Professional boxer Emile Griffith was born February 3, 1938 on the island of St. Thomas, in the United States Virgin Islands. He moved to New York before he became a teenager. Griffith was 14 years old and working at a hat factory, when he asked his boss if he could … Read MoreEmile Alphonse Griffith (1938-2013)
Arthur Lee Conley was born on January 4, 1946 in McIntosh County, Georgia but grew up in Atlanta. At the age of 12 he was part of a gospel group that appeared frequently on the local radio station, WAOK. By 1963 at the age of 17, he led the R&B group … Read MoreArthur Conley (1946-1988)
Danny Lyon Scarborough made his mark in the world in two arenas, as an innovative, Emmy Award-winning choreographer/dancer and as one of the first well-known African Americans to go public about having AIDS. Born on July 27, 1947, he grew up on a farm near Wake Forest, North … Read MoreDanny Scarborough (1947-1989)
Dr. Isiaah Crawford is the 14th, and current, president of University of Puget Sound, a prestigious liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington. He was selected on February 26, 2016, and assumed the presidency on July 1 of that year, succeeding President Ronald R. Thomas, who retired after 13 … Read MoreIsiaah Crawford (1960- )
Due to his dedication to battling social injustices and racism throughout the United States, DeRay Mckesson has emerged as a key 21st century civil rights activist and educator. His documentation of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri following the unjust murder of Michael Brown in 2014 solidified his role as a leader in the national Black Lives … Read MoreDeRay Mckesson (1985- )
James F. Jones stood out for many years within black American religious circles. Known for his lavish living and mysterious persona, Jones’ followers referred to him as “Prophet Jones” and were captivated by his sermons. With his roots in the Black Church, Jones would influence the subsequent televangelism … Read MoreJames F. Jones / “Prophet Jones” (1907-1971)
Marielle Franco was a Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) city councilmember, and member of the Party for Socialism and Liberty. She was also a member of the LGBT community and a human rights activist, especially against police brutality in the favelas, or slums of the city. On March 14, 2018, she was shot … Read MoreMarielle Franco (1979-2018)
Hilton Als is an American writer and art critic who was born in 1960 in Brooklyn, New York, the child of two Barbados immigrants. Raised by his mother with his five siblings, four sisters and one brother, he studied art history at Columbia University but dropped out before graduation and became a … Read MoreHilton Als (1960- )
Nikkita Oliver is an attorney, teacher, poet, and social activist. She is well-known for her 2017 run for mayor of Seattle, Washington where she came in a surprising third in a field of twenty-one candidates which included many established politicians. Oliver was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and grew up in a biracial household there. … Read MoreNikkita Oliver (1986- )
Writer, activist, and artist Patrisse Cullors, is most well-known as one of the three founders of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Cullors was born in 1984 in Los Angeles, California and grew up in the Pacoima neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. Her mother, Cherisse Foley, raised Cullors and her … Read MorePatrisse Cullors (1984- )
