Photos 2019-2020

Elected to the U.S. Congress in 1870 to fill a vacancy became the 1st black person elected to the House of Representativ

He was the first African American  to serve on the highest court in the country. 

In 1905, he published the Chicago Defender. He called  it “The World’s Greatest Weekly”. 

Attended Oberlin College and graduated, thus becoming the second Black woman to receive a bachelor’s degree. 

She became one of the most respected choreographers in the country. Her new American dance included African & Caribbeean

He prompted President Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802--prohibiting job discrimination in the defense industries

In addition to his leader- ship in the black commu- nity, particularly in Philadelphia, he founded the African Methodist

sued for freedom in ___ vs. Sanford, saying because he had traveled into the free states of IL & MN he should be free

First black woman to achieve three star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces; first black woman to command a U.S. Navy ship

Worthy writings are Tell My Horse (1930), Jonah’s Gourd Vine (1934), Mules and Men (1937), and Their Eyes Were Watching

She traveled to St. Helena Island in South Carolina to educate fleeing enslaved Black people during the Civil War. 

Invented a safety hood and smoke protector that was used to rescue workers trapped in a poisonous gas-filled tunnel

Father of the Blues” He composed many “blues” songs, including “Memphis Blues” and “St. Louis Blues”

Founded the National Negro Baseball League (NNBL)

Public Servant Elected mayor of America’s third largest city in 1973. 

She was the first Black woman to head a bank--St. Luke Bank and Trust Company in Richmond, VA. 

Considered one of the most militant civil rights activists in American history. 

In 1940, he published Native Son which became an immediate best-seller and became  a Book-of- the-Month Club 

Made significant innovations in electric lighting & patented the 1st cost-efficient carbon filament for electric lights

Wrote the words to “Lift Every Voice and Sing”-- called the “Negro National Anthem.”

She served as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare as well as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

She became one of the most effective anti-slavery activists in the country, 

Important young writer of the Harlem Renaissance

Nationalist and Civil Rights Leader Founder of Universal Improvement Association (UNIA)

He was a noted chemist who founded Julian Laboratories, Inc.  He held more than 105 patents

__ & Branch Rickey signed a contract that made __ the first African American in the modern major league baseball history

 He became the first Black U.S. Congressman from a northern state and the first since 1901.

He founded the National Business League and Tuskegee Institute--an educational institution. 

She became the first African American to per- form at the Metropolitan Opera.

he was appointed America’s ambassador to the United Nations--the first Black person in this prestigious post.

Became one of the strongest supporters of civil rights for African Americans prior to the Civil War. 

He was the first African American to be awarded a Ph.D (Doctor of Philosophy) degree from Harvard University.

She was one of the earliest female preachers of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.

First African American to gain the rank of General in the United States Armed Forces.

She starred in Gone With the Wind and became the first African American to win an Oscar as best supporting actress.  

He developed many products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other common  foods.