Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten, an American folk and blues musician, made her professional debut in 1959 at the age of 67. Discovered by the musically-renowned Seeger family in the 1950s, Cotten was soon recognized for her unique self-taught guitar and banjo picking style and her songs … Read MoreElizabeth “Libba” Cotten (ca. 1892-1987)
Born on April 17, 1912 as the youngest of twelve children in Culloden, Georgia, Jo Ann Robinson would become a successful educator and famous civil rights activist. After graduating from Fort Valley State College in 1934, she became a public school teacher in Macon, Georgia … Read MoreJo Ann Robinson (1912-1992)
Lucretia Marchbanks, well-documented in western lore for her upright character and superb culinary talents, was one of the first African American women to venture into the Black Hills of South Dakota. Marchbanks was born enslaved on March 25, 1832 near Turkey Creek in Putnam County, … Read MoreLucretia Marchbanks (1832–1911)
Beverly Loraine Greene, believed to be the first African American woman architect in the United States, was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 4, 1915. She grew up in Chicago and was raised by her father, James A. Greene, a lawyer, and her mother, Vera … Read MoreBeverly Loraine Greene (1915-1957)
Gale Eugene Sayers, nicknamed the “Kansas Comet,” was born on May 30, 1943, in Wichita, Kansas. Gale was born to Roger and Bernice Sayers and was the second of three sons. Gale’s father, Roger Sayers, worked as a mechanic for Goodyear until 1950 when the … Read MoreGale Eugene Sayers (1943-2020)
Rhythm and blues (R&B), jazz, and blues singer Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles to Dorothy Hawkins, who at the time was sixteen years old and unmarried. James received her first professional training as … Read MoreEtta James (1938-2012)
The first person of African descent, male or female, to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics was Vonetta Flowers when she won gold in the women’s bobsled event in 2002 at Salt Lake City. Born October 29, 1973, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Jimmie … Read MoreVonetta Flowers (1973- )
Betty Shabazz, wife and later widow of Malcolm X, became an important political activist after the assassination of her husband in 1965. Betty Shabazz was born Betty Dean Sanders to parents Ollie May Sanders and Shelman Sandlin. Ollie May Sanders was a teenager and Sandlin … Read MoreBetty Sandlin Shabazz (1934-1997)
Image Courtesy of Smith College Dr. Jane Cooke Wright was a physician and cancer researcher who dedicated her professional career to the advancement of chemotherapy techniques. Wright was born in New York City, New York on November 20, 1919. She was the older of two … Read MoreJane Cooke Wright (1919-2013)
Born on June 26, 1808 in the city of Santiago de Cuba, Mariana Grajales Cuello is best known for the role she played in her country’s struggle for independence against Spain. Referred to as the “Mother of Cuba,” Cuello’s promotion of national pride and patriotic … Read MoreMariana Grajales Cuello (1808-1893)
