Thomas Day, master cabinetmaker and entrepreneur, was born in 1801 in Dinwiddie County in southern Virginia to free African American parents. While little is known about his childhood, by the time he became an adult he would develop an outstanding career as a furniture maker and achieved … Read MoreThomas Day (1801-ca. 1861)
Eva R. Boone, born Eva R. Coles, was a Virginia-born missionary in Congo Free State (present-day Democratic Republic of Congo). Coles was born on January 8, 1880 in Charlottesville, Virginia. She graduated from Hartshorn Memorial College in Richmond, Virginia—which preceded Spelman and Bennett Colleges as the first college for African American women—in May … Read MoreEva R. Coles (1880-1902)
As one of the country’s most notorious gangsters and drug kingpins, Frank Lucas led a very public life, even having his story depicted in the film American Gangster. Lucas was born to Mahalee Jones Lucas and Fred Lucas, on September 9, 1930 in La Grange, North Carolina. … Read MoreFrank Lucas (1930-2019)
Flemmie Kittrell was born on December 25, 1904 to James and Alice Kittrell in Henderson, North Carolina. Kittrell attended Hampton Institution in Virginia (which has since changed to Hampton University) and received her bachelors of science in 1928. Kittrell’s undergraduate degree was in home economics and after encouragement from her professors, Kittrell enrolled … Read MoreFlemmie Pansy Kittrell (1904-1980)
Robert Glass, the Connecticut Supreme Court’s first African American member, was born on November 28, 1922, to M.E. Jackson and Isiah Glass in Wetumpka, Alabama. His parents were young and quite poor when he was born so they were not able to pay for his schoolbooks, which was … Read MoreRobert Davis Glass (1922-2001)
Larry R. Ellis served as a general in the United States military from 1969 to 2004. Ellis was the highest-ranking officer of African ancestry in the U.S. Army as of his retirement in 2004, and was the fourth black individual to become a four-star general. He was born in … Read MoreLarry Rudell Ellis (1946- )
Roscoe Robinson Jr., the first African American four-star general in the U.S. Army, was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928. He received a bachelor’s in military engineering from The United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1951 and later attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. … Read MoreRoscoe Robinson, Jr. (1928-1993)
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 years old, the family moved into a Jewish community in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Her mother invited her … Read MoreAlysa Stanton (1963- )
Philip Freelon is a prominent architect best known for his design of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History & Culture. Freelon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 26, 1952, to Allan R. Freelon, Jr. and Elizabeth N. Freelon. His grandfather was Allan R. Freelon, Sr., … Read MorePhilip Goodwin Freelon (1952-2019)
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- )
