Daniel Robert Smith was the last surviving child of a formerly enslaved American. He was born on March 11, 1932, in Winsted, Connecticut, to Abram A. B. Smith, and Clara Wheeler Smith, a domestic worker. Daniel was the fifth of six children. Smith was skilled … Read MoreDaniel Robert Smith (1932-2022)
The Arnells, a female doo-wop ensemble that also performed as The Teenettes Variations, were all from all-girls Joseph Battin High School in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey. The short-lived but talented group, established in 1963, met in the high school corridors. They rehearsed after school … Read MoreThe Arnells (1963-1964)
Alondra Nelson, lecturer, social scientist, administrator/organizer, was born on April 22, 1968, in Bethesda, Maryland, to career Navy parents Robert Nelson and Delores Nelson. Reared in New Orleans, she has Jamaican roots. Alondra’s siblings are Andrea Nelson, Robert Nelson, and Anthony Nelson. However, Alondra’s earlier … Read MoreAlondra Nelson (1968- )
Valerae Olive Lewis, a leader in Orthopedic Oncology, was born in 1966 in White Plains, New York, to Carl Norman Lewis, a physician from Harlem with roots in Antigua, and Dorothe Williams Lewis. Valerae had two sisters, Stephanie Lewis, and Carole Lewis. Lewis received a … Read MoreValerae Olive Lewis (1966-)
Lani Guinier was a legal scholar, civil rights lawyer, author, and the first woman of color to obtain a position as a tenure-track professor at Harvard University in 1998. Born in New York City on April 19, 1950, Guinier was the daughter of Ewart Guinier, … Read MoreLani Guinier (1950-2022)
Sir William Alexander Bustamante ONH GBE PC was a Jamaican politician and trade union leader who became the first Prime Minister of Jamaica in 1962. He was born William Alexander Clarke on February 24, 1884, to Mary Clarke and Robert Constantine Clarke. Bustamante attended primary … Read MoreAlexander Bustamante (1884-1977)
Venture Capitalist Laurence (Larry) Morse was born July 2, 1951, in Birmingham, Alabama. Little is known about his years in Birmingham but beginning in 1969, he enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and graduated four years later with a B.A. degree in economics. He … Read MoreLaurence C. Morse (1951- )
Diébédo Francis Kéré is a Burkinabe architect internationally known for his innovative, often sustainable, and collaborative work. He is the first African to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture. Kéré was born on April 10, 1965, in … Read MoreDiébédo Francis Kéré (1965- )
Robyn A. Crittenden is an American attorney in the state of Georgia who was born in Long Island, New York. She was the 28th Secretary of State of Georgia. She is the first African American woman to head the Georgia Department of Revenue. Crittenden earned … Read MoreRobyn A. Crittenden (1964- )
