1871-1938 James Weldon Johnson was a multitalented and prolifically creative figure in the artistic, political, and civil rights domains of his era. He was responsible for seminal contributions in all of these realms, and was considered one of the primary drivers of both the Harlem Renaissance and the development of the NAACP into an effective
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1921 – 1971 Whitney Moore Young, Jr. was a pioneering social worker who redefined the role of that profession, and its importance to the civil rights cause. His progressive work as the executive director of the National Urban League, and his efforts to bridge racial boundaries and usher African Americans into the social and economic
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1889 – 1979 Asa Philip Randolph was the preeminent organizer of African Americans in pursuit of labor, civil, and human rights. He built upon his success in the labor movement to bring about social change by influencing U.S. Presidents, the Congress, and other federal institutions, and made a vital contribution to the campaign for equal
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Mid-Late 19th Century John Henry, about whom little is known, is a subject of legend and song, and may well have been a real person living in the late 19th century in West Virginia or Alabama. The legend is the best-known black “tall tale,” honoring the achievements of an individual under difficult circumstances. In the
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1868 – 1963 William Edward Burghardt DuBois was a preeminent analyst of the roots of racism and the subordination of African Americans. He combined scholarship with activism in a tireless search for ways to improve the lives of all Blacks, everywhere. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “History cannot ignore W.E.B. DuBois….”
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1818 – 1895 Frederick Douglass was the most highly regarded African American speaker, publisher, and author of his time. His tireless efforts to abolish slavery and establish civil rights for Blacks were instrumental to the attainment of those goals in his lifetime. His intelligence and erudition set an example of what could be achieved personally,
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1862 – 1931 Ida B. Wells devoted her life to social justice for Blacks and women. She became a world-famous writer and campaigner in support of these causes, published important treatises on the origins and nature of “mob rule” and the lynching of African Americans in the south, and helped to organize the women’s suffrage
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1901-1981 Roy Wilkins rose through the ranks of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to become one of history’s most articulate and impassioned advocates for achieving equal rights through the legislative process. Under his leadership, the NAACP was instrumental in enacting the key civil rights legislation of the era. Grandson of Slaves
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1925-1965 Malcolm X was one of the most honored and respected African American leaders during the turbulent 1960s, and a source of inspiration for generations of Blacks since. His evolution from antagonism toward non-Blacks to a vision of brotherhood had as its theme self-respect and self-reliance for all Africans everywhere, a timeless message that remains
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1797? – 1883 Sojourner Truth was a tireless activist proselytizing on behalf of African Americans’ and women’s rights. Through an inspiring combination of religious passion and civil rights oratory, informed by her years of mistreatment as a slave and empowered by effective legal activism, she was a singular force in the early abolitionist period and
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