American sociologist, social worker, and minister Richard Robert Wright Jr. was born on April 16, 1878, in Cuthbert, Georgia to Richard Robert Wright, Sr., who had been born into slavery but graduated from Atlanta University and founded the National Freedom Day Association. Wright’s mother, Lydia … Read MoreRichard Robert Wright Jr. (1878-1967)
Pierre G. Deslondes (last name sometimes spelled Deslonde) was an African American sugar planter and wealthy free man of color who served as Secretary of State of Louisiana during Reconstruction. He was the son of famed slave rebellion leader George Deslondes and Eloise Belly and … Read MorePierre George Deslondes (1829-1885)
Jonathan T. Capehart is a journalist and television anchor. He was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 2, 1967. Capehart graduated from Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School, located in Newark, in 1985. He then attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, earning his B.A. in political … Read MoreJonathan Capehart (1967- )
Arthur Paul Davis was an African American university teacher, literary scholar, author, and editor, born November 21, 1904, to Andrew Davis and Francis (Nash) Davis in Hampton, Virginia. He was one of nine children. He married Clarice E. Winn on October 6, 1928 (d. 1978), … Read MoreArthur Paul Davis (1904-1996)
William A. “Bill” Hilliard was the first black editor of the Portland Oregonian, the largest daily newspaper in Oregon, and the first black president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Hilliard, one of four children, was born May 28, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, to Ruth and Felix Hilliard. His … Read MoreWilliam A. Hilliard (1927-2017)
Dean P. Baquet is primarily known as a Pulitzer Prize winner in journalism and the first African American executive editor of the New York Times. Baquet was born on September 21, 1956 in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a middle class family which included four other … Read MoreDean P. Baquet (1956- )
William Thomas Scott, also known as W.T. Scott, was a tavern/ hotel owner, newspaper owner/ editor, and politician in the latter half of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. He was the first African-American selected by the convention of a … Read MoreWilliam Thomas Scott (1839-1917)
William Chase was born in 1854 to a free black family in Washington, D.C. Chase was raised in integrated neighborhoods and attended local area schools including Howard University Law School. Chase combined the practice of law with journalism for most of his career and was … Read MoreWilliam Calvin Chase (1854-1921)
