Thornton Dial, a native Alabamian, was an artist and sculptor famous for yard show-influenced, mixed media pieces that used discarded everyday objects to symbolize the history and experience of African Americans in the South. While he did not belong to any formal school of art, … Read MoreThornton Dial (1928-2016)
Marvin Ellison is the current CEO of Lowe’s, a hardware and home improvement store chain, since July 2018 and the first African American to hold that post. He was previously President and CEO of JCPenney, where he was also the first African American head of … Read MoreMarvin Ellison (1966- )
Deborah Prothrow-Stith is a nationally known leader for public health awareness and violence prevention in youth. Her 1991 book, Deadly Consequences: How Violence is Destroying Our Teenage Population and a Plan to Begin Solving the Problem, was one of the first to address the topic … Read MoreDeborah Prothrow-Stith (1954– )
“Image Ownership: Fair Use” Marcus Foster was an educator who gained national prominence for educational excellence while serving as a principal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and as the first black superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District in California. Known as a titan in the areas … Read MoreMarcus A. Foster (1923–1973)
Edward A. Carter Jr. was a career non-commissioned officer for the United States Army and one of the few African American recipients of the Medal of Honor during World War II. Carter was born May 26, 1916, in Los Angeles, California to missionary parents and … Read MoreEdward A. Carter, Jr. (1916-1963)
Norris Bumstead Herndon was the second president of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, founded by his father, Alonzo Herndon, in 1905. Herndon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 15, 1897, the only child of Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil, a graduate and teacher at Atlanta University, … Read MoreNorris Bumstead Herndon (1897-1977)
Lorenzo Dow Turner was an African American linguist who headed the English department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. from 1920 to 1928, and later headed of the English department at Fisk University (1929 to 1946). His accomplishments within his career in academia include the … Read MoreLorenzo Dow Turner (1890-1972)
A musical pioneer who was among America’s first wave of jazz and blues recording artists in the 1920s, Lucille Hegamin was born Lucille Nelson in Macon, Georgia, on November 29, 1894. She grew up singing in church and at the age of fifteen joined a … Read MoreLucille Hegamin (1894-1970)
Gladys Maria Knight is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, and humanitarian. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 28, 1944, to Sarah and Merald Knight Sr. and began singing in church as a child. At age seven, she gained minor fame after … Read MoreGladys Knight (1944- )
Ertharin Cousin, a diplomat and leading advocate for ending global hunger, was born on May 12, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois to Anne Cousin, who worked in social services, and her husband Julius Cousin, who was a property owner and community development activist. Cousin grew up … Read MoreErtharin Cousin (1957- )
