Julia Pearl Hughes (1873-1950)

Julia Pearl Hughes (Coleman-Robinson) was the first African American woman to successfully own and operate her own drugstore. Hughes was born to John and Mary Hughes in Melville Township, Alamance County, North Carolina. She attended the local schools and graduated in 1893 from Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College) … Read MoreJulia Pearl Hughes (1873-1950)

Drusilla Elizabeth Tandy Nixon (1899-1990)

Drusilla Elizabeth (née Tandy) Nixon, civil rights activist, community advocate, and music educator, was born on July 15, 1899 in Toledo, Ohio, the daughter of Maud Grant Tandy and John Clifford Tandy.  She attended Toledo’s Waite High where she was the only black student in her class.  Drusilla wrote for the school magazine, … Read MoreDrusilla Elizabeth Tandy Nixon (1899-1990)

Betty Wright Harris (1940- )

An accomplished organic analytical chemist, Dr. Betty Wright Harris is widely recognized as a leading expert on explosives, environmental remediation, and hazardous waste treatment. In 1986, she patented a simple and extremely sensitive spot test for the presence of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB). Her innovation allowed the military and private … Read MoreBetty Wright Harris (1940- )

Philip Emeagwali (1954- )

Philip Emeagwali is a computer scientist who is best known for utilizing the connection machine and 65,536 microprocessors to achieve 3.1 billion calculations per second, the fastest computational record at the time. Emeagwali was born on August 23rd, 1954 in Akure, Nigeria, to James and Agatha Emeagwali and … Read MorePhilip Emeagwali (1954- )