Henry “Pistol” Mason was the first Black baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia farm team, the Schenectady Blue Jays in 1955. Mason was born on June 19, 1931 in Marshall, Missouri to Tansie and Anna Mason. His father was a laborer in a rock quarry and … Read MoreHenry Mason (1931-2020)
Prathia Hall Wynn was a womanist, theologian, ethicist, and civil rights activist who has been credited with being a key inspiration for Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have A Dream Speech.” Hall was born on June 29, 1940 to Reverend Berkeley L. Hall and … Read MorePrathia Hall Wynn (1940-2002)
Cato Laurencin is a physician, surgeon, scientist, engineer, and one of two University Professors at the University of Connecticut. He is just the 8th University Professor in the institution’s almost 140-year history and as such holds the school’s highest academic title. Dr. Laurencin also serves … Read MoreCato Thomas Laurencin (1959- )
Norman “Turkey” Stearnes was one of the Negro League Baseball’s (NBL) most feared hitters. Born on May 8, 1901 in Nashville, Tennessee to Will S. and Mary (Everett), Stearnes, his mother was a cook for a private family earning $7 a week and was listed … Read MoreNorman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes (1901-1979)
H. Patrick Swygert served as 15th president of Howard University for 13 years (1995-2008). He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 17, 1943 and raised by his working-class parents, Leroy and Gustina Swygert and had a close aunt, Denise P. Swygert-Huzzy. He was the … Read MoreH. Patrick Swygert (1943- )
Yvonne Young Clark, a pioneer in the field of science and engineering, was born April 13, 1929, in Houston, Texas. Her father was Dr. Coleman Milton Young Jr., a medical doctor and surgeon. Her mother was Hortense Houston Young, a library specialist and journalist. Clark … Read MoreYvonne Young Clark (1929-2019)
Richard Howell Gleaves was a Haitian-American merchant, lawyer, politician, and the 55th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Greaves was born free on July 4, 1819, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a Haitian father and English mother. He received his early education in Philadelphia and New Orleans. … Read MoreRichard Howell Gleaves (1819-1907)
In 2011 Antoine M. Garibaldi was named University of Detroit Mercy’s 25th president. He was also the first lay president and first African American at this 1877 Jesuit-founded institution that consolidated with Mercy College of Detroit in 1990. Prior to Detroit Mercy, Garibaldi was the … Read MoreAntoine M. Garibaldi (1950- )
Bernard E. Anderson is an American economist who served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment Standards Administration in the Administration of President Bill Clinton. He is also the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. There … Read MoreBernard E. Anderson (?- )
