1894-1984 Benjamin E. Mays was a pastor, a passionate advocate of education, and an inspirational leader in the modern Civil Rights Movement. As the president of Morehouse College in Atlanta for 21 years, he guided the institution as it rose to the top ranks of the nations historically black colleges. God and Education Mays was
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1912-1987 Known as the “Architect of the March on Washington,” Bayard Rustin was a tireless crusader for civil rights in the nonviolent tradition of Mohandas Gandhi. Rustin initiated the Freedom Ride movement by leading 1947’s Journey of Reconciliation, and played an instrumental role in the organization of 1963’s Great March on Washington for Jobs and
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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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1928-1998 A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., was an influential judge, legal scholar, and university professor He was a leader in the fight for civil rights and the author of important studies on the sociology of race. Tough Climb Higginbotham was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on February 25, 1928, to Aloysius Leon Higginbotham, Sr., a factory
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1875 – 1955 – The child of former slaves, Mary McLeod Bethune believed that education was the key to ensuring equality of opportunity for Blacks in the U.S. She acted on this belief by devoting her life to teaching, by founding a school that would become a college, and, ultimately, by advising leading national organizations
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c.1810-1879 – Archer Alexander was born into slavery, survived several attempts at recapture after his escape, and was ultimately memorialized as the model for the liberated slave appearing with Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Freedmen’s Memorial in Washington, DC, and in a biography written by his benefactor. Plantation Life Alexander was born near Richmond, Virginia,
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1825-1866  John Swett Rock was a pioneer African American leader and orator in the years leading up to and during the Civil War. One of America’s first black physicians and lawyers and a dedicated advocate of civil rights and self improvement, he made history as the first African American to be admitted to practice before
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1880-1958  Angelina Weld Grimké was a poet and educator from a prominent, multiracial family. Her published works include passionate protests against racism and eloquent portrayals of the issues faced by black Americans in the early 20th century. Famous Family Grimké was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 27, 1880. Her mother, Sarah E. Stanley, was
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c.1814-c.1879  Joseph Cinqué led an 1839 mutiny on board the Cuban schooner Amistad, initiating the first slave rebellion in history to be successfully defended in American courts. Captured off Long Island and nearly prosecuted on charges of murder, Cinqué and his fellow Amistad rebels were eventually set free following a Supreme Court decision that opposed
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1880-1969  Charlotta Bass used her influence as the publisher of a newspaper to uncover injustice and fight for civil rights. She campaigned for vice president of the United States and used the resulting media coverage to call attention to such issues. Climbing the Ladder Bass was born Charlotta Amanda Spears in October of 1880 in
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