Teenage scientist and inventor Dasia Taylor was born on April 6, 2004, in Chicago, Illinois, to LaDonna Phillips. When she was eight, they moved to Madison, Indiana, and on to Iowa City, Iowa. She attended Creek Southeast Junior High School and graduated from Iowa City … Read MoreDasia Taylor (2004- )
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)
College athelete John “Jack” Green Trice, an only child, was born on May 12, 1902, in Hiram, Ohio to Green and Ann W. (Wilcoxson) Trice. Green Trice, a former Buffalo Soldier in the 10th Cavalry, was from Hardeman County, Tennessee, and Ann Trice was from … Read MoreJohn “Jack” Green Trice (1902-1923)
Edwina Justus, also known as “Curlie,” is the first African American woman locomotive engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. She was born on July 11, 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska to Lee Chaney and Caldonia Isaiah Chaney. As a young child she attended Brown Park Elementary … Read MoreEdwina “Curlie” Justus (1943- )
“Hill” Harper is an actor, author, and lawyer, best known for his roles on television shows CSI:NY and The Good Doctor. Harper was born in Iowa City, Iowa on May 17, 1966. His father, Harry D. Harper, II, is a psychiatrist and his mother, Marilyn … Read MoreFrancis Eugene “Hill” Harper (1966- )
Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown, the first African American to complete flight training in the United States Navy, was also the first African American naval officer killed in the Korean War. Born October 13, 1926 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, he was one of six children; his father, … Read MoreJesse Leroy Brown (1926 -1950)
Robert Leander Martin was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Martin was born on February 9, 1919 to unnamed parents in Dubuque, Iowa. His mother died shortly after his birth. Martin became inspired to become a pilot after attending an air … Read MoreRobert Leander Martin (1919 – 2018)
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)
James Wormley Jones is the first African American FBI agent in the United States. Jones was born on September 22, 1884 to John Bradford Jones and Sally Jones in Fort Monroe, Virginia. Jones had one sibling, a brother named Paul W. Jones. His family later … Read MoreJames Wormley Jones (1884-1958)
Michelle Denise Bernard is the President and CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy. Born on July 30, 1963 in Washington D.C., she is a graduate of Howard University, earning a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Political Science, and the Georgetown University Law Center, earning … Read MoreMichelle D. Bernard (1963- )
