Ivy Ruth Taylor, the first popularly-elected African American mayor of San Antonio, Texas, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 17, 1970. Her parents moved to Brooklyn from Wilmington, North Carolina, before she was born and later divorced when she was a child. She … Read MoreIvy Ruth Taylor (1970- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Human rights activist and political scientist Marcia Alexandra Santacruz Palacios was born in Puerto Tejada, northern Cauca, Colombia, an area exploited by mining companies and whose largely poor Africa-descended population has resided for four centuries alongside indigenous peoples. Aware of the … Read MoreMarcia A. Santacruz Palacios (1977–)
Newspaper columnist and poet Ora Mae Lewis was born March 29, 1918, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her father, Nathan Leopold Lewis, was a native of Jamaica and a decorated soldier in the British Colonial Army, and her mother Cecelia Della Atkinson, a New Orleans Creole, … Read MoreOra Mae Lewis Martin (1918–2005)
Although mostly known for widely-publicized photographs that depicted her assault during the 1965 Bloody Sunday civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, Amelia Boynton Robinson lived a long life of civil rights activism in both Georgia and Alabama. Her critical role promoting African American voting rights … Read MoreAmelia Boynton Robinson (1911-2015)
Jackie “Moms” Mabley found fame and fortune as a stand-up comedian during the twentieth century. Beginning as a staple on the chitlin’ circuit and late night talk show favorite, she went on to become an internationally known entertainer whose career spanned five decades. One of … Read MoreJackie “Moms” Mabley (1894-1975)
Heiress and socialite Amanda America Dickson Toomer was, in her time, the wealthiest African American woman in Georgia, and one of the wealthiest women in the United States. Born November 20, 1849, on the Dickson Plantation, near Sparta, Georgia (Hancock County), Amanda America was the … Read MoreAmanda America Dickson Toomer (1849-1893)
Nyamko Ana Sabuni is a Swedish politician and former government cabinet minister. She was born in Bujumbura, Burundi, on March 31, 1969. The family relocated in exile after her father, Maurice Sabuni, a left-wing politician from Congo (formerly Zaire) had been frequently jailed. The Sabuni … Read MoreNyamko Ana Sabuni (1969– )
Florence V. Lucas, lawyer, politician, NAACP leader, and songwriter, was born in 1916 in New York City, New York. She graduated from John Adams High School, Hunter College, and Brooklyn Law School. After graduating from law school in 1940, she became the first black woman … Read MoreFlorence V. Lucas (1916-1987)
Award-winning broadcast journalist and author Belva Davis made history in 1966 when she was hired by San Francisco, California’s Channel 5, KPIX-TV, becoming the first female African American television news reporter on the West Coast. Born Belvagene Melton on October 13, 1932 in Monroe, Louisiana, … Read MoreBelva Davis (1932- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Lovie Louise Yancey was the African American founder of the Fatburger restaurant chain. She was born in Bastrop, Texas, on January 3, 1912, one of eight children of Clayborn and Minnie Yancey. Very little is known about her early life in … Read MoreLovie Yancey (1912–2008)
