J. Paul Reason was the first African American to attain the rank of four-star admiral in the United States Navy. Reason was born March 22, 1941, in Washington, D.C., the son of Howard University librarian and French language professor Joseph Henry Reason, and schoolteacher Bernice … Read MoreJoseph Paul Reason (1941- )
Dr. Donnis Hazel Thompson was an athlete, coach, University of Hawaii Women’s Athletic Director, State of Hawaii Department of Education school superintendent, Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission chair in Hawaii, and champion for Title IX women’s athletics in Hawaii. Thompson was born in Chicago, Illinois, … Read MoreDonnis Hazel Thompson (1933-2009)
Image Ownership: Public domain Kimberle Crenshaw is a Professor of Law and an advocate and educator for civil rights, race studies, constitutional law, and social inclusion. She currently teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as Columbia University. Crenshaw was born … Read MoreKimberle Williams Crenshaw (1959- )
In the following article sociologist and African American Studies professor Patricia A. Banks describes the rise of private art collectors and collections among African Americans. Her article also shows the growing acceptance of African American art and artists in major museums and galleries across the … Read MoreCollecting African American Art: From the Harlem Renaissance to the Obama Era
Image Ownership: Public domain Klay Alexander Thompson is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Golden State Warriors. Thompson was born February 8, 1990 in Los Angeles, California to Mychal Thompson, a former NBA player, and Julie Leslie … Read MoreKlay Alexander Thompson (1990- )
Haben Girma at the White House with President Barack Obama, July 20, 2015 Image Ownership: Public domain Haben Girma, both blind and deaf, is a disability rights advocate and attorney who became the first deaf and blind graduate of Harvard Law School in Massachusetts when … Read MoreHaben Girma (1988- )
Image Ownership: Public domain 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 … Read MoreErma Clardy Craven (1918-1994)
In 1913 the famous African American activist and educator Booker T. Washington left Tuskegee, Alabama, to begin a speaking tour around the United States. The ultimate goal of this tour was to raise funds for the Tuskegee Institute in order to educate more young African … Read MoreBooker T. Washington’s Visit to Spokane (1913)
Image Ownership: Public domain Effie Waller was an early twentieth-century poet known for her books of poetry, Songs of the Months (1904), Rhymes from the Cumberland (1909), and Rosemary and Pansies (1909). Waller was born in Pike County, Kentucky, on January 6, 1879, to parents … Read MoreEffie Waller (1879-1960)
Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra Image Ownership: Public domain James Melvin “Jimmie” Lunceford, a popular band leader during the swing era, was born near Fulton, Mississippi, in Itawamba County to James Leonard and Beulah Idella Tucker Lunceford in June, 1902. His grandparents, Daniel and Gracie … Read MoreJimmie M. Lunceford (1902-1947)