Viola Mitchell Turner (1900-1988)

Viola Mitchell Turner, an early black executive with North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1900. The only child of poor, impoverished, teenage African American parents she would succeed in becoming the first female African American member of the North … Read MoreViola Mitchell Turner (1900-1988)

Grace Towns Hamilton (1907-1992)

Grace Towns Hamilton was the first African American woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly.  She was a lifelong advocate of rights for the disadvantaged, and was instrumental in key district reapportionment efforts and black voter registration that helped bring minority representation into Georgia politics. … Read MoreGrace Towns Hamilton (1907-1992)

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (1886-1939)

Businesswoman and entertainer Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, known as the Mother of Blues, was the most popular blues singer/ songwriter of the 1920s. She is considered to be the first woman to introduce blues into her performances. As a single woman, she established her own entertainment … Read MoreGertrude “Ma” Rainey (1886-1939)