Jennie R. Patrick became the first African American woman to earn a PhD in chemical engineering when she completed graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1979. Patrick was born in Gadsden, Alabama on January 1, 1949. Her parents only had sixth … Read MoreJennie R. Patrick (1949- )
Sylvanus Alexander Tyler, mathematician and biostatistician, was born on August 21, 1914 to Daniel and Jesse Tyler. Tyler was raised in Chicago, Illinois along with his two younger brothers, Homer and Daniel, all of whom attended the city’s public schools. Tyler received his bachelor’s degree … Read MoreSylvanus Alexander Tyler Sr. (1914-1986)
St. Louis, Missouri native Wendell Oliver Pruitt, a pioneering pilot of the 15th Air Force, was born to Elijah and Melanie Pruitt on June 20, 1920. Pruitt graduated from Sumner High School, briefly attended Stowe Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University), and later transferred to … Read MoreWendell Oliver Pruitt (1920-1945)
The Montgomery Bus Boycott speech reprinted below is one of the first major addresses of Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King spoke to nearly 5,000 people at the Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery on December 5, 1955, just four days after Mrs. Rosa Parks … Read More(1955) Martin Luther King Jr., “The Montgomery Bus Boycott”
Image Ownership: Media Museum of Northern California (Fair Use) Pioneering journalist and civil rights activist Almena Lomax was a leader in African American journalism and founded a black weekly newspaper in Los Angeles. She was the first black person to work on the city desk … Read MoreAlmena Lomax (1915-2011)
My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities “unwise and untimely.” Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms … Read More(1963) Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”
Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on January 5, 1904, William Knox is remembered for two achievements. He was among a handful of black scientists to work on the top secret Manhattan Project, which produced the atom bomb during World War II. Following the war, he … Read MoreWilliam Jacob Knox Jr. (1904-1995)
Image Courtesy of the New York Amsterdam News (Fair Use) Former Tuskegee University president Benjamin Franklin Payton was born in 1932 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. His father, Reverend Leroy Payton, was a Baptist minister, farmer, and teacher while his mother, Sarah Mack Payton, was a … Read MoreBenjamin F. Payton (1932-2016)
Cornelius R. Coffey was the first African American to establish an aeronautical school in the United States. His school was also the only non-university affiliated aviation program to become part of the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). His pioneering efforts led to the integration of … Read MoreCornelius R. Coffey (1903-1994)
Moddie Daniel Taylor, a chemist by training, was a member of the small, elite group of African American scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, the code name for the top-secret effort to create an atomic bomb during World War II. Taylor was born in … Read MoreModdie Daniel Taylor (1912-1976)
