George F. Bowles, born enslaved in 1844 in Charleston, South Carolina, was one of the most prominent figures in Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction era Mississippi. He was a lawyer, newspaper editor, politician, and businessman. His early life remains somewhat unclear, with conflicting accounts of his parent’s … Read MoreGeorge F. Bowles (1844-1899)
Robert Charles O’Hara Benjamin, also known as R.C.O. Benjamin, was a Caribbean-born political activist, newspaper editor, minister, poet, teacher, author, and lawyer. He was born on the island of St. Kitts on March 31, 1855. Information about his parents is unknown, but we do know … Read MoreRobert Charles O’Hara Benjamin (1855-1900)
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 … 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- )
Barbara Hillary was the first African American woman on record to reach both the North and South Poles. Born in New York City, New York, on June 12, 1931, to Viola Jones Hillary and raised in Harlem, Hillary attended the New School University in New … Read MoreBarbara Hillary (1931-2019)
Floyd Calvin was a journalist who also launched a newswire service and hosted the first Black radio show during the Harlem Renaissance. Calvin was born in 1902 to a school teacher and a farmer in Washington, Arkansas. He graduated from Shover State Teacher Training College … Read MoreFloyd Joseph Calvin (1902-1939)
