Stayce D. Harris is the first African American woman to hold a three-star General rank, first Air Force Reservist to be promoted to the three-star rank other than the chief of the Air Force Reserve Command, and the first African American woman to serve as … Read MoreStayce D. Harris (1959- )
Johnnetta Betsch Cole was born on October 19, 1936, in Jacksonville, Florida to college graduates Mary Frances Cole, a vice-president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company of Jacksonville. and John Cole, Sr., an employee at the company. In 1953, Cole finished high school and entered … Read MoreJohnnetta Betsch Cole (1936- )
A former professional basketball player, Congressman Al Lawson served in the Florida State Legislature for 28 years before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2017. The son of World War II veteran Alfred James Lawson, Sr. and Carrie Mae Lawson, Alfred … Read MoreAl Lawson (1948- )
Niara Sudarkasa, born Gloria Albertha Marshall, was an accomplished scholar, educator, and cultural anthropologist. She was born on August 14, 1938, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Rowena Marshall. Her mother and maternal grandparents, a farmer and a housewife, who migrated from the Bahamas, raised her … Read MoreNiara Sudarkasa (1938-2019)
Barry Jenkins is a film director, writer, producer, and screenwriter. In 2016, he won the Academy Award for Best Picture for Moonlight as well as the Golden Globe Award. His screen adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel If Beale Street Could Talk received critical acclaim and … Read MoreBarry Jenkins (1979- )
Richard A. Collins was an Engineering Executive and Chief Design Engineer at the Boeing Company for 40 years. Born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 1939, Collins is the son of Marcellus Sterling and Anita Collins. Collins graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, … Read MoreRichard A. Collins (1939- )
Reconstruction-Era Attorney Joseph E. Lee was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 15, 1849. Lee graduated from Howard University’s law school in 1873 and then moved to Florida where he was admitted to the state bar and became Jacksonville, Florida’s first African American lawyer. Lee, … Read MoreJoseph E. Lee (1849-1920)
Andrew Demese Gillum served as the 126th Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida the 2018 election. Gillum was born on July 26, 1979 in Miami, Florida. His father Charles was a construction worker, and his mother Frances was … Read MoreAndrew D. Gillum (1979- )
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, actor and former professional wrestler, was born on May 2, 1972 to Rocky Johnson, a Black Nova Scotian professional wrestler, and Ata Johnson, a Samoan, in Haywood, California. Growing up, while his father was on the road during his professional wrestling … Read MoreDwayne “The Rock” Johnson (1972- )
Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka “Common” Rashid Lynn is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor, and songwriter. Common was born on March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois to Mahalia Ann Hines and Lonnie Lynn Sr. Common grew up in the southside of Chicago in the Calumet Heights … Read MoreCommon (1972- )
