Donald Gayton Phelps was a remarkable educator who broke new ground for African Americans in the Pacific Northwest and across the country. He was best known for his keen intellect, powerful voice, and gracious spirit as he served as a role model, mentor, and social … Read MoreDonald G. Phelps (1929-2003)
Abbie Mitchell was an African American teacher, actress, and soprano born on the Lower East Side of New York City. Mitchell’s father was German-Jewish and her mother was an African American. Mitchell, who came from a talented musical family, was considered a child prodigy. In … Read MoreAbbie Mitchell (1884-1960)
Gertrude E.H. Bustill Mossell was a teacher, author, and journalist born on July 3, 1855 in Philadelphia. The daughter of Charles and Emily Bustill, she came from a prominent family. She attended public schools in Philadelphia and eventually the Institute for Colored Youth and the … Read MoreGertrude E.H. Bustill Mossell (1855-1948)
Ida Alexander Gibbs Hunt, teacher, Pan-Africanist and civil rights leader, was born on November 16, 1862 in Victoria, British Columbia. Her parents were Mifflin Wistar Gibbs and Maria Alexander. Ida Gibbs studied in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music from 1872 to 1876. She then went … Read MoreIda Alexander Gibbs Hunt (1862-1957)
Prince Saunders was a prominent advocate for the education of African Americans and for the colonization of African Americans in Haiti during his lifetime. He was born in Connecticut and died in Haiti. Prince Saunders was born around 1775 in Lebanon, Connecticut. He was baptized … Read MorePrince Saunders (1775-1839)
Roderick Raynor Paige, the first African American and the first school superintendent to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Education, was born on June 17, 1933 in Monticello, Mississippi. The eldest of five children, Paige was born to his mother Sophie, a librarian, and father, … Read MoreRoderick Raynor Paige (1933- )
Fisk Jubilee Singer and educator America W. Robinson was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1855. Though America’s father was his master’s half brother, he enjoyed no special privileges; when his white relations ran into financial difficulty, they sold him to a Virginian named Elliott. An … Read MoreAmerica W. Robinson (ca. 1855-ca. 1920)
Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1938, Juanita Millender McDonald was an educator and member of the United States House of Representatives. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands and a master’s degree from California State University at Los Angeles. Millender-McDonald taught in … Read MoreJuanita Millender-McDonald (1938-2007)
Carrie Meek was born on April 29, 1926, in Tallahassee, Florida. Her parents were sharecroppers and her childhood neighborhood was racially segregated. Meek attended and graduated from Florida A&M University. Graduate schools in Florida were still segregated at this time so she was forced to … Read MoreCarrie Meek (1926-2021)
Millie Louise Bown Russell was born in Seattle in 1926 to Augustus and Edith Bown, a Pullman Porter and beautician, respectively. Augustus and Edith Bown met in Chicago, married and relocated to Seattle where Millie was born, one of seven children. Both parents were local … Read MoreMillie Russell (1926-2021)
