Sheila Guyse was an actress, and singer during the 1940s and 1950s. She was born Etta Drucille Guyse, on July 14, 1925, in Forest, Mississippi. Her parents, Wilbert Vincent Guyse and Ethel Williams, separated and divorced shortly after she was born. Guyse was raised by … Read MoreSheila Guyse (1925-2013)
Marie Walker Johnson was a Black Creole civil rights activist in Oakland, California, during the 1960s. A mother of five and a nurse, she also played a crucial role in multiple grassroots groups in the East Bay area. In these organizations, she marched, wrote letters, … Read MoreMarie Clara Delpit Walker Johnson (1921-1974)
Kay Coles James is a conservative political figure who has served in various government and executive roles. She was most notably the first African American president of the Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative think tank. James was born June 1, 1949, and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She … Read MoreKay Coles James (1949- )
Gilda Barabino, a biomedical engineer and world-renowned sickle cell researcher, is the first African American and woman president of Olin College of Engineering. She was born on May 28, 1956 in Anchorage, Alaska to Margaret Angus Barnes Barnum and Norman Edward Barnum III. At a … Read MoreGilda Barabino (1956- )
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith is an actress and talk show host. Pinkett was born on September 18, 1971, to Adrienne Banfield-Jones and Robsol Pinkett, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland. Pinkett’s mother named her after her favorite soap opera actress, Jada Rowland. Her parents divorced at a … Read MoreJada Koren Pinkett Smith (1971- )
Arizona Fleming was a small business owner who became part of the Civil Rights Movement in Fort Bend County, Texas. Fleming was born in Richmond, Texas on March 23, 1884, to Laura and Beauregard Fleming. Not much is known about her life. After attending segregated … Read MoreArizona Fleming (1884-1976)
Dr. Elise Lewis, is an author and a study director who specializes in Reproductive and Neurobehavioral Toxicology at Charles River’s Laboratories. Details of her birth, childhood, and education are currently unknown. The main Charles River Laboratory is a facility that overlooks the Charles River in … Read MoreElise Madison Lewis (?- )
Clarice Evone Salone Phelps, a nuclear chemist was part of the research team responsible for the discovery of a new element, 117 also known as tennessine, was born in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and reared in the Edgehill Housing Projects in Nashville, Tennessee, by a … Read MoreClarice Evone Salone Phelps (1981- )
Angela Ankomaah Tabiri, a quantum algebra researcher, was born in 1990 in Accra, Ghana. She graduated from Anum Memorial School at Ashaiman Middle East in Accra and then studied business at Accra’s Girls Senior High School. Fluent in Twi (Akan Kasa) as well as English, … Read MoreAngela Ankomaah Tabiri (1990- )
Dr. Dolores Irene Silas was a person of many Tacoma, Washington “firsts”–the first woman of color to become a school principal at DeLong Elementary School (1970), the first to become a member of the City Council (1991), the first to be Deputy Mayor (1995) and … Read MoreDolores Irene Silas (1926-2021)
