C. 1682 – ? Cesar was a successful practitioner of traditional African medicine in the southern United States during the middle of the 18th century. In recognition of his accomplishments, the South Carolina legislature took the unprecedented step of freeing him from slavery and awarding him a substantial lifetime stipend. African Roots Born around 1682,
[continue reading…]
1848-1928 Lewis H. Latimer was a leading engineer in the formative years of the electric power industry at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. He was a key member of the legendary group of inventors led by Thomas Edison. Close Brush with Slavery Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts,
[continue reading…]
1856-1940 Henry Ossian Flipper was the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After an unwarranted dishonorable discharge from the Army, he enjoyed a long, distinguished career as a mining engineer, legal authority, and author. Breaking Ground at West Point Flipper was born in Thomasville, Georgia, on March 21,
[continue reading…]
1846-1910 A dentist by trade, Dr. George F. Grant also distinguished himself as an educator, scholar, and inventor. Grant earned acclaim as both an innovator in dental practice and as a frequent and vocal commentator on the development of dentistry. Even at leisure, his active mind never stopped working overtime: he filed the first U.S.
[continue reading…]
1902-1983 William Allison Davis devoted his life to uncovering and correcting unfair bias in the U.S. educational system, and ensuring equal opportunity for all. His landmark studies of caste and class in the south, and the effects of culturally biased tests on underprivileged children, led to dramatic improvements in the use of such tests and
[continue reading…]
1899-1975 Percy Lavon Julian, a grandson of slaves, became a world-renowned chemist and research scientist whose discoveries eased the pain and suffering of millions by making affordable treatments for glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. With graduate degrees from Harvard University and the University of Vienna, he triumphed over institutional and social prejudice to achieve unprecedented
[continue reading…]
1731-1806 Benjamin Banneker overcame the hurdles of racial prejudice and a disadvantaged childhood to become a self-taught surveyor, clock-maker, mathematician, and astronomer. He published a highly regarded almanac, and earned the respect of prominent colleagues in the federal government. He thereby served as an important exemplar of the fundamental equality of the races, the talents
[continue reading…]
1852 – 1889 Jan Matzeliger invented a shoe manufacturing machine that was, at the time, considered impossible. He enabled the creation of the modern shoe industry and billions of dollars of economic value, and affordable shoes for ordinary people everywhere. Early Aptitude Matzeliger was born in Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana (now called Suriname) in South America
[continue reading…]
1883 – 1941 Ernest Just was an internationally acknowledged authority in the fields of fertilization and egg development. A true scientist’s scientist, he devoted his life to expanding the bounds of knowledge and understanding. His accomplishments were enormous and enduring, despite the effects of racism in U.S. academic institutions, and his achievements continue to earn
[continue reading…]
1904 – 1950 Charles Richard Drew achieved an unprecedented level of success for an African American of his era in the medical and scientific communities. His inventive and pioneering work with the storage and shipment of blood plasma saved hundreds of lives during World War II, and led to the first Red Cross blood bank
[continue reading…]
