Ali Al’amin Mazrui was a Kenyan intellectual in the fields of political science, African studies, and Islamic studies. The father of the African Liberalism ideology (an economic perspective on Africa critical of western powers and Marxism/Socialism) was an often controversial figure due largely to his … Read MoreAli Al’amin Mazrui (1933-2014)
Temple Beth El is a historically, and to this day predominantly, African American synagogue located in the West Oak neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Not to be confused with Ethiopian Jewish communities (most of which reside within present-day Israel), Temple Beth El was founded in the … Read MoreTemple Beth El (Bethel or Beth’El) (1951- )
“Image Ownership: Christopher Nelson” Horatio Viscount “Berky” Nelson was a widely recognized scholar of 20th Century African American political history and particularly class dynamics in the modern black community. His first major work, The Rise and Fall of Modern Black Leadership, was a searing critique … Read MoreHoratio Viscount “Berky” Nelson Jr. (1939-2015)
A musical pioneer who was among America’s first wave of jazz and blues recording artists in the 1920s, Lucille Hegamin was born Lucille Nelson in Macon, Georgia, on November 29, 1894. She grew up singing in church and at the age of fifteen joined a … Read MoreLucille Hegamin (1894-1970)
Private Office of Dr. Sumner Furniss “Image Ownership: Public Domain” Prominent physician and surgeon Sumner Alexander Furniss was the first African American to become a member of the staff at Indianapolis City Hospital in Indiana. He was also a founding member and president of the … Read MoreSumner Alexander Furniss (1874-1953)
Dr. George Cleveland Hall, Chicago, Illinois African American physician and humanitarian was born on February 22, 1864, to John Ward Hall, a Baptist minister, and Romelia Buck Hall in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Dr. Hall eventually rose to head the Chicago Urban League and became vice-president of … Read MoreGeorge Cleveland Hall (1864-1930)
Ivy Ruth Taylor, the first popularly-elected African American mayor of San Antonio, Texas, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 17, 1970. Her parents moved to Brooklyn from Wilmington, North Carolina, before she was born and later divorced when she was a child. She … Read MoreIvy Ruth Taylor (1970- )
Oscar Wayman Holmes Jr., the first African American commissioned officer in the United States Navy and its first black aircraft pilot, was also the first black air traffic controller. Born January 31, 1916, he was the son of Oscar Sr. and Grace Holmes of Dunbar, … Read MoreOscar Wayman Holmes Jr. (1916-2001)
Octavius Valentine Catto was a prominent Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, activist, scholar, athlete, and military officer in the National Guard during the Civil War. Catto was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on February 22, 1839. His mother, Sarah Isabella Cain, a free woman, was a descendant of … Read MoreOctavius Valentine Catto (1839-1871)
Established by a free African American community in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Hosanna African Union Methodist Church (A.U.M.P.) has been part of local African American history and independent church history since its founding in 1843. Standing at the entrance to Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, the one-room, … Read MoreHosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church (1843- )
