The first mayor of African descent of a major European city, Severiano de Heredia, was born in Havana, Cuba, on November 8, 1836. He was the son of prosperous mulatto parents, Henri de Heredia and Beatriz de Cárdenas. Registered as a “mulatto born free” in the parish of Jesus del Monte, some … Read MoreSeveriano de Heredia (1836-1901)
Hilton Als is an American writer and art critic who was born in 1960 in Brooklyn, New York, the child of two Barbados immigrants. Raised by his mother with his five siblings, four sisters and one brother, he studied art history at Columbia University but dropped out before graduation and became a … Read MoreHilton Als (1960- )
Harry S. McAlpin was the first African-American reporter to attend a press conference at the White House. McAlpin was born in St. Louis, Missouri on July 21, 1906. He grew up in St. Louis and then attended the University of Wisconsin where he studied journalism and advertising and received his degree … Read MoreHarry S. McAlpin (1906-1985)
Homer Smith, Jr., best known for his fourteen-year sojourn in the Soviet Union, was born in 1909 in Quitman, Mississippi, to parents Mr. and Mrs. Homer Smith, Sr. In 1916, at the age of seven, he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota with his parents. Between 1922 and 1928, Smith … Read MoreHomer Smith, Jr. (1909-1972)
Pioneering journalist Ethel Lois Payne was born on August 14, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois, to William A. Payne and Bessie Austin. Known as the “First Lady of Black Press” for her extensive list of accomplishments as a writer, journalist, and reporter, Payne, according to her colleagues, asked questions … Read MoreEthel Lois Payne (1911-1991)
Pioneering Black journalist Louis Lomax was born in Valdosta, Georgia, on August 16, 1922, to parents Emanuel C. Smith and Sarah Louise Lomax. He attended Paine College in Augusta, Georiga, where he was editor of the student newspaper. He graduated from Paine in 1942 at the age of … Read MoreLouis Emanuel Lomax (1922-1970)
Merritt Talking to Police Officer Image Ownership: Public domain Afro-Filipino author, journalist, and government official, Jesus V. Merritt was born in Agoo, a city in the province of La Union in the Philippines, on October 15, 1913. He was the son of Julius Merritt of … Read MoreJesus Villanueva Merritt (1913- ?)
Roland Sebastian Martin is a journalist, columnist, and author. Martin was born on November 14, 1968, to Emelda and Reginald Lynn Martin Sr. in Houston, Texas. His maternal great-grandparents emigrated from Haiti to the United States and settled in Louisiana. Martin graduated from Yates High … Read MoreRoland Sebastian Martin (1968- )
Dexter Dillard Eure Sr., a pioneering Black newspaper columnist for the Boston Globe, was born in Suffolk, Virginia, as an only child to Luke Eure and Sarah Sharpe. His father left the family when he was an infant, and his mother died when he was … Read MoreDexter Dillard Eure Sr. (1924-2015)
Philippa Duke Schuyler was an African American child prodigy, pianist, composer, journalist, and author. She became famous in the 1930s and 1940s for her unique musical talents, mixed-race background, and the abnormal methods her parents used to raise her. Schuyler was born on August 2, … Read MorePhilippa Schuyler (1931-1967)
