Lani Guinier was a legal scholar, civil rights lawyer, author, and the first woman of color to obtain a position as a tenure-track professor at Harvard University in 1998. Born in New York City on April 19, 1950, Guinier was the daughter of Ewart Guinier, … Read MoreLani Guinier (1950-2022)
The Honorable Sydney Kai Kamlager-Dove, a Freshman Democrat Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and an advocate for racial equity, access, and social justice, was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, on July 20, 1972, to Cheryl Lynn Bruce, an award-winning actor. Kamlager graduated … Read MoreSydney Kai Kamlager-Dove (1972-)
Jasmine Felicia Crockett, elected to the United States House of Representatives on November 8, 2022, was born on March 29, 1981, in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Crockett attended Rhodes College, a private liberal arts school in Memphis, Tennessee. While there, she and several other Black … Read MoreJasmine Crockett (1981- )
Bernette Joshua Johnson is a retired Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. She is the first African American woman to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court and the second female to hold the position of Chief Justice. Born in Lemannville, Louisiana on June 17, … Read MoreJustice Bernette Joshua Johnson
Summer Lynn Lee is a lawyer, and politician, who has served as the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district since January 2023. Lee was born on November 26, 1987 in the North Braddock area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended Woodland Hills High School, located … Read MoreSummer Lee (1987- )
Connie Tucker was a Black freedom struggle and an environmental justice (EJ) movement leader. She was also a political prisoner during the Black Power era. One of six siblings, she was born to Otis Spencer, Jr. and Bernice Nall on October 14, 1950, in Seale, … Read MoreConstance Marie Tucker (1950-2015)
Prudencia Ayala was a writer, social activist, and campaigner for women’s rights in El Salvador. Ayala was the first woman to run for President in El Salvador and Latin America. Ayala was born on April 28, 1885, to Aurelia Ayala and Vicente Chief in the … Read MorePrudencia Ayala (1885-1936)
Kristen Nicole Hayden is the first African American woman to win a national diving championship. Born March 2, 1998 in Hillsborough, New Jersey, she is the second child of Kay and Glen Hayden. As a youngster she practiced gymnastics and swimming until age ten when … Read MoreKristen Nicole Hayden (1998- )
National heroine and revered freedom fighter Juana Ramírez, popularly known as “La Avanzadora” (The Advancer), was born January 12, 1790 in Chaguaramal, Monagas State, Venezuela. Her enslaved African mother, Guadalupe, was purchased by her putative father, Spanish army general Andrés Rojas. As a child she … Read MoreJuana Ramírez (1790 -1856)
Captain Theresa Mae Claiborne was the first African American woman to become a U.S. Air Force pilot. Capt. Claiborne referenced the historic Tuskegee Airmen for paving her way to becoming the first Black woman pilot in the Air Force. Theresa Mae Claiborne was born May … Read MoreTheresa M. Claiborne (1959- )
