Writer, activist, and artist Patrisse Cullors, is most well-known as one of the three founders of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Cullors was born in 1984 in Los Angeles, California and grew up in the Pacoima neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. Her mother, Cherisse Foley, raised Cullors and her … Read MorePatrisse Cullors (1984- )
Alicia Garza is an activist and writer who now lives in Oakland, California. Although she has organized around issues related to health, student services, and rights for domestic workers as well as violence against trans and gender nonconforming people of color, she is best known one of three founders of … Read MoreAlicia Garza (1981- )
In 1982 Charles Sampson became the first black man to win a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) world championship, which he won for bull riding. In 1996 he was inducted into the Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame and in 2008 was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall … Read MoreCharles O. Sampson (1957- )
Even if you have never heard his name, it is likely you have enjoyed the work of Dr. Marc Regis Hannah. An electrical engineer with expertise in computer graphics, Hannah developed the 3-D special effects systems used widely in movies, such as Terminator 2 (1991) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), as well … Read MoreMarc Regis Hannah (1956- )
Civil rights supporter, city official, and social activist Gilbert William Lindsay was born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi on November 29, 1900. As a teenager, he left the state and enrolled in a school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lindsay later moved to Arizona where he served in the 10th Calvary and 25th Infantry of the United States Army. … Read MoreGilbert William Lindsay (1900-1990)
Dr. Marion Antoinette Richards Myles, a scientist with expertise in plant physiology, including the effects of drugs and hormones on plant growth, played a significant role in integrating higher education in the American south. In 1965, she became the first African American faculty member of the University of Mississippi Medical School, with an … Read MoreMarion Antoinette Richards Myles (1917-1969)
Jaya, born Maria Luisa Ramsey, is one of the most renowned singers in the Philippines. Born to popular Afro-Filipino comedienne Elizabeth Ramsey and Filipino singer and musician Reynaldo Kagahastian on March 21, 1970 in Manila, Jaya’s parents separated when she was three years old. Her father emigrated to Canada. … Read MoreJaya/Maria Luisa Ramsey Kagahastian-Gotidoc (1970- )
David Satcher, physician, educator, and administrator, was born in Anniston, Alabama, on March 2, 1941 to Wilmer and Anne Satcher. In 1963 Satcher graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned a M.D. and Ph.D. in cytogenetics from Case Western Reserve University in 1970. In 1979 Satcher became a professor … Read MoreDavid Satcher (1941- )
Leo A. Brooks Sr. is a retired major general formerly in the United States Army. Brooks was born August 9, 1932 in Alexandria, Virginia to the Reverend Houston G. Brooks and Evelyn Lemon Brooks. His grandparents were of mixed African American and American Indian ancestry. Beginning in 1950 Brooks … Read MoreLeo Austin Brooks, Sr. (1932- )
George Putnam Riley, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, was an important figure in the Pacific Northwest during the nineteenth century. Riley’s grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War under General Israel Putnam, and his middle name probably refers to his grandfather’s commander. His father, William Riley, was a clothing … Read MoreGeorge Putnam Riley (1833-1905)
