Clarence Matthew Baker, commonly known as Matt Baker, was one of the first successful black comic book artists. He was active during the Golden Age of Comics Books, roughly the 1930s to 1950s. During his career he drew more than 1,000 pages of comics and over … Read MoreClarence Matthew Baker (1921-1959)
Charles Frederick McDew was a civil rights and community activist, teacher, labor organizer, and one of the founding members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) where he worked towards increasing black voter registration and racial desegregation. McDew was born on June 23, 1938, in Massillon, Ohio to Eva McDew, a nurse, and James McDew, … Read MoreCharles Frederick McDew (1938-2018)
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)
Artemisia Bowden, an educator and civic leader, one of few black women college presidents during the first half of the 20th century, was born on January 1, 1879 in Albany, Georgia, to former slaves Milas Bowden and Mary (Molette) Bowden. The oldest of four children, she was raised originally in Brunswick, … Read MoreArtemisia Bowden (1879-1969)
Born in Rockville Centre, New York, Myles Jones began playing lacrosse in 2006 on his 6th grade team as a defender. He also played football in his youth and was quarterback of his high school team, Walt Whitman. In school, Jones was constantly critiqued by his African American friends about … Read MoreMyles Jones (1993- )
Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon was the first African American woman to be ordained into the United Presbyterian USA denomination. Rev. Cannon was ordained in Shelby, North Carolina, on April 24, 1974, by the Catawaba Presbytery. Katie Cannon was born on January 3, 1950, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. She … Read MoreKatie Geneva Cannon (1950-2018)
William McBryar was a biracial buffalo soldier whose received the Medal of Honor for his participation in the 1890 Cherry Creek Campaign in Arizona Territory. McBryar was born on February 14, 1861 in Elizabethtown, North Carolina to Rose McBryar, an African American, and a white father whose name is unknown. McBryar attended … Read MoreWilliam McBryar (1861-1941)
Dr. Simeon Lewis Carson, a late-19th and early-20th century black physician, would be most known for being one of the first surgeons within Washington, D.C. to use spinal anesthesia during surgery. However, he is also renowned for his skillful use of general anesthesia throughout most of the surgeries … Read MoreSimeon Lewis Carson (1882-1954)
George Moses Horton, the first African American to publish a collection of poetry in the South during the antebellum period, was the author of three collections of poetry: The Hope of Liberty (1829), The Poetical Works of George M. Horton (1845) and Naked Genius(1865). George Moses was born enslaved to William Horton on a plantation in North … Read MoreGeorge Moses Horton (1797-ca. 1880)
Danny Lyon Scarborough made his mark in the world in two arenas, as an innovative, Emmy Award-winning choreographer/dancer and as one of the first well-known African Americans to go public about having AIDS. Born on July 27, 1947, he grew up on a farm near Wake Forest, North … Read MoreDanny Scarborough (1947-1989)
