Henry Vinton Plummer was an American Baptist preacher and a chaplain with the United States Army with the Buffalo Soldiers. Plummer was born into slavery on July 30, 1844 on the Three Sister Plantation near Bowie, Maryland. His father was Adam Francis Plummer, and his … Read MoreHenry V. Plummer (1844-1905)
Benjamin Harrison Hill was a legislator, teacher, and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister born in Sidney, Nova Scotia, Canada on November 1, 1903 to Joseph L. Hill, a laborer in the steel mill industry and Anna E. Hill, a servant for a private family. Hill … Read MoreBenjamin Harrison Hill (1903-1971)
M. Gayle Dickson, also known as Asali, was the only woman graphic artist for the Black Panther Party Newspaper between 1972 and 1974. Dickson was born in Berkeley, California on June 27, 1948 to James Stowers, a dry cleaner owner, and Madeline Stowers, a seamstress. … Read MoreMadeline Gayle “Asali” Dickson (1948- )
Thomas Detter, late 19th century black businessman, Methodist minister, and civil rights advocate, was one of the first black literary figures to emerge in the U.S. West. The son of a free stonemason, Detter was born near Washington, D.C. around 1830. Very little is known … Read MoreThomas Detter (ca. 1830-1891)
Mathematician Floyd Leroy Williams was born on September 20, 1939 in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended his local schools, and in his senior year of high school, he was offered a scholarship to Lincoln University of Missouri to study music. Williams studied Classical Piano and … Read MoreFloyd Leroy Williams (1939- )
Lyman S. Parks was the first African American mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving in the role from 1971 to 1976. Lyman S. Parks was born in 1917, although the details of his birth and childhood are unknown. He grew up in southern Indiana and … Read MoreLyman S. Parks (1917-2009)
Al Green, born on April 13, 1948 in Forrest City, Arkansas, is known as one of the great rhythm and blues singers of the 1970s. He was born Albert Greene to Cora and Robert Greene who were sharecroppers and parents of ten other children. Greene and some of his … Read MoreAl Green (1948- )
Annie E. Brown gained fame as a Methodist Episcopal evangelist in the late 1800s and early 1900s, earning a national reputation among blacks and whites alike with her missionary work. While most of Brown’s work was done along the Atlantic seaboard, she traveled as far west as Denver, Colorado and … Read MoreAnnie E. Brown (1862-1918)
Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon was the first African American woman to be ordained into the United Presbyterian USA denomination. Rev. Cannon was ordained in Shelby, North Carolina, on April 24, 1974, by the Catawaba Presbytery. Katie Cannon was born on January 3, 1950, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. She … Read MoreKatie Geneva Cannon (1950-2018)
Noel C. Taylor became the first African American mayor of Roanoke, Virginia. He held office from 1976 to 1992, and was the city’s longest serving mayor. Taylor was widely considered one of the most influential leaders in the city’s history. A Republican, he was elected mayor in 1976 after … Read MoreNoel C. Taylor (1924-1998)
