Social activist and black labor leader Nellie Stone Johnson was born Nellie Saunders Allen in Lakeville, Minnesota in 1905, the eldest daughter of an activist farmer, William R. Allen and a schoolteacher, Gladys Allen. As a child, Nellie worked on her family’s farm near Hinckley, … Read MoreNellie Stone Johnson (1905-2002)
Shirley Clarke Franklin became Atlanta, Georgia’s first African American female mayor in 2001, as well as the first woman to be a mayor of a major southern city. Clarke was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 10, 1945 to parents Eugene Haywood Clarke and Ruth … Read MoreShirley Clarke Franklin (1945- )
Denise Majette, former member of Congress, attorney, judge, and politician, was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 18, 1955 to Voyd Lee and Olivia (Foster) Majette. In 1976, Majette graduated from Yale University. She earned her law degree from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina … Read MoreDenise L. Majette (1955- )
Frank W. Ballance, Jr., was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2004, representing the 1st Congressional District in North Carolina. Prior to his tenure as a member of Congress, Ballance served in the North Carolina State House of Representatives … Read MoreFrank W. Ballance, Jr. (1942- )
Walter Edward Washington, attorney and politician, was born in Dawson, Georgia, on April 15, 1915 to Willie Mae and William L. Washington. After his mother’s death in 1921, Washington moved with his father to Jamestown, New York. Washington excelled academically and athletically in the public … Read MoreWalter Edward Washington (1915-2003)
Henry Marsh is a prominent political figure, black activist, and lawyer in Richmond, Virginia. He was born on December 10, 1933 in Richmond but when his mother died at age five, he was sent to live with relatives in rural Virginia. Marsh, who attended Moonfield … Read MoreHenry L. Marsh, III (1933- )
Kwame Kilpatrick is a former American politician who served as a Democratic Michigan state representative and Mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. Kilpatrick was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 6, 1970, to Carolyn and Bernard Kilpatrick. He attended Cass Technical High School and … Read MoreKwame Malik Kilpatrick (1970- )
Businesswoman, politician, and civil rights activist, Mae Street Kidd, was born February 8, 1904 in Millersburg, Kentucky to a black mother and white father. Kidd’s biological father refused to acknowledge her as his daughter. She attended a segregated black primary school in her community. As … Read MoreMae Street Kidd (1909-1999)
Michael B. Coleman was the first African American Mayor of Columbus, Ohio, holding the post from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2016. Coleman was born on November 18, 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana to John Coleman, a medical doctor, and Joan Coleman, a local civil … Read MoreMichael B. Coleman (1954- )
