Lieutenant Colonel Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell is the first African American female fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. Kimbrell was born in Lafayette, Indiana on April 20, 1976. Her parents, Eve Blackman Ng A Qui and Dr. Norman N A Qui, migrated from Guyana … Read MoreShawna Rochelle (Ng A Qui) Kimbrell (1976- )
Willie James Wells, who gained the baseball nickname “The Devil,” was a baseball player who played shortstop during his baseball career playing for a record eleven Negro Baseball League teams in the United States as well as in Mexico and Cuba. Wells was born on … Read MoreWillie James Wells (1906-1989)
In 1972, Gary, Indiana hosted the National Black Political Convention. With over 10,000 attendees, it was the largest independent black political gathering in U.S. history. Planning for the convention began in 1970. Organizers had a difficult time finding a city that was willing to host … Read MoreThe National Black Political Convention, Gary Indiana (1972)
Historian and scholar Dr. Ralph Le Roy Crowder was born on March 29, 1947 in Des Moines, Iowa, to parents Ralph L. Crowder and Allie Crowder. An only child, Crowder attended public schools in Des Moines where he played football, basketball, and track. He graduated … Read MoreRalph L. Crowder (1947-2020)
Dr. Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H. is the 20th appointed United States Surgeon General. With his appointment on September 5, 2017, he became the first anesthesiologist to hold the position of surgeon general. Adams was born on September 22, 1974, in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. … Read MoreJerome M. Adams (1974- )
Reece “Goose” Tatum was a professional baseball and basketball player. Tatum was born on May 31, 1921 in El Dorado, Arkansas to Ben Tatum, a farmer and part-time preacher, and Alice Tatum, a domestic cook. Tatum was the fifth of seven children in the family. … Read MoreReece “Goose” Tatum (1921-1967)
Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee is a retired fighter pilot whose legendary career spans three wars and four hundred and nine combat missions. McGee was born on December 7, 1919, to Lewis Allen and Ruth Elizabeth (Lewis) in Cleveland, Ohio. His father’s position as a minister, … Read MoreCharles Edward McGee (1919- )
An internationally-recognized chemical physicist, Dr. Joseph Salvadore Francisco, Jr. played an important role in explaining the chemical reactions driving ozone depletion in the earth’s atmosphere. At a time when diminution of the ozone layer threatened to increase humans’ exposure to ultraviolet radiation, Francisco’s research revealed … Read MoreJoseph Salvadore Francisco, Jr. (1955- )
The Cherry Street Library was a segregated branch of the Evansville Public Library (now Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library) located at 515 Cherry Street in Evansville, Indiana. It was the first free public library built north of the Ohio River exclusively for African Americans and one … Read MoreCherry Street Library, Evansville, Indiana (1914-1955)
Algernon Brashear Jackson was a columnist, author, physician, surgeon and one of the six foundering members of Sigma Pi Phi, the oldest African-American Greek letter organization. The other founders were Henry Minton, Edwin Howard, Richard Warrick, Robert James Abele, and Eugene Hinson. Jackson was born … Read MoreAlgernon Brashear Jackson (1878-1942)
