As a classical music conductor, Michael Morgan has been instrumental in bringing his eclectic orchestral leadership style to a diverse audience. Since becoming musical director of the Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra in 1990, Morgan has become well respected, particularly in the African American community … Read MoreMichael Morgan (1957-2021)
Ann Cole Lowe was the first African American to become a noted fashion designer. Lowe’s one-of-a-kind designs were favored by wealthy and socially prominent women from the 1920s to the 1960s. In 1953, Lowe designed the ivory silk taffeta wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier … Read MoreAnn Cole Lowe (1898-1981)
Ophelia DeVore Mitchell was an American businesswoman, publisher, and one of the first African American models in the United States. In 1946, she helped establish the Grace Del Marco Agency, one of the first modeling agencies in the nation. DeVore was born on August 12, … Read MoreOphelia DeVore Mitchell (1922-2014)
Zelda Barbour Wynn Valdes was an African American fashion and costume designer. Valdes was the first black designer to open her own shop, which was the first black-owned business on Broadway in New York City, New York in 1948. Her designs were worn by numerous … Read MoreZelda Barbour Wynn Valdes (1901–2001)
Throughout his 20 seasons in baseball, Derek Jeter established himself as a New York Yankees legend. Growing up as a Yankee fan and having played his entire career with the franchise, his play was synonymous with the team’s success. With on-field talent matching his charismatic … Read MoreDerek Jeter (1974- )
Lynn Whitfield is an American actress and producer. Whitfield is best known for her performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical drama film, The Josephine Baker Story (1991), where she won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries and a … Read MoreLynn Whitfield (1953- )
Maritcha Remond Lyons, an African-American teacher and civil rights activist, was born in New York City, New York to Albro Lyons Sr. and Mary Joseph Lyon on May 23, 1848. She was the third of five children in the free black family. To avoid the … Read MoreMaritcha Lyons (1848-1929)
Amadou Diallo was a Guinean immigrant who lived in Manhattan, New York, and is unfortunately best known for being killed by New York City police after he was fired upon forty-one times outside his place of residence. Diallo was born on September 2, 1976, in … Read MoreAmadou Diallo (1976-1999)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Attorney, civil rights activist, journalist, and historian, Roger Wood Wilkins was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Earl and Helen Jackson Wilkins on March 25, 1932. His father was a business manager for the Kansas City Call newspaper, and his mother … Read MoreRoger Wood Wilkins (1932–2017)
“Image Ownership: Marvin Perkins” Marvin Perkins is an accomplished recording vocal artist, a sought-after public speaker, and a leader in the effort to correct misunderstanding and incorrect assumptions about blacks, especially in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Perkins was born in 1963 … Read MoreMarvin Perkins (1963– )
