1936-1996 Barbara Charline Jordan devoted her life to politics by using her exceptional oratory abilities to address issues that affected the poor, the disadvantaged, and black communities. As both a Texas State Senator and a U.S. Congresswoman, Jordan fought for civil and human tights, including changes to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. From Poverty
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1841-1898 Blanche Kelso Bruce was a prominent politician in Mississippi and Washington, DC, for three decades in the aftermath of the Civil War. He holds the distinction of being the first African American to serve a full, elected term in the U.S. Senate. Escape from Slavery Bruce was born near Farmville, Virginia, on March 1,
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1892-1962 Augusta Savage battled discrimination and financial hardships as an acclaimed sculptor and teacher, and went on to become a key mentor and supporter of numerous black artists who followed in her footsteps. An Independent Woman Savage was born Augusta Christine Fells on February 29, 1892, in Green Cove Springs, Florida. As one of 13
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1874-1938 Arthur Alfonso Schomburg was a pioneering historian and scholar who helped lay the foundations for the field of African and African American studies. He dedicated his life to collecting and sharing books, papers, and artifacts about the black experience, and to promoting the achievements of people of African descent. Challenge to Scholarship Schomburg was
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1877-1935 Arnold Josiah Ford was a self-proclaimed Rabbi and the founder of a black synagogue in Harlem. An accomplished musician, he wrote the enduring and inspiring “The Universal Ethiopian Anthem” in tandem with Marcus Garvey’s back-to-Africa movement. Immersed in Music Ford was born in the West Indies, in the city of Bridgetown on the Island
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1865-1946 Anthony Overton was the founder of a multifaceted group of Chicago-based companies. The son of slaves, he ultimately presided over a cosmetics business, a
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1908-1997 Ann Lane Petry’s literacy talent exposed readers to issues of oppression and prejudice facing female black Americans. She was a distinguished novelist and short story writer as well as a civic activist. Her novel, The Street, was the first written by an African American that sold over one million copies. Experience Turns to Story
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1837-1915 Amanda Berry Smith devoted her life to the ministry of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Her most noted achievement is the opening of the first orphanage for black children in Illinois. Called to God Smith was born January 23, 1837, in Long Green, Maryland. Her lather, Samuel Berry, and her mother, Mariam Matthews,
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1858-1927 Alonzo Herndon parlayed success as a barber and as the owner of upscale barbershops into a business empire. His holdings eventually encompassed extensive real
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1971-Present Allen Kenneth Johnson is a world-class track and field athlete who was a dominant force in the 110-meter high hurdles for well over a decade. Over the course of his career, he won four International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championship titles and a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,
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