Image Ownership: Public Domain” Cornell William Brooks, currently the President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1961. His family moved to Georgetown, South Carolina, just before he began junior high school. After graduating … Read MoreCornell William Brooks (1961- )
In 1977, career diplomat Maurice D. Bean was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Burma (in 1989 the military government changed the name of the country to Myanmar). Bean was born on September 9, 1928, in Gary, Indiana. His father … Read MoreMaurice Darrow Bean (1928-2009)
Attorney, civil rights activist, and medical expert Raymond L. Johnson Sr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 31, 1922 to Jacob and Lelia Johnson. After graduating from high school, Johnson attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. When World War II began, he was … Read MoreRaymond L. Johnson Sr. (1922-2011)
Rev. Dr. Iyanla Vanzant was born as Rhonda Eva Harris in Brooklyn, New York on September 13, 1953. In 1983, after being ordained as a Yoruba priestess, she renamed herself Iyanla, meaning “great mother.” Vanzant is now a famous relationship coach, author, TV host, ordained … Read MoreIyanla Vanzant (1953- )
Irvin Hicks was a career Foreign Service Officer who rose from a communications clerk position to serve three times as a U.S. ambassador. Hicks served in the Department of State during the nascent years of African Independence from European colonial rule. Hicks was appointed Ambassador … Read MoreIrvin Hicks Sr. (1938- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Pamela E. Bridgewater is a career Foreign Service officer who has been recognized for important diplomatic work in South Africa, Ghana, and Liberia. Her most recent posting was as U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica. Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Bridgewater earned a … Read MorePamela E. Bridgewater (1947- )
Ambassador Gail Dennise Mathieu, ca. 2008 “Image Ownership: Public Domain” Gail Dennise Mathieu, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, was appointed United States Ambassador to Niger by President George W. Bush in 2002. She remained in Niamey, the capital until 2005. In 2007 … Read MoreGail Dennise Mathieu (1951?- )
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Bethel A.M.E.), Baltimore lays claim to the designation as the oldest independent continuously operating African American church in the state of Maryland tracing its origins back to 1785 when a group of African Americans met at the Strawberry Alley meetinghouse. This is one of … Read MoreBethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland (1785- )
On July 2, 2009 President Barack Obama appointed Gayleatha Beatrice Brown to be the United States ambassador to Burkina Faso, a nation in West Africa. This was her second ambassadorial appointment. Previously, Brown had been appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as U.S. … Read MoreGayleatha Beatrice Brown (1947-2013)
Ambassador Johnny Young was a career diplomat and the third African American to be appointed ambassador by three presidents. In 1989 President George H.W. Bush appointed Young Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone. Five years later President Bill Clinton named Young Ambassador to the … Read MoreJohnny Young (1940- )
