Francis Lewis Cardozo was a minister, educator, and politician, who was born free in Charleston, South Carolina, on February 1, 1836. Cardozo was of mixed ancestry, as his father, Isaac Nunez Cardozo, was a Sephardic Jew, and his mother, Lydia Williams Weston, was a free … Read MoreFrancis Cardozo (1836-1903)
Pioneer pharmacist Anna Louise James was born Louise Clegget James on January 19, 1886, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the eighth of eleven children born to Willis Samuel James, who was born enslaved and escaped at age sixteen through the Underground Railroad, and Anna Houston. … Read MoreAnna Louise James (1886 – 1977)
Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon was the first African American woman to be ordained into the United Presbyterian USA denomination. Rev. Cannon was ordained in Shelby, North Carolina, on April 24, 1974, by the Catawaba Presbytery. Katie Cannon was born on January 3, 1950, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. She … Read MoreKatie Geneva Cannon (1950-2018)
Hugh M. Browne was a civil rights activist and educator. Born June 12, 1851, in Washington D.C. to John and Elizabeth (Wormley) Browne, he is known for his work as the principal of the Institute for Colored Youth and his advocacy for vocational education. After … Read MoreHugh Mason Browne (1851-1923)
Samuel Cornish, an abolitionist and editor, was born in Sussex County, Delaware in 1795, although the specific day and month are unknown. He was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City, New York. Since both of his parents were free African Americans, Cornish was … Read MoreSamuel Eli Cornish (1795-1858)
Edward Wilmot Blyden, widely known as the father of Pan-Africanism, was born on August 3, 1832 in Saint Thomas, in what are now the U.S Virgin Islands. Blyden was the third of seven children and was born to Romeo and Judith Blyden, a tailor and … Read MoreEdward Wilmot Blyden (1832-1912)
