Frank Matthews (“Black Caesar”) (1944- ?)

Frank “Black Caesar” Matthews was called one of the biggest heroin and cocaine traffickers in United States history by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).  Born on February 13, 1944 in Durham, North Carolina, he became involved in several criminal incidents from a young age.  Matthews was raised by … Read MoreFrank Matthews (“Black Caesar”) (1944- ?)

Henry Ell Frye (1932- )

Henry Ell Frye is the first African American Assistant United States District Attorney, the first African American elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in the twentieth century, and the first African American Chief Justice for the North Carolina Supreme Court. Frye was born on August 1, 1932 in Ellerbe, … Read MoreHenry Ell Frye (1932- )

Dovey Johnson Roundtree (1914–2018)

Born Dovey Mae Johnson on April 17, 1914, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dovey Johnson Roundtree was an African American civil rights activist, attorney, and ordained minister who won the 1955 Interstate Commerce Commission case on segregated bus terminals. She was the second oldest of four children born to James Elliot Johnson, a printer … Read MoreDovey Johnson Roundtree (1914–2018)

Alonzo Earl Short, Jr. (?- )

Lieutenant General Alonzo Earl Short, Jr. was at one point one of the highest-ranking African American officers on active duty in the Untied States Army.  Short’s responsibilities during his service included managing the communications systems between the White House and various military branches. Short was born … Read MoreAlonzo Earl Short, Jr. (?- )

Charles Edward Anderson (1919-1994)

Charles Edward Anderson, meteorologist, Air Force officer, and weather officer, was born August 13, 1919 in the inner suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri on a farm in University City. Both his mother and father were from Mississippi. Anderson resided in St. Louis until he graduated the valedictorian of the Sumner High … Read MoreCharles Edward Anderson (1919-1994)

Stephen A. Smith (1967- )

Stephen Anthony Smith is a sports commentator on ESPN. Alongside Max Kellerman, Smith is a featured commentator on ESPN’s First Take, a show reviewing daily sports news. Smith’s parents came from the United States Virgin Islands, and his dad was a baseball and basketball star in the 1950s. Smith … Read MoreStephen A. Smith (1967- )

Robert Louis Shepard (1947- )

Robert Louis Shepard, PhD. is an author and chemist.  He is best known for opening doors of opportunity for faculty and students in science-related fields at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Beginning in 1983 he became an advocate for inclusion of HBCUs in the federal government’s university-government … Read MoreRobert Louis Shepard (1947- )

Barry C. Black (1948- )

Barry C. Black is a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral. On June 27, 2003, he became the first African American Chaplain of the United States Senate.  Black was born on November 1, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland. At an early age, his parents—his father Lester and especially his mother Pearline—insisted on … Read MoreBarry C. Black (1948- )