Orchestral pianist, violinist, conductor, composer, and arranger of the Swing to Bebop eras, Teddy Wilson was born Theodore Shaw Wilson on November 24, 1912, in Austin, Texas. He and his brother Gus Wilson, however, were reared on the campus of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), … Read MoreTeddy Wilson (1912-1986)
Byron Allen (Folks) is an American businessman, television producer, and comedian, born in Detroit, Michigan on April 22, 1961. He is married to Jennifer Lucas and the couple have three children. His media company, Entertainment Studios, owns assets in television production, broadcasting, film production, and … Read MoreByron Allen (1961- )
Marlin Oliver “The Magician” Briscoe was a football quarterback for the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). When the Denver (Colorado) Broncos drafted him in 1968, Briscoe became the first African American Quarterback in professional football to start on a football team. … Read MoreMarlin Oliver Briscoe (1945-2022)
Belford Vance Lawson Jr. was the first African American attorney to win a Supreme Court case. He was born on July 9, 1901, in Roanoke, Virginia. Lawson attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He played for the university football team and was … Read MoreBelford Vance Lawson Jr. (1901-1985)
John Edward James, a Tea Party conservative Republican and currently member of Congress from Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, was born in Southfield, Michigan, on June 8, 1981, to John A. James, former CEO of the family business James Group International in Starkville, Mississippi. However, John … Read MoreJohn Edward James (1981-)
Erle S. Robertson, Ph.D., is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and programme director of the Abramson Cancer Centre’s Tumour Virology Programme. Dr Robertson is a leading expert in the field of viral oncology. He has served on many national and … Read MoreErle S. Robertson
Charles Howard Wright was a Detroit physician and founder of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. He was born on September 18, 1918, in Dothan, Alabama and attended the State Teachers College (later known as Alabama State College, and now Alabama State … Read MoreCharles H. Wright (1918-2002)
Altha Jeanne Stewart is a psychiatrist who served as the first African American President of the American Psychiatric Association. Stewart was born on October 28, 1952, on the south side of Memphis, Tennessee. Her mother was a librarian and her father was a civil service … Read MoreAltha Stewart (1952- )
Sheila Guyse was an actress, and singer during the 1940s and 1950s. She was born Etta Drucille Guyse, on July 14, 1925, in Forest, Mississippi. Her parents, Wilbert Vincent Guyse and Ethel Williams, separated and divorced shortly after she was born. Guyse was raised by … Read MoreSheila Guyse (1925-2013)
Lani Guinier was a legal scholar, civil rights lawyer, author, and the first woman of color to obtain a position as a tenure-track professor at Harvard University in 1998. Born in New York City on April 19, 1950, Guinier was the daughter of Ewart Guinier, … Read MoreLani Guinier (1950-2022)
