Abram Lincoln Harris, Jr., the grandson of slaves, was the first nationally recognized black economist. Harris was highly respected for his work that focused primarily on class analysis, black economic life, and labor to illustrate the structural inadequacies of race and racial ideologies. Harris’s major … Read MoreAbram Lincoln Harris Jr. (1899-1963)
Educator, diplomat and businessman, Jerome Heartwell Holland was born on January 9, 1916 in Auburn, New York. The parents of Holland, and that of his twelve other siblings, were Robert Holland, a gardener/carpenter, and Viola Bagby Holland. For the entirety of his life, Holland maintained … Read MoreJerome Heartwell Holland (1916-1985)
Sheila Crump Johnson, entrepreneur and sports team owner, was born January 25, 1949 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania to George P. Crump and Marie Iris Crump. Her father’s job as a neurosurgeon for the Veteran’s Administration caused the family to move often during Johnson’s childhood. They eventually … Read MoreSheila Crump Johnson (1949- )
Born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1921, physicist Robert Johnson Omohundro was one of a select few black scientists and technicians to work on the Manhattan Project and thus contribute to the development of the atom bomb during World War II. The eldest child of Henry … Read MoreRobert Johnson Omohundro (1921-2000)
James Sommersett was the subject of a landmark legal case in Great Britain, which was the first major step in imposing limits on Trans-Atlantic African slavery. Sommersett entered the pages of history when in 1771, he fled his North American owner, Charles Stewart, while both … Read MoreJames Sommersett (ca. 1741-ca. 1772)
James Conway Farley, the first African American to achieve prominence in the photography industry, was born on August 10, 1854 to slave parents in Prince Edwards County, Virginia. After his father died, he and his mother moved to Richmond in 1861. The sources are unclear … Read MoreJames Conway Farley (1854- 1910?)
George Edward Chalmer Hayes, one of the 1954 Brown Decision attorneys, was born on July 1, 1894, in Richmond, Virginia. His father, attorney James H. Hayes, encouraged George to pursue both law and Republican politics. He earned his undergraduate degree at Brown University in 1915 … Read MoreGeorge E. C. Hayes (1894-1968)
Educator and theologian Samuel DeWitt Proctor was born in Norfolk, Virginia on July 13, 1921. Both of his grandparents had received a university education, which was considered unusual for the time. Proctor as a child attended the Congregational Church in Norfolk founded by his great-grandfather, … Read MoreSamuel DeWitt Proctor (1921-1997)
Spottswood William Robinson III, a prominent federal judge during the Civil Rights era, was born on July 26, 1916 in Richmond, Virginia. His father was Spottswood William Robinson Jr., a lawyer and businessman, and his mother was Inez Clements. The younger Robinson attended Armstrong High … Read MoreSpottswood William Robinson (1916-1998)
