Image Ownership: The New York Age Labor leader Layle Lane was born on November 27, 1893, in Marietta, Georgia. She was the fourth of five children of Calvin Lane and Alice Virginia Clark Lane. Lane was vice president of the American Federation of Teachers union … Read MoreLayle Lane (1893-1976)
Naomi Ruth Sims is widely credited as the first African-American supermodel. A businesswoman and author, Sims was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal. Sims was born in Oxford, Mississippi, the youngest of three daughters, to John and Elizabeth … Read MoreNaomi Ruth Sims (1948-2009)
Image Ownership: Library of Congress Life Dr. Carla Diane Hayden is the fourteenth librarian of the U.S. Library of Congress. Hayden’s swearing in as librarian was the first time a woman and an African American was appointed to the position. This is also the first … Read MoreCarla Diane Hayden (1952- )
Lusia “Lucy” Harris, a former American basketball player, is considered to be one of the pioneers of women’s basketball. She played for Delta State University in Mississippi and won a silver medal with the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team in the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games … Read MoreLusia Harris (1955- )
Image Ownership: Michael Miller Pernell-Karl Sylvester “P.K.” Subban is a Canadian-born professional ice hockey defenceman for the Nashville (Tennessee) Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Subban was born on May 13, 1989, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Karl and Maria Subban. Subban also has … Read MorePernell-Karl Sylvester “P.K.” Subban (1989- )
Zelda Barbour Wynn Valdes was an African American fashion and costume designer. Valdes was the first black designer to open her own shop, which was the first black-owned business on Broadway in New York City, New York in 1948. Her designs were worn by numerous … Read MoreZelda Barbour Wynn Valdes (1901–2001)
Throughout his 20 seasons in baseball, Derek Jeter established himself as a New York Yankees legend. Growing up as a Yankee fan and having played his entire career with the franchise, his play was synonymous with the team’s success. With on-field talent matching his charismatic … Read MoreDerek Jeter (1974- )
Hines Edward Ward Jr., former National Football League (NFL) football player, was born on March 8, 1976, in Seoul, South Korea. His parents were an African American father serving in the U.S. Army and a Korean mother, Young He. Ward soon moved to Atlanta, Georgia … Read MoreHines Edward Ward Jr. (1976- )
Jocko Graves was a young African American boy whose service during the American Revolutionary War earned him the commemorative statue, the “lawn jockey.” Graves’s story is a short and tragic one. It begins on Christmas Eve, December of 1776, with General George Washington’s crossing the … Read MoreJocko Graves (1764-1776)
Bernie Custis was a pioneer in American and Canadian football. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 23, 1928, he was the first black quarterback in the Canadian Football League. While he was in high school, he played football, baseball, and basketball and ran track, all … Read MoreBernie Custis (1928-2017)
