Constructed in 1910 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie’s library development program, the Carnegie Library of Mound Bayou, Mississippi was the first free public library intended for African Americans in the state of Mississippi and one of the first African American public libraries in the country. It served … Read MoreCarnegie Library, Mound Bayou, Mississippi (1910-1935)
John Parker, inventor and businessman, was also a prominent Underground Railroad conductor before the Civil War. He was reputedly responsible for the rescue of nearly 1,000 enslaved people between 1845 and 1865. Parker repeatedly crossed the Ohio River from his home in Ripley, Ohio, often going as far as 20 miles on foot into Kentucky to … Read MoreJohn P. Parker (1827-1900)
Lieutenant General Daniel James III became the first African American to be named Director of the Air National Guard upon assuming the position in 2002. He was the son of Daniel James Jr., the first black four-star general in the U.S. Air Force. In 2006 James … Read MoreDaniel James III (1945-2017)
Born on January 5th, 1926, in Attapulgus, Georgia, Hosea Williams became a prominent civil rights activist and war hero. Unfortunately, his mother died in childbirth, and his father was never in the picture, so Williams was raised by his grandfather, Turner Williams. Williams encountered racism early in his life. … Read MoreHosea Williams (1926-2000)
James W. Ford was a Special Organizer of the Communist Party’s (CP) Harlem, New York section and the most prominent Black Communist in the nation during the 1930s and early 1940s. Perhaps more than any other figure, Ford symbolized the Party’s efforts to build a … Read MoreJames W. Ford (1893-1957)
David Satcher, physician, educator, and administrator, was born in Anniston, Alabama, on March 2, 1941 to Wilmer and Anne Satcher. In 1963, Satcher graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned an M.D. and Ph.D. in cytogenetics from Case Western Reserve University in 1970. In 1979, Satcher became … Read MoreDavid Satcher (1941- )
Kathleen Neal Cleaver emerged in the late 1960s as one of the most influential leaders of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Neal was born in Memphis, Texas, on May 13, 1945. Her father, Ernest Neal, was a sociology professor at Wiley College. Her mother, Juette (Johnson) … Read MoreKathleen Neal Cleaver (1945- )
Alysa Stanton is the first ordained African American female Rabbi in the United States. Stanton was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 2, 1963, and was raised in a Pentecostal Christian home. When she was 11, the family moved into a Jewish community in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Her mother … Read MoreAlysa Stanton (1963- )
Lloyd J. Austin is the first African American to serve as U.S. Secretary of Defense. He was nominated by President Joseph Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate. A former four-star General in the U.S. Army, Austin was born in Mobile, Alabama on August … Read MoreLloyd James Austin III (1953- )
