In July 1998, Erroll Mingo Brown became the first African American admiral in the United States Coast Guard in its 207-year history. Brown was born in Ocklawaha, Florida. He grew up in St. Petersburg and although he had planned to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, his interest in engineering and … Read MoreErroll M. Brown (1950- )
On October 24, 1996, an 18-year-old black man, TyRon Lewis, was stopped for speeding in St. Petersburg, Florida. Witnesses claimed that a white police officer, James Knight, had pointed a gun at Lewis during the stop. Knight told Lewis to get out of his car and … Read MoreSt. Petersburg, Florida Riot, 1996
Born in Pelham, Georgia, on July 6, 1954, Donnie L. Cochran was one of the nine sons of farmers Isaac C. Cochran and Addie B. Cochran. As a child he was fascinated by planes flying close to his home and became increasingly committed to becoming a pilot and … Read MoreDonnie Lee Cochran (1954- )
Pioneering African American airline pilot David E. Harris, a native of Columbus, Ohio, was born December 22, 1934, the son of Walter R. Harris and Ruth A. Estis Harris. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1957 with a degree in education. While at the university he was initially … Read MoreDavid Ellsworth Harris (1934- )
Democratic Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson was born on November 5, 1942 in Miami, Florida to Beulah Finley and Thirlee Smith. Wilson learned the importance of community activism at a young age. Her father was a small business owner and civil rights activist who worked to promote voter registration … Read MoreFrederica Wilson (1942- )
In 2012 Jordan Russell Davis, a seventeen-year-old high school student in Jacksonville, Florida, was shot and killed by Michael David Dunn, a software developer, following an argument between the two of them over loud music. Davis’s death helped inspire the Black Lives Matter Movement and contributed to the national debate … Read MoreJordan Russell Davis (1995-2012)
Luther and Joye Goodwin (Holding Their Child) in 1964 Civil Rights Demonstration Image Ownership: Public domain Tuskegee Airman, civil rights activist, and attorney Luther A. Goodwin was born April 17, 1920 in Jacksonville, Florida, the son of Hilliard E. Goodwin, a college instructor and building … Read MoreLuther Ambrose Goodwin (1920-1982)
Four-star general and precision flier Lloyd W. Newton was born December 24, 1942 in Ridgeland, South Carolina, the fourth of seven children of John H. Newton, a farmer, and Annie Newton. Finishing Jasper High School in Ridgeland, he majored in mechanical engineering at Tennessee State … Read MoreLloyd Warren Newton (1942- )
Abner Louima, an activist against police brutality, is unfortunately best known for being brutalized, sexually assaulted, and savagely beaten by New York Police Department officers in 1997. Louima was born in 1966 in Thomassin, Haiti, the oldest of his parents’ four children. His father worked … Read MoreAbner Louima (1966- )
Darryl Dawkins (also known as Chocolate Thunder—a name music legend Stevie Wonder gave him), was born in Orlando, Florida, on January 11, 1957. Born to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins, he was raised by his grandmother, Amanda Celestine Jones, in Orlando where he attended Maynard … Read MoreDarryl Dawkins (1957-2015)
