Sociologist Walter L. Wallace was born in Washington, D.C. on August 21, 1927. Educated at Columbia University (B.A., 1954) Atlanta University (M.A., 1955) and the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1963), he was an instructor at Atlanta University and Spelman College between 1955 and 1957. From … Read MoreWalter L. Wallace (1927- )
Samuel George Harker Philander is Knox Taylor Professor of Geosciences at Princeton University. Born in Caledon, Republic of South Africa on June 25, 1942, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Cape Town in 1962 and his Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University … Read MoreS. George Philander (1942- )
In 1797 Abraham Johnstone, a former slave born in Delaware was convicted in Glocester County, New Jersey of murdering Thomas Read, another free African American and sentenced to be hanged. When the court asked for a statement from Johnstone after it announced his conviction, he … Read More(1797) Abraham Johnstone, “Address To The People Of Color”
Theophilus G. Steward, African Methodist Episcopal minister, U.S. Army chaplain, and historian, was born April 17, 1843 in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Publicly educated, he entered the ministry in 1864 and immediately sought to “go South.” His wishes were granted in May 1865 and he departed … Read MoreTheophilus Gould Steward (1843-1924)
Born in 1920 in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Percy Steele was one of eight children. Steele graduated from North Carolina Central College in Durham, North Carolina, after which he attended Atlanta University, where he completed a Master’s degree. From 1945 to 1946, he was a staff member … Read MorePercy H. Steele Jr. (1920–2002)
Jacob Lawrence, born in 1917 in Atlantic City, N.J., moved to New York City at age thirteen. Gwendolyn Knight, born in 1913, in Barbados, West Indies, arrived in the U.S. at age seven, and spent her first years in St. Louis. She arrived in New … Read MoreJacob Lawrence & Gwendolyn Knight
Peter Salem was a Patriot of the American Revolutionary War who participated in the first major engagement of that conflict, the Battle of Breed’s Hill, erroneously called the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Salem was already a veteran soldier, having spent two … Read MorePeter Salem (ca.1750 -1816)
Paul Robeson is best known as a world famous athlete, singer, actor, and advocate for the human rights of people throughout the world. Over the course of his career, Robeson combined all of these activities into a lifelong quest for racial justice. He used his … Read MorePaul Robeson (1898-1976)
Lester Blackwell Granger was a social worker and civil rights and labor rights activist best known for leading the National Urban League (NUL) from 1941 to 1961. Granger was born on September 16, 1896, in Newport News, Virginia, to William “Ran” Randolph and Mary Louise … Read MoreLester Blackwell Granger (1896-1976)
Minister Jarena Lee was the first authorized female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. Lee, whose family or maiden name is unknown, was born to a poor but free black family on February 11, 1783, in Cape May, New Jersey. In 1790 at … Read MoreJarena Lee (1783–185?)
