James Alexander Hood was the first African American male student to register and attend classes at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a previously all-white institution. Hood was born on November 10, 1942, in Gadsden, Alabama, to Octavie Hood and Margaret Hughes Hood. James had … Read MoreJames Alexander Hood (1942-2013)
The USS Mason (DE-529) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort and was the second ship of the U.S. Navy to be named Mason. The USS Mason was one of the two U.S. Navy ships during World War II with a mostly African American crew. The other … Read MoreThe USS Mason (DE-529) (1943-1945)
Sir Guy was born Clarence Eugene Barron, on October 16, 1946 in a musical family in Norfolk, Virginia to Thelma Barron Cartwright and James Norfleet, Sr; reared by mother and stepfather, William “Bro. Bear” Cartwright in the segregated section of the city called Berkley-Campostella. He … Read MoreSir Guy/ Clarence Eugene Barron (1946-2010)
The Golden Gate Quartet was formed in 1934 in Norfolk, Virginia, as the Golden Gate Jubilee Singers by four teenage students at Booker T. Washington High School. The founders were bass Orlandus Wilson who was born on August 27, 1917, in South Norfolk, arranger/ baritone … Read MoreThe Golden Gate Quartet (1934- )
Hamilton Earl Holmes was the lesser known of the Black duo who desegregated the University of Georgia in 1961. He was born July 8, 1941, in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of businessman Alfred Holmes and schoolteacher Isabella Holmes. A precocious, goal-driven youth, early on he … Read MoreHamilton Earl Holmes (1941-1995)
Teacher, civil rights activist, and author Barbara E. Pope was born free in January 1854, to former slaves Hannah and Alfred Pope, in the city of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia. Her parents were enslaved in New Jersey and her father, Alfred, became famous … Read MoreBarbara E. Pope (1854-1908)
Nikole Sheri Hannah-Jones, most famous for her role in the 1619 Project, is an investigative journalist, who was born on April 9, 1976, in Waterloo, Iowa. She is of mixed heritage, as her father, Milton Hannah, is African American, and her mother, Cheryl A. Novotny, … Read MoreNikole Hannah-Jones (1976- )
George Leon Netterville, the controversial President of Southern University, was born in the Ascencion Parish section of Donaldsonville, Louisiana on July 16, 1906. In his youth, he attended the local segregated schools, and received his BA in education from Southern University in 1932, and his … Read MoreGeorge Leon Netterville Jr. (1906-2000)
Dr. Sekazi Kauze Mtingwa is an African American theoretical high-energy physicist and co-founder of the National Society of Black Physicists. He has served as president of the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Research and Educational Access in Science and Engineering. Mtingwa’s contributions to the field of physics … Read MoreSekazi Mtingwa (1949- )
