Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail was a professor, mentor, President of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc (NACME), and most recently President of Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Irving McPhail was born on March 27, 1949 in Harlem, New York. He … Read MoreIrving Pressley McPhail (1949-2020)
Actor Justin “Jussie” Smollett was born in Santa Rosa, California, on June 21, 1982, to a biracial family. His father, Joel Smollett, is Jewish, and his mother, Janet Smollett, is African American. The couple have five other children: Jake, Jojo, Jocqui, Jurnee, and Jazz, but … Read MoreJustin “Jussie” Smollett (1982- )
Salome Bey was an American-born, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and actress who, after emigrating to Toronto, became known as “Canada’s first lady of the blues.” Salome Wideman was born in Newark, New Jersey, on October 10, 1933, to Andrew and Victoria Wideman. Her father was a … Read MoreSalome Bey (1933-2020)
Prathia Hall Wynn was a womanist, theologian, ethicist, and civil rights activist who has been credited with being a key inspiration for Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have A Dream Speech.” Hall was born on June 29, 1940 to Reverend Berkeley L. Hall and … Read MorePrathia Hall Wynn (1940-2002)
Cato Laurencin is a physician, surgeon, scientist, engineer, and one of two University Professors at the University of Connecticut. He is just the 8th University Professor in the institution’s almost 140-year history and as such holds the school’s highest academic title. Dr. Laurencin also serves … Read MoreCato Thomas Laurencin (1959- )
Peter C. Harvey is a lawyer and was the 54th New Jersey Attorney General. Harvey was born in the Bronx, New York on February 2, 1958. He graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in Political Science in 1979 and received his Juris Doctoral degree … Read MorePeter C. Harvey (1958- )
Yvonne Young Clark, a pioneer in the field of science and engineering, was born April 13, 1929, in Houston, Texas. Her father was Dr. Coleman Milton Young Jr., a medical doctor and surgeon. Her mother was Hortense Houston Young, a library specialist and journalist. Clark … Read MoreYvonne Young Clark (1929-2019)
In 1969, Byron Eugene Lewis opened UniWorld Group (UWG), the oldest multicultural advertising and communications firm in the United States. From the outset, he focused on a Black and Brown target audience that was not well-represented in the media. Over the next few decades, UWG … Read MoreByron Eugene Lewis Sr. (1931- )
Kadir A. Nelson is one of the premier illustrators in the United States. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 15, 1974, the son of Lenwood Melvin Nelson, a former wrestling coach and Howard University graduate and Emily Diane-Gunter, a telecommunications engineer and motivational speaker. … Read MoreKadir Arfin Nelson (1974- )
