Charles Caldwell was a prominent Mississippi Republican during the Reconstruction era who spent his political career advocating for increased racial equality in the state. Charles Caldwell is believed to have been born in 1831, although the exact details of his birth and childhood are unknown. He was born into slavery and as … Read MoreCharles Caldwell (ca. 1831-1875)
Richard A. Harewood was a prominent lawyer, state representative, and judge in Chicago, Illinois. He was born on June 25th, 1900 in Barbados, British West Indies and raised there until he was seven years old. His father who was a soldier in the British Colonial Army, died when Harewood was three years old, and his … Read MoreRichard A. Harewood (1900-1985)
Though Roosevelt Grier is most known for his All-Pro football career with the New York Giants and Los Angeles (California) Rams, he has become associated with many other ventures. Grier’s more than half century of being in the public eye has included writing, acting, singing, ministry, and politics. Roosevelt “Rosey” Grier was born … Read MoreRoosevelt “Rosey” Grier (1932- )
Charles Warner Cansler was a railway mail clerk, lawyer, educator, and noted mathematician. He spent most of his life working to better the lives of African Americans in Eastern Tennessee by way of education. Some of his contributions included organizing the East Tennessee Association of Teachers in Colored Schools and … Read MoreCharles Warner Cansler (1871-1953)
Julia Pearl Hughes (Coleman-Robinson) was the first African American woman to successfully own and operate her own drugstore. Hughes was born to John and Mary Hughes in Melville Township, Alamance County, North Carolina. She attended the local schools and graduated in 1893 from Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College) … Read MoreJulia Pearl Hughes (1873-1950)
Michelle Denise Bernard is the President and CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy. Born on July 30, 1963 in Washington D.C., she is a graduate of Howard University, earning a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Political Science, and the Georgetown University Law Center, earning … Read MoreMichelle D. Bernard (1963- )
Scipio Africanus Jones was a prominent Arkansas African American defense attorney in the late 19th and early 20th century. He opposed Arkansas’s Jim Crow laws and successfully argued cases before the United States Supreme Court between 1913 and 1925. Known for his pro bono work for impoverished African American defendants, Jones … Read MoreScipio Africanus Jones (1863-1943)
Noel C. Taylor became the first African American mayor of Roanoke, Virginia. He held office from 1976 to 1992, and was the city’s longest serving mayor. Taylor was widely considered one of the most influential leaders in the city’s history. A Republican, he was elected mayor in 1976 after … Read MoreNoel C. Taylor (1924-1998)
George Henry Brown, Jr., the first African American appointed to serve on the Tennessee Supreme Court, was born on July 16, 1939 and grew up in in Memphis, Tennessee. Brown’s father Alfred was a car cleaner for the Illinois Central Railroad, and his mother Sara was a teacher for the … Read MoreGeorge Henry Brown, Jr. (1939- )
Born in 1842, in Williamson County, Tennessee, Green I. Currin (sometimes referred to as G.I. or Jacob Curran) was the first African American to serve in the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature, winning election to its inaugural session in 1890. During the territorial period, Currin also served as a U.S. deputy marshal … Read MoreGreen I. Currin (1842–1918)
