McAfee, theoretical physicist, professor, and civil servant was born in Ore City, Texas to Susie and Luther McAfee on September 2, 1914. His father, Luther McAfee, was a mechanic and carpenter, while his mother, Susie, was an educator. McAfee earned a Bachelor’s degree … Read MoreWalter Samuel McAfee (1914-1995)
Born January 25, 1959 in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, Jean-Léonard Touadi, one of 10 children of a civil servant, immigrated to Italy in 1979 where he became a journalist, university lecturer, the author of several books, and a pioneering politician. A devout Roman Catholic … Read MoreJean-Léonard Touadi (1959- )
Samuel R. Delany Jr., “Chip,” is an award-winning African American gay writer, editor, professor, and literary critic. He is the first major African American science fiction writer as well as one of the most influential writers of this genre in the United States. He transformed … Read MoreSamuel Ray Delany Jr. (1942- )
Hugh M. Browne was a civil rights activist and educator. Born June 12, 1851, in Washington D.C. to John and Elizabeth (Wormley) Browne, he is known for his work as the principal of the Institute for Colored Youth and his advocacy for vocational education. After … Read MoreHugh Mason Browne (1851-1923)
Image Courtesy of arthuralex (CC BY-SA 2.0) Avel Louise Gordly was the first African American woman elected to the Oregon State Senate. In addition to a public service career in politics and criminal justice, she has been an educator, advocate for mental health services, and … Read MoreAvel Louise Gordly (1947- )
Beginning in the 1970s, Barbara Smith broke new ground as a black feminist, lesbian, activist, author, and book publisher of women of color. She and her twin sister, Beverly Smith, were born on December 16, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio. Their mother, Hilda Smith, maternal grandmother, … Read MoreBarbara Smith (1946- )
The novelist and poet Gayl Jones was born November 23, 1949 in Lexington, Kentucky. She came from a creative background; her grandmother Amanda Wilson wrote religious dramas and her mother Lucile wrote fiction. By the time she was seven years old, she had already begun … Read MoreGayl Jones (1949- )
Image Ownership: Library of Congress Life (CC0) African novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a Kenyan author, educator and playwright. With the publication of his first novel, he became a critically-acclaimed author at the age of 29. His work is also published under the pseudonym James … Read MoreNgugi wa Thiong’o (AKA James T. Ngugi) (1938- )
Moddie Daniel Taylor, a chemist by training, was a member of the small, elite group of African American scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, the code name for the top-secret effort to create an atomic bomb during World War II. Taylor was born in … Read MoreModdie Daniel Taylor (1912-1976)
