Omega Psi Phi Fraternity (1911- )

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, one of the five fraternities for African American men, was founded on November 17, 1911 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. It is the first African American fraternity established at a historically black college. The three founders—Edgar … Read MoreOmega Psi Phi Fraternity (1911- )

Earl B. Dickerson (1891-1986)

Earl Burrus Dickerson was a member of President Roosevelt’s Fair Employment Practices Commission between 1941 and 1943 and a prominent civil rights attorney in Chicago.  He was also one of the founders of the Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Dickerson … Read MoreEarl B. Dickerson (1891-1986)

Jefferson L. Edmonds (1845-1914)

Jefferson Lewis Edmonds was a prominent newspaper editor and political activist in late 19th Century Los Angeles.  Edmonds was born a slave and worked for 20 years in tobacco and cotton fields in antebellum Virginia.  Once freed in 1865 Edmonds relocated to Crawfordsville, Mississippi in … Read MoreJefferson L. Edmonds (1845-1914)

Knights of St. Peter Claver (1909- )

The Knights of Peter Claver organization was founded in 1909 in Mobile, Alabama. It is the largest African American Catholic lay organization in the United States. The organization was founded by the Josephites, a Catholic order whose mission was to serve Catholic African Americans. Josephite … Read MoreKnights of St. Peter Claver (1909- )

Lucinda “Cindy” Wilson Todd (1903-1996)

Lucinda Todd was a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) activist in Topeka, Kansas who fought for school integration.  Todd was born in Litchfield, Kansas on May 31, 1903 to parents who were part of the 1879 mass movement of black farmers … Read MoreLucinda “Cindy” Wilson Todd (1903-1996)

Kansas Industrial and Educational Institute (1895-1919)

The institute was known in Topeka as the “Western Tuskegee,” was the result of  the work of Lizzie Riddick, a prominent member of the Colored Women’s Suffrage Association, and Edward Stephens.  Riddick and Stephens successfully enlisted the support of Booker T. Washington and later the … Read MoreKansas Industrial and Educational Institute (1895-1919)