1959— Independent film producer In the 1990s Stephanie Allain became one of the most respected and powerful producers in Hollywood, holding positions at Warner Brothers, Columbia, and Jim Henson Productions. She became known for her ability to create independent-style films within the studio system, making a huge impact at Columbia as producer of Boyz N the Hood, the 1995 debut of writer an…
1939— Writer Ghanaian novelist Ayi Kwei Armah attained international renown for his fiction in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Despite his fame Armah maintained an intensely private life and rarely gave interviews and distanced himself from discussions of his craft. Though critics disagreed about the literary merit of his English-language works, his six novels and numerous short stories pro…
1917-2003 Fire captain, civil rights activist Roosevelt Barlow was among a small group of African-American firefighters to integrate the Philadelphia Fire Department, enduring extremely harsh treatment and fighting against entrenched institutional racism. He risked his life to help his brothers in the department and to help his community become a better place for all minorities. Barlow was among t…
1936— Psychotherapist, social worker During the first 20 years of his life, Don Berrysmith encountered a broad range of the African-American experience. From segregated Louisiana to liberal, but largely white, Seattle, and from Texas boot camp to the bistros of Paris and Copenhagen, Berrysmith learned about racism from the overt to the subtle. In Europe, he also got a glimpse of another wor…
1951— Blues guitarist Bibb, Eric, photograph. Jo Hale/Getty Images. One of the most imaginative modern musicians working within the blues tradition, Eric Bibb is also one of the least recognized in proportion to his talent, at least in his home country of the United States. Bibb is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist with deep roots in American music, roots that come from his family …
1955— Engineer, activist As the 22nd national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the nation's largest black sorority, in her career as an engineer at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, and in her dedicated community service, Gwendolyn E. Boyd has been a prominent advocate for women's equality and for the recruitment of black Americans int…
1916-2004 Journalist The career of journalist William Brower spanned vast developments in African-American life, and he chronicled them all. When he was hired by the Blade newspaper of Toledo, Ohio, in 1946, he was one of just a handful of African-American journalists employed by white-owned newspapers. Over the next 50 years he never stopped perfecting his craft, and by the time he retired he had…
1930-2001 Attorney, civil rights activist In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Byrd Brown is considered a local hero. As a courageous and articulate civil rights activist, he fought prejudice and inequality during a time in history when progressive political leadership was crucial in America, thus giving voice to those who had no access to power. "Byrd Brown was an African American who stood in the…
1905-1935 Blues singer and pianist In the late 1920s and early 1930s, among the African-American audiences that nurtured the blues, there was hardly a better-known performer than Leroy Carr. He made over a hundred recordings, the first of which, 1928's "How Long, How Long Blues," made him a star who could fill large theaters around the Midwest and South. After Carr's de…
1927-1997 Poet One of the most important poets to come out of the Caribbean, Martin Carter has been compared to literary lions such as W.B. Yeats and Pablo Neruda. His most famous work was fueled by the political turmoil that gripped his native Guyana in the 1950s and 1960s. He told fellow Guyanese writer Bill Carr in an interview for the Guyanese magazine Release that politics and poetry were ins…
1956(?)— Entertainment executive Chase, Debra Martin, photograph. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images. Film producer Debra Martin Chase is one of just a handful of minority women who wield power among the back offices at the major Hollywood studios. Chase's job entails overseeing the production of new movies on their way to the multiplex, and she scored her first genuine hit in 20…
1924(?)-2003 Advertising executive When Vince Cullers began knocking on the doors of advertising agencies in the late 1940s, he had a thick portfolio, experience as an artist, and training from the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago. He was young, eager, and talented. He was also black. "He made the rounds of the ad agencies in Chicago, and what he ran into was that they did not hire blac…
1915-1986 Poet Poet Margaret Esse Danner's vivid imagery and uplifting poetic voice most often focused on Africa. Although she wrote on a wide range of themes, it is likely that her African poems will be the most enduring of her work. Author of four compilations and contributor to numerous anthologies, Danner published the bulk of her poetry during the Black Arts Movements of the 1960s. Mar…
1972— Actor Elba, Idris, photograph. © Zack Seckler/Corbis. British actor Idris Elba is one of a number of foreign-born thespians who have begun landing impressive roles on American screens both large and small. Elba has made a name for himself in the United States for his compelling performance on the HBO series The Wire, which began its third season in 2004. He plays Stringer …
1970(?)— Gospel singer Franklin, Kirk, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. "My message is simple and plain," Kirk Franklin insisted in the Los Angeles Times. "I'm trying to change the way people look at gospel music. It's not corny, and it's not hokey. We're not just running around here with some choir robes on,…
1962— Hockey player, coach The Edmonton Oilers dominated the National Hockey League (NHL) throughout the 1980s, in no small part due to the goaltending talents of Grant Fuhr. Fuhr was an indispensable component of a team that won five Stanley Cups in seven years, a sometimes brilliant defender who was particularly effective in playoff games. In 1988 Ralph Wiley called Fuhr—who was th…
1922-2004 Naval officer Gravely, Samuel L., photograph. Getty Images. At the peak of his career, Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. was the highest-ranking African American officer in the U.S. Navy, a three-star vice admiral. Even after his retirement, he maintained the commanding presence that he had honed during his 38 years in the military. Throughout his long career, Gravely was not only the first …
1969— Film and video director Gray, F. Gary, photograph. © Frank Trapper/Corbis. "I'm single-minded," F. Gary Gray told The Source magazine. "When I'm working on a project all my attention is there." Gray has the been the object of a fair amount of attention himself, having earned more awards than perhaps any other video director for his…
1924— Professor, writer, editor Warren J. Halliburton was one of the first authors to provide access to African-American resources to the American public. Publishing from the 1970s through the early 1990s, Halliburton offered a wide array of materials to his readers, including simply worded biographies of famous black Americans and histories of significant achievement of black Americans aim…
1948— Actor, festival director Hamlin, Larry Leon, photograph. Sebastian Artz/Getty Images. In head to toe purple, Larry Leon Hamlin is a hurricane-strength force on the stage of black theater. He is the vision, the fury, and the power behind the National Black Theatre Festival, the world's largest gathering of black theater professionals. Every other summer, the festival draw…
1922(?)-2004 Jazz saxophonist Jacquet, Illinois, photograph. Frank Driggs Collection/Getty Images. When 19-year-old Illinois Jacquet stepped to a Decca Records microphone in May of 1942 to take his solo on the Lionel Hampton Band's "Flying Home," he was a young saxophonist with tremendous ability but no clear identity. It was the first or second time he had made a recor…
1931— Actor Some people know him as one of the nation's finest stage actors, an artist who tackles the works of such playwrights as William Shakespeare and Eugene O'Neill. Others know his sonorous bass voice as the most menacing aspect of the evil Darth Vader in the blockbuster film Star Wars. Still others recognize him as a television star who brings depths of humanity to cli…
1975— Distance runner Keflezighi, Meb, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. The silver medal earned by Meb Keflezighi at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, represented a renaissance for distance running in the United States: Keflezghi's was the first American Olympic medal in the marathon since the silver medal earned by Frank Shorter in 1976. Kef…
1935— Portrait artist Knox, Simmie, photograph. © Ron Sachs/Corbis. When Simmie Knox's portrait of President Bill Clinton was unveiled at the White House in June of 2004, it marked the first time an African-American artist had painted an official presidential portrait. A great deal of prestige accrued to Knox after he was selected to create the Clinton portrait, as well a…
1968— Rap musician, actor L. L. Cool J, photograph. © Ron Sachs/Corbis In the turbulent climate of rap music, careers are often brief moments of success crested atop long stretches of obscurity. For L.L. Cool J, this is not so, as he has helped lay down the groundwork for rap during the genre's early days and refine and reinvent it for over a decade. A veteran in a field …
1895-1976 Singer and guitarist The music of Texan Mance Lipscomb opens a window on the musical culture of African Americans in the early twentieth century, before the blues became a dominant genre. Lipscomb sang and played the blues, but he rejected the label of blues musician in favor of "songster," which covered the much wider range of musical types that were part of his repertoire…
1969(?)— Journalist One of the rising young stars of African-American journalism at the beginning of the twenty-first century, Roland S. Martin seemed like a whirlwind of activity as his career took off. He worked as a reporter for black-owned and white-owned newspapers; his voice was heard on radio news programs; he held editorial positions at a major magazine and a high-traffic black-orie…
1933-2003 Government official Ruby Grant Martin grew up surrounded by the pervasiveness of racism in the pre-Civil Rights era. She rode in the back of buses, was barred from restaurants, and could not go where she wanted, when she wanted. Yet she never let these obstacles stop her. She found her way around racist policies, beating the racists at their own game. "We were able to foil the sys…
1940— Television executive Roland McFarland is senior vice president of broadcast standards and practices at Fox Broadcasting, overseeing broadcast standards for Fox's prime time, late night, and children's programming, in addition to comedy and drama development and on-air promotions. In the course of a 30-year career, he has worked on numerous popular television shows on ABC…
1953— University administrator With twenty years of experience at faculty level in several major law schools, Patricia Mell was appointed Dean of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 2003. She became the first black and first female dean of the 104-year-old school and on her appointment was the only black woman to be leading a United States law school where white students form a major…
1949— University administrator, international sorority administrator In 2002 Barbara C. Moore became, by unanimous vote, the 22nd international president, or Grand Basileus, of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, a black Greek letter organization with 750 chapters and 100,000 members located in the United States, Germany, and the Virgin Islands. In addition she is vice president of Institutional Advanc…
1947— Mayor For Marilyn Murrell, the tiny Oklahoma town of Arcadia has always been a big enough world to live in. Born and raised in Arcadia, Murrell has never lived away from her hometown for more than a few years. However, within her tightly woven community of family and friends, she has created a groundbreaking career of public service. When it appeared that Arcadia might be absorbed int…
1961— Politician, attorney Obama, Barack, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. Elected to represent Illinois in the United States Senate in November of 2004, Barack Obama had already become the subject of speculation as to his future on the national political stage. The speculation had grown exponentially in August of that year, when Obama delivered an electrif…
1941— Medical doctor, administrator, pathologist From a very young age, Vivian Pinn felt herself to be a person with a mission. Having seen pain and illness in the family members she loved, she developed a drive to ease suffering and to cure disease. At the age of four, she announced her intention to become a doctor, an almost unheard-of ambition for a black girl in the United States of the…
1944-2004 Poet, librarian, community leader Known as an energetic, imaginative individual, Helen Quigless's passion for writing poetry was equalled by her dedication to community projects, including the Partners in Art program, which provides guidance in the arts for disadvantaged children. She was a respected community leader in her home town of Tarboro, North Carolina, where her involveme…
1952— Non-profit executive, advocate Gregory Reeves is the national president of Blacks in Government (BIG), a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to preserving and enhancing government employment for blacks. The organization was founded in 1975 by black federal employees of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in Rockville, Maryland, in order to respond to concerns regarding th…
1936— Educator, health care activist Dr. Hilda Richards is immediate past president of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), an organization representing 150,000 nursing professionals across the United States. She is Chancellor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Indiana University Northwest in Gary, Indiana, and was the first dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Ohio …
1940— Singer, songwriter, record producer Robinson, Smokey, photograph. © Fred Prouser/Reuters/Corbis. Smokey Robinson, the "poet laureate of soul music," has been composing and singing rhythm and blues hits for more than four decades. As the lead singer of the Miracles, Robinson, who moved to SBK Records later in his career, helped to put Detroit and its Motown Re…
1954— Television weathercaster Roker, Al, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. Al Roker may describe himself as "goofy-looking" and "nothing special," but his combination of accurate forecasting and warm, relaxed delivery have won him possibly the most visible weather anchor position on television. Roker is the weekday weathercaster …
1971— Singer Her voice has been called sublime, radiant, commanding, and quite simply, beautiful. In operas, jazz concerts, and show-stopping recitals, Millicent Scarlett has sung her way into a resounding career. "I love singing very dearly," she told The Diamondback, the student paper of the University of Maryland. "I hope the love of what I'm doing shows throu…
1925-2003 Business executive Thomas B. Shropshire was one of the first African Americans to break the color barrier in corporate America when he became a top executive at the Miller Brewing Company in the 1970s. His position was of note because he was not promoted merely to meet diversity quotas at the corporation. The Business Journal of Milwaukee wrote that Shropshire did not have "the ti…
1922— Golfer Sifford, Charlie, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. Charlie Sifford has been called the "Jackie Robinson of golf." The first black man to break the color barrier in one of the nation's most elitist sports, Sifford endured humiliation, threats to his life and limb, and even mistreatment from some of his fellow pros. Nothing s…
1942— Jazz organist and pianist A turban-wearing jazz institution, and one of the few jazz players to specialize in the difficult Hammond B-3 electric organ, Dr. Lonnie Smith has had a long musical career that may be divided into three distinct sections. In the first, shortly after his discovery, Smith played as a sideman in jazz bands led by others, most notably guitarist George Benson. In…
1940— Jazz keyboardist The "fusion" jazz of the 1970s, which merged jazz with more commercially oriented influences from rock, rhythm-and-blues, and funk, fell out of fashion as its leading practitioners either moved into popular music or went on to newer jazz experiments. But keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith has been fusion's survivor. Resurrecting his career several ti…
1929— Labor activist From lying in order to enter the navy at the age of 12 to boxing his way into the union at 16, Nate Smith proved that he knew how to get what he wanted. What he wanted in the mid-1960s was to break the color barriers in the construction industry in Pittsburgh. To do so, he laid down in front of bulldozers to stop work at construction sites. He also formed an innovative …
1910-1984 Guitarist and vocalist Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence was a truly original stylist on his instrument. Never famous outside the Bahamas, or even inside that country with the exception of his home island, Spence nevertheless fascinated and influenced a number of prominent American and British guitarists, including slide virtuoso Ry Cooder and the eclectic bluesman Taj Mahal. The explanat…
1914-2004 Businesswoman, pianist, and community leader Olivia Stanford packed many full and successful lives within the almost ninety years she lived. First known nationally as the co-owner of the largest black beauty salon in the United States, she was also an accomplished musician and producer of musical performances. In addition to raising her three children and creating elegant homes in New Yo…
1934— Philanthropist, administrator, lawyer Thomas, Franklin A., photograph. © Bettmann/Corbis. Franklin A. Thomas made a name for himself as an inspiring leader in America. For seventeen years Thomas was president of the Ford Foundation, a vast and self-perpetuating trust originally endowed by car manufacturer Henry Ford and his son Edsel. With a reported $7.7 billion in assets…
1952— Pastor Stephen John Thurston is the third generation to pastor the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church. Like his grandfather and father before him, Thurston preaches every Sunday to his Southside Chicago congregation. A charismatic leader and dynamic preacher, his church has grown to over 2,000 members. He is also the president of the National Baptist Convention of America. Thursto…
1942— Educator, non-profit administrator When William E. Trueheart became the first African American to lead a private New England college in 1989, his appointment made national headlines. However, he had long been a prominent figure in higher education. As a decorated Harvard scholar, doctoral graduate, and college administrator, Trueheart had made his mark in the world of educational theo…
1912-2001 Activist, spiritual leader For nearly four decades, the Reverend Charleszetta Waddles, affectionately known as "Mother Waddles," devoted her life to providing food, hope, and human dignity to the downtrodden and disadvantaged people of Detroit. Founder, director, and spiritual leader of the Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission, Inc., a nonprofit, nondenominational organization …
1965— Founder, Project Transition Inc. In 1998 former college baseball player Joaquin Wallace founded the non-profit Project Transition Inc., a welfare-to-work program that put long-term unemployed and "working poor" African-American clients into a corporate setting to build their confidence and self esteem. The project was based on the idea that giving people access to real-l…
1961— Actor, director, producer Whitaker, Forest, photograph. © Rufus R. Folkks/Corbis. "A burly, good-natured Texan, soft-spoken and a little shy, Forest Whitaker doesn't exactly stand out in a crowd," wrote Associated Press correspondent Jay Sharbutt. "But in Hollywood, where unemployment is the rule, not the exception, he does OK." Whitaker,…
1918— Jazz bandleader, composer, trumpeter Jazz is often thought to be a young person's art, with soloists and bandleaders becoming best known for innovations they have developed early in their careers. In the hands of bandleader, composer, and trumpeter Gerald Wilson, however, jazz has inspired a process of lifelong musical growth over a seven-decade career. As a jazz musician, Wils…
1961— Basketball player Worthy, James, photograph. Mark Mainz/Getty Images. In 12 years with the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, "Big Game" James Worthy was known for his ability to maneuver around opposing players at a dizzying pace. "I just decide I'm going to go around [a defensive opponent] when I'm setting up and when I get the ball, I go,&…