John Bowman Banks (1862-1911)

Dr. John Bowman (“J.B.”) Banks was the first Black physician to practice medicine in Natchez, Mississippi. He recruited Dr. Albert Woods Dumas, the second Black physician to practice in the city. Together with four other businessmen, they founded an African American bank in Natchez called … Read MoreJohn Bowman Banks (1862-1911)

Agostinho Neto (1922-1979)

Antonio Agostinho Neto, fondly honored by Angolans as the “Father of Modern Angola” served as the first president of independent Angola. Not only was he a remarkable politician, but Neto was also a noted physician and famous poet. Antonio Agostinho Neto was born on September … Read MoreAgostinho Neto (1922-1979)

Algernon Brashear Jackson (1878-1942)

Algernon Brashear Jackson was a columnist, author, physician, surgeon and one of the six foundering members of Sigma Pi Phi, the oldest African-American Greek letter organization. The other founders were Henry Minton, Edwin Howard, Richard Warrick, Robert James Abele, and Eugene Hinson. Jackson was born … Read MoreAlgernon Brashear Jackson (1878-1942)

Herman Aladdin Barnett, III (1926-1973)

Herman Barnett, a physician, civil rights activist, and Tuskegee Airman achieved a significant number of “firsts” in Texas history. Born on January 22, 1926 in Austin, Texas, Barnett was the son of Hencil Barnett and Lula Searcy Barnett. After graduating from Phyllis Wheatley High School, … Read MoreHerman Aladdin Barnett, III (1926-1973)

Odette Harris (1970- )

In 2018, Dr. Odette Harris of Stanford University in California became the second African American female professor of neurosurgery in the United States, following Dr. Alexa Canady who was appointed in 1981. Harris’s research and clinical focus is on traumatic brain injury and peripheral nerve neurosurgery. Born in Jamaica in 1970, Harris took an interest … Read MoreOdette Harris (1970- )

Simeon Lewis Carson (1882-1954)

Dr. Simeon Lewis Carson, a late-19th and early-20th century black physician, would be most known for being one of the first surgeons within Washington, D.C. to use spinal anesthesia during surgery. However, he is also renowned for his skillful use of general anesthesia throughout most of the surgeries … Read MoreSimeon Lewis Carson (1882-1954)