Newark’s first Black woman municipal court judge, Golden Elizabeth Johnson, was born April 10, 1944, in Newark, New Jersey, to LeRoy Johnson, a civil rights activist and tenant president of a housing project, and Lucy Melton Johnson from Wilson, North Carolina. Golden had two sisters, … Read MoreGolden Elizabeth Johnson (1944-2010)
Richard Allen Tucker, born on February 13, 1850, was an ordained minister, educator, and poet. He was the son of Reverend Lewis Tucker, the first African-American ordained Baptist minister in the City and Elizabeth “Betsey” Hunter, a seamstress. Richard’s parents were free Blacks before the … Read MoreRichard Allen Tucker (1850-1924)
Philip Nathan Jefferson is an American economist who has been a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2022. Jefferson is the fourth African American to serve as Governor. Jefferson was born and raised in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His … Read MorePhilip Jefferson
Valerie Foushee is a politician, a member of the Democratic Party, serving as the US Representative for North Carolina’s 4th congressional district since January 2023. She was born Valerie Jean Paige in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on May 7, 1956. Although her parents were just teenagers … Read MoreValerie Foushee (1956- )
Erich David Jarvis, a noted scientist and a professional dancer, was born on May 6, 1965, in Harlem, New York, to musicians James Reginald Jarvis and Sasha Valerie McCall. They parented four children. A product of public education and exceptional in math and science, Jarvis … Read MoreErich David Jarvis (1965 -)
Glenn Frederick Ivey was elected to the United States House of Representatives in the Congressional election of 2022. He was sworn in to start his first term in office on January 3, 2023. Ivey represents Maryland’s 4th congressional district which encompasses portions of Prince George’s County … Read MoreGlenn Ivey (1961- )
Henry Dortress “Dickie” Marrow was an African American veteran who was shot and killed after a racial confrontation with whites in Oxford, North Carolina, on May 12, 1970. The confrontation and murder seemed to have many parallels to the far more famous Emmitt Till case … Read MoreHenry Dortress Marrow Jr. (1947-1970)
John Haywood Baker Jr. was elected Sheriff of Wake County, North Carolina in 1978. A former professional football player, with his election he would become the first African American sheriff elected in the in the state since the Reconstruction Era, Baker held the office for … Read MoreJohn H. Baker Jr. (1935-2007)
Ennis W. Wright is the first African American Sheriff of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina. He’s a native of Cumberland County, North Carolina, born and raised by Mary Malloy Wright in Fayetteville on a dirt road called Simmons Street. In his youth he enjoyed sports … Read MoreSheriff Ennis W. Wright (1959-)
Kristen Nicole Hayden is the first African American woman to win a national diving championship. Born March 2, 1998 in Hillsborough, New Jersey, she is the second child of Kay and Glen Hayden. She trained in gymnastics and swimming until age ten, when she took … Read MoreKristen Nicole Hayden (1998- )
