Through her work in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Evelyn J. Fields has broken barriers for women, African Americans, and African American women. Born January 29, 1949 in Norfolk, Virginia, Fields attended Booker T. Washington High School and then graduated from Norfolk State College in 1971 … Read MoreEvelyn J. Fields (1949- )
Darrin Phillip Gayles is the first openly gay black man to serve on the United States District Court of the Southern District of Florida. Gayles was nominated by President Barack Obama to the court on February 6, 2014, to a seat vacated by Judge Patricia … Read MoreDarrin Phillip Gayles (1966- )
Dorothy Cotton was an American civil rights activist and leader, known for being the only woman in the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s inner circle. She was also the highest-ranking woman in King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As the organization’s Educational Director, Cotton ran SCLC’s Citizenship … Read MoreDorothy Cotton (1930-2018)
An internationally recognized oceanographer, Evan B. Forde became the first African American scientist to complete research dives in a submersible when he journeyed miles underwater in the Nekton Gamma vehicle in 1979. An expert on the formation of submarine canyons, Forde explored the evolution of these striking … Read MoreEvan B. Forde (1952- )
Kendrick Meek, former highway patrolman, Florida state representative, and state senator, served in the United States House of Representatives as a Democratic representative from Florida’s 17th District from 2003 to 2011. Meek was born on September 6, 1966 in Miami, Florida. He is the youngest of three children of Harold and former … Read MoreKendrick Meek (1966- )
Joan Elizabeth Higginbotham was the third African American woman to go into space. Higginbotham was born on August 3, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois. As a youngster she loved cycling, music, and motivational speaking. She attended Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago and graduated in 1982. She … Read MoreJoan Elizabeth Higginbotham (1964- )
Kelso Benjamin Cochrane, one of the early victims of racial violence against West Indians in London, UK, was born on September 26, 1926, in Johnson’s Point, Antigua to Joanna Valentine and Stanley Cochrane. He was born into a working-class family and was a carpenter. At the age of nineteen, he moved to Dominica. … Read MoreKelso Benjamin Cochrane (1926-1959)
When the U.S. Army was reorganized on July 28, 1866 for peacetime service after the American Civil War, six regiments were set aside for black enlisted men. These included four infantry regiments, numbered 38th through 41st. The 25th Infantry was created during a reduction in March 1869 by … Read More25th Infantry Regiment (1866-1947)
Geraldine Woods is known for her lifelong dedication in using science to contribute to community service, and her establishment of programs that give opportunities to people of color in STEM fields. Woods was born on January 29, 1921 in West Palm Beach, Florida to parents Susie and Oscar Pittman. After graduating from … Read MoreGeraldine Pittman Woods (1921-1999)
Sam & Dave were the most successful black rhythm and blues duo of the 1960s although they performed into the early 1980s. Sam Moore, was born in Miami, Florida and Dave Prater, was born in Ocilla, Georgia. Both men sang in church while growing up. They performed separately in … Read MoreSam & Dave (1961-1981)
