Civil rights attorney Louis L. Redding was the first Black man admitted to practice law in Delaware. He argued one of the cases that formed part of the United States Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision. Redding was born on October 25, 1901, … Read MoreLouis L. Redding (1901-1998)
Henry Arthur Callis was one of the Seven Jewels or founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He was born on January 14, 1887, in Rochester, New York, to the Rev. Henry Callis and Helen Josephine (Sprague) Callis and was one of five children. As a … Read MoreHenry Arthur Callis (1887–1974)
Ziggy Marley is a Jamaican Grammy award-winning reggae musician, singer, and philanthropist. Marley was born in the Trench Town section of Kingston, Jamaica, on October 17, 1968, to parents and famed reggae artists Robert “Bob” Nesta and Alpharita “Rita” Constantia (Anderson) Marley. Ziggy’s family features … Read MoreDavid Nesta “Ziggy” Marley (1968- )
Lulu Merle Johnson was pioneer in education and the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in the state of Iowa. Born on September 14, 1907 in Gravity, Iowa to Jeanette (Burton) and Richard Johnson, her mother was the daughter of freed slaves, and … Read MoreLulu Merle Johnson (1907-1995)
Two-star Major General Ernest George Talbert Jr. was born April 23, 1950 to Dorothy Georgie Burkett Talbert (1926-2020), Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services for the State of Delaware, and Ernest Talbert, Sr. (1916-2009), business professor at Delaware State University. Talbert became the … Read MoreErnest Talbert (1950- )
James H. Sills, Jr., the first African American mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, was born in North Carolina in 1931. We know little about his early life before he arrived in Wilmington. At various times he was a billiards hustler, farm laborer, and solider before he … Read MoreJames H. Sills Jr. (1931- )
On January 1, 2020, Dr. Antoine J. (Tony) Allen Sr. became the 12th President of historically Black Delaware State University in its 129-year history. The son of a Lamar Allen, Jr., who never completed the 11th grade and a mother who raised him as a … Read MoreTony Allen (1970- )
Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer, social justice advocate, and law professor at New York University School of Law. Stevenson was born on November 14, 1959 in Milton, Delaware. His father, Howard Carlton Stevenson, Jr. was a laboratory technician at General Foods, and his mother, Alice … Read MoreBryan Stevenson (1959- )
Jay T. Harris is best known as the late 20th century black newspaper executive who led a major daily newspaper, the San Jose Mercury News. Born December 3, 1948 in Washington, D.C., Harris is the son of World War II veteran and IBM employee Richard … Read MoreJay T. Harris, (1948- )
Jeffrey Townes is an actor, comedian, record producer, and is more commonly known as “DJ Jazzy Jeff.” Townes was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 22, 1965. He began working in music by the age of 10. Townes attended local schools and graduated from John … Read MoreJeffrey Allen (DJ Jazzy Jeff) Townes (1965- )
