C.1798-1865 Betsey Stockton was born into slavery, and emerged as a religious and academic pioneer. She was instrumental in bringing formal education to indigenous Hawaiians and Native Americans, and in establishing numerous schools. A Young Missionary Sets Sail Stockton was born sometime in 1798, into childhood slavery in Princeton, New Jersey. The identity of her
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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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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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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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1916-1994 Alice Childress was a pioneering writer and actress whose award-winning plays and novels were praised for their insightful, compassionate portrayal of realistic characters in difficult situations. With frank language addressing complicated subjects such as racism, sexism, miscegenation, urban poverty, and drug addiction, Childress’ work raised awareness of social issues and was often controversial. Storytelling
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1921-1992 Alex Haley, the acclaimed author of the novel Roots, dedicated much of his career to lecturing on African American genealogy. His work encouraged black families to explore the rich histories of their ancestors. A Nomadic Life Haley was born in Ithaca, New York, on August 11, 1921. His father, Simon Haley, was a graduate
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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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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.
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1858?-1964 Anna Julia Haywood Cooper was a pioneer black feminist and educator, whose achievements expressed her faith in the potential of African Americans and the special role of black women. A Gentlemen’s Course Cooper was probably born in 1858 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her mother, Hannah Stanley Haywood, was a slave whose master, George Washington
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