The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) (1940- )

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) was founded in 1940 by John H. Sengstacke. Sengstacke, then in his 30s, was Vice President and General Manager of the Robert S. Abbott Publishing Company, which published the Chicago Defender, then the largest black newspaper in the United States. Sengstacke had been educated … Read MoreThe National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) (1940- )

Akai Kareem Gurley (1986-2014)

Akai Gurley was tragically and senselessly killed while walking down the stairwell of his apartment building with his girlfriend. His death, like the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown, helped inspire and propel the Black Lives Matter Movement. Gurley was 28 years of age at the time … Read MoreAkai Kareem Gurley (1986-2014)

Henrietta Vinton Davis (1860-1941)

Henrietta Vinton Davis was an American elocutionist, dramatist, and impersonator. She was also considered to be the physical, intellectual, and spiritual link between the abolitionist movement of the Frederick Douglass era and the African Redemption Movement of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities … Read MoreHenrietta Vinton Davis (1860-1941)

James Edward Cheek (1932–2010)

“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Former president and president emeritus of Howard University, Dr. James Edward Cheek is credited with major changes and improvements to one of the oldest historically African American institutions of higher education during his twenty-year tenure. James Edward Cheek was born on … Read MoreJames Edward Cheek (1932–2010)