Herschel Junior Walker, a former football running back, was the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia. Walker was born on March 3, 1962, to Willis and Christine Walker in Wrightsville, Georgia. Walker attended Johnson County High School in Wrightsville. While … Read MoreHerschel Junior Walker (1962-)
Emma Harris was a multi-talented African American cultural influencer in Europe, the Russian Empire (later the Soviet Union) as well as the Middle East. Harris was born into a poor family in Georgia on October 7, 1871. Her parents were washerwoman Sarah Green and millworker … Read MoreEmma Harris (1871-1940)
Taofeek Kunle Owonikoko, a physician-scientist, was born in 1968 in Iseyin, Oyo, Nigeria. He attended elementary and high school in Oyo where his academic discipline was directed by his father, a Yoruba businessman, to be either a physician or an Islamic cleric. Owonikoko is the … Read MoreTaofeek Kunle Owonikoko (1968 -)
Kwanza Hall, recognized for his leadership as a civil servant and business executive, was elected in 2020 to complete the term of the late U.S. Representative John R. Lewis, civil rights symbol and 17-term congressman. As a public servant, a large portion of his career … Read MoreKwanza Hall (1971-)
Bernette Joshua Johnson is a retired Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. She is the first African American woman to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court and the second female to hold the position of Chief Justice. Born in Lemannville, Louisiana on June 17, … Read MoreJustice Bernette Joshua Johnson
Kelly Miller Smith Sr, named after the prominent educator and civil rights leader Kelly Miller, was a Baptist preacher, author, and civil rights activist best known for participating in the Civil Rights Movement in Nashville, Tennessee. Smith was born on October 28, 1920, in the … Read MoreKelly Miller Smith Sr. (1920-1984)
Connie Tucker was a Black freedom struggle and an environmental justice (EJ) movement leader. She was also a political prisoner during the Black Power era. One of six siblings, she was born to Otis Spencer, Jr. and Bernice Nall on October 14, 1950, in Seale, … Read MoreConstance Marie Tucker (1950-2015)
The Institute of the Black World (IBW) was a collective Black intellectual think tank spearheaded by Vincent Harding, chair of History and Sociology at Spelman College, Stephen Henderson, chair of English at Morehouse College, and independent scholar William Strickland from 1969 to 1983. The institute … Read MoreInstitute of the Black World (1969-1983)
Will Packer is a film producer who was best known for producing the 94th Annual Academy Awards (the Oscars) on March 27, 2022. Packer was born on April 11, 1974, to Birice Paker and William Packer Sr. in St. Petersburg, Florida. He completed high school … Read MoreWill Packer (1974- )
Gilda Barabino, a biomedical engineer and world-renowned sickle cell researcher, is the first African American and woman president of Olin College of Engineering. She was born on May 28, 1956 in Anchorage, Alaska to Margaret Angus Barnes Barnum and Norman Edward Barnum III. At a … Read MoreGilda Barabino (1956- )
