In late 1871, Chicot County, Arkansas, was taken over by several hundred African Americans led by state senator and county judge James W. Mason. The murder of an African American lawyer, Wathal G. Wynn, by three white men—John W. Saunders, Jasper Dugan, and Curtis Garrett—angered … Read MoreChicot County Race War of 1871
Image Courtesy of the African American Museum and Library, Oakland, California Attorney, civil rights leader, and judge Donald Pitts McCullum was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Charles A. McCullum and Irene Pitts McCullum on January 28, 1928. He earned a bachelor of arts degree … Read MoreDonald Pitts McCullum (1928-1988)
Image Courtesy of the History Makers Katie Booth was an African American biomedical chemist and community activist. She was born on May 23, 1907, in Gulfport, Mississippi, to Joseph Patterson and Ida Coffye. She attended a one room school in her church through the eighth … Read MoreKatie Booth (1907–2005)
Map of Chicot County, Arkansas, 1889 “Image Ownership: Public Domain” James W. Mason of Chicot County, Arkansas, was the first documented African American postmaster in the United States. Mason also served as a delegate to the 1868 Arkansas constitutional convention and as a state senator. … Read MoreJames W. Mason (1841–1874)
“Image Ownership: Steve Lipofsky of Basketballphoto.com” Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player formerly with the National Basketball Association (NBA). Pippen was best known for playing with the Chicago Bulls, teaming with Michael Jordan to lead them to win six NBA championships … Read MoreScottie Maurice Pippen (1965– )
The largest number of African American townships after the Civil War were located in Oklahoma. The state was promoted as a ‘safe haven’ for Blacks by both local and national leaders. As a result, between 1865 and 1920, dozens of townships and settlements were founded … Read MoreDeep Greenwood (Tulsa), Oklahoma (1906- )
“Image Ownership: Kevin Clark/The Herald” Carl Gipson was the first African American city council member in the city of Everett, the county seat of Snohomish County, Washington, serving from 1971 until 1995. Born in Lincoln County, Arkansas, on January 11, 1924, Gipson grew up as … Read MoreCarl Gipson (1924– )
“Image Ownership: Ashley Schumaker” In August 2021 Dr. Brian O’Harold Hemphill will become the first black president of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He has previously served as president of Radford University in Radford, Virginia from 2016 to 2021 and was the tenth president … Read MoreBrian O’Harold Hemphill (1969– )
A musical pioneer who was among America’s first wave of jazz and blues recording artists in the 1920s, Lucille Hegamin was born Lucille Nelson in Macon, Georgia, on November 29, 1894. She grew up singing in church and at the age of fifteen joined a … Read MoreLucille Hegamin (1894-1970)
“Image Ownership: Texas State Historical Association” Joseph Louis (Joe) Atkins is best known for integrating Texas Western College (now the University of Texas, El Paso). In 1956 he became the first African American student to graduate from the institution. Joe Atkins was born in Jefferson, … Read MoreJoseph Louis Atkins (1936–2015)
