Image Ownership: Boston Globe Dexter Dillard Eure Sr., pioneering black newspaper columnist for the Boston Globe, was born in Suffolk, Virginia, an only child to Luke Eure and Sarah Sharpe. His father left the family when he was an infant and his mother died when … Read MoreDexter Dillard Eure Sr. (1924-2015)
Khalid Abdul Muhammad was an African-American activist, a one-time member of the Nation of Islam and national chairman of the New Black Panther Party. Muhammad was born Harold Moore Jr. on January 12, 1948, to Harold Moore Sr and Lottie B. Moore in Houston, Texas. … Read MoreKhalid Abdul Muhammad (1948-2001)
Born Arch Colson Whitehead on November 6, 1969, novelist Colson Whitehead spent his formative years in Manhattan, New York with his parents, Arch and Mary Anne Whitehead, who owned a recruiting firm, and three siblings. Of his childhood, he has said that he preferred reading … Read MoreArch Colson “Colson” Whitehead (1969- )
Lynne Patton at a March 7, 2019 town hall meeting at Queensbridge, New York City Image Ownership: Kathy Willens/AP Photo In June 2017, Lynne Patton, Vice President of the Eric Trump Foundation and a senior assistant to Eric Trump, was appointed by President Donald Trump … Read MoreLynne Patton (1973- )
Erma Clardy Craven was an African American leader in the pro-life movement. Craven helped start various “pro-life” organizations such as African-Americans Against Abortion, the National Right to Life Committee, Black Americans for Life, National Democrats for Life, and Americans United for Life. Craven was also … Read MoreErma Clardy Craven (1918-1994)
Roberta Alexander is an internationally famous American opera soprano. After performing in numerous operas in the United States and Europe, she established herself as one of the leading American sopranos in the latter quarter of the twentieth century, both on the operatic stage and as … Read MoreRoberta Alexander (1949- )
Image Ownership: University of Virginia Special Collections Willis Augustus Hodges was born into a free black family on February 12, 1815, in Blackwater, Princess Anne County, Virginia. Both his parents were free, as well as his grandmother. His grandfather was enslaved as were his parents, but … Read MoreWillis Augustus Hodges (1815-1890)
Theophilus Lewis, a drama/theater critic, journalist, and U.S. Postal Service employee, was born to Thomas and Anne Lewis on March 4, 1891, in Baltimore, Maryland. Lewis attended public schools in Baltimore but was very much self-educated. He joined the U.S. Army and fought in World … Read MoreTheophilus Lewis (1891-1974)
Born Ruby Jackson on August 31, 1909, Jackson was a wealthy married African American woman in Live Oak, Florida, who was arrested and convicted for killing a prominent white doctor in 1952, who at the time was also a Florida State Senator-Elect. Born to Gertrude … Read MoreRuby McCollum (1909-1992)
William Henry Ellis, an African American businessman who challenged racial constructs in the United States by “passing” as Hispanic, was born a slave to Charles and Margaret Ellis on June 15, 1864. His parents had been brought by Joseph Weisiger from Kentucky to Texas in … Read MoreWilliam Henry Ellis (1864-1923)
