Dr. Martin Luther King with Bill Chester, January 25, 1963 “Image Courtesy of Anne Rand Library, International Longshore and Warehouse Union” William “Bill” Chester, Vice President and Assistant to Harry Bridges, President of the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union (ILWU), was the highest ranking African … Read MoreWilliam H. Chester (1914-1985)
Attorney, civil rights activist, and medical expert Raymond L. Johnson Sr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 31, 1922 to Jacob and Lelia Johnson. After graduating from high school, Johnson attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. When World War II began, he was … Read MoreRaymond L. Johnson Sr. (1922-2011)
Raphaël Élizé was an early 20th century French politician and the first black mayor of a metropolitan town in France: Sablé-sur-Sarthe (Sarthe). He was born in 1891 in Martinique into a racially mixed family: Augustin, his father, a tax collector and active Freemason, and his … Read MoreRaphaël Élizé (1891-1945)
Russell S. Gideon was a Seattle, Washington businessman, pharmacist, and pioneer in the development of senior housing. From 1977 until his death in 1985, he was recognized yearly by Ebony magazine as one the nation’s 100 most influential black citizens. He was a respected community … Read MoreRussell S. Gideon (1904-1985)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Born in Cayenne, French Guiana to parents Marc Saint-Yves Monnerville and Marie-Françoise Orville, Gaston Monnerville was the grandson of a slave. His family was from Case-Pilote in Martinique, but moved to French Guiana where two sons were born: Pierre and Gaston. … Read MoreGaston Monnerville (1897–1991)
Outstanding college athlete and diplomat David Benjamin Bolen, the son of a postal worker, was born in the rural hamlet of Heflin, Louisiana on December 23, 1923. As a small child he discovered his superior running ability during an Easter egg hunt. Homeschooled by his … Read MoreDavid Benjamin Bolen (1923- )
Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown was a medical pioneer, educator, and community leader. In 1948-1949 Brown became the first African American female appointed to a general surgery residency in the de jure racially segregated South. In 1956 Brown became the first unmarried woman in Tennessee authorized … Read MoreDorothy Lavinia Brown (1919-2004)
Lasker Bell Sr. was the founder and host of the Las Bell Variety Show a radio program on the air from 1967 to 1985. Bell was also one of the most prominent black television personalities in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Mississippi region. Bell held public affairs appointments under … Read MoreLasker Bell (Las), Sr. (1928- )
Image Courtesy of Ruby Bishop Ruby Carol Bishop is a legendary jazz performer in the Pacific Northwest. Graced with ebullient humor, loving her adoring audiences, and always dressed in sparkly sequins, Bishop at 94 continues to play piano in Seattle nightclubs while belting out jazz … Read MoreRuby Bishop (1919 – 2019)
(Image Courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley) Nathaniel Sextus Colley, the first African American attorney in Sacramento, California, was born on November 21, 1918 in Carlowsville, Alabama. The youngest of six brothers, Colley grew up in Snow Hill, Alabama, and graduated from … Read MoreNathaniel Sextus Colley (1918-1992)
