Black History Month

1753 – 1784
Sold into slavery from West Africa at a young age, she gained literacy at age 9 and became the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry.

1797 – 1883
An abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Truth was born into slavery, but escaped with her infant daughter in 1826 and sued for the return of her son, who was illegally sold into slavery. She is famous for her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech, which challenged racial and gender inequality.

1832 – 1914
Born a slave, she was freed after slavery became outlawed in 1865 and became the first African American woman to work for the US postal service. Her reliability and speed earned her the nickname “Stagecoach Mary”. She was the fastest applicant to hitch a team of six horses and never missed a day of work.

1839 – 1871
An influential civil rights activist that fought to abolish slavery. He was significant in successfully desegregating Philadelphia’s public trolleys and the ratification of the 15th amendment, which barred voter discrimination based on race. He was murdered on the first election day that African Americans were allowed to vote.

1869 – 1957
Another self-made millionaire, Malone was an inventor, chemist, philanthropist, and businesswoman who made her fortune developing a hair product to straighten African American women’s hair without damaging it.

1870 – 1943
Cofounder of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, she is famous for being an educator, administrator, and activist. She fought for African Americans to serve as American Red Cross nurses during WWI and became one of the first nurses to be inducted into the American Nurse Association Hall of Fame when it was established in 1976.

1892 – 1926
The first African and Native American woman to hold an international pilot license. She was known for performing dangerous stunts and tricks. Her goal was to encourage African Americans and women to follow their dreams.

1904 – 1950
A surgeon and medical researcher in the field of blood transfusions and storage. He used his knowledge to develop large scale blood banks during World War II. Before his death, he trained a generation of black physicians at Howard University.

1923 – 2014
The first African American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in thehigh jump.

1925 – 1963
An American civil rights activist in Mississippi, World War II veteran, and state field secretary for the NAACP. Evers worked tirelessly to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi. He was assassinated by a white supremacist in 1963. His death sparked numerous civil rights protests.

1928 – 2014
A famous civil rights activist, singer, memoirist, and poet. She has published several poetry books, seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and a multitude of plays, movies, and television shows that focus on the defense and celebration of Black culture. She is notably famous for her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”.

1931 – 1989
A famous activist, dancer, choreographer, and director who expressed himself and the African American experience through dance. He founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which became a haven for nurturing Black and brown artists and dancers.

1980 – present
Since taking on her first professional tennis event at the age of 14. Williams grew to become a champion in women’s tennis winning four Olympic gold medals, sixteen Grand Slam doubles titles, and seven Grand Slam singles titles. Due to her health issues, she moved into the world of fashion, by creating her company EleVen. Even still, along with her sister Serena, they are both considered two of the greatest tennis players of all time.

1981 – present
As the world’s number one player, Williams revolutionized women’s tennis by winning 23 major singles titles and four gold medals in the Olympics.

1985 – 2019
Also known as Ermias Asghedom, Hussle was an African American activist, entrepreneur, and rapper in Los Angeles, CA. During his short lifetime, he focused on giving back to his community, inspiring young black men, denouncing gun violence, and more. The day before his death, he was to meet with LAPD officials to address gang violence in Southern LA.

1986 – present
An expert viral immunologist working as one of NIH’s leading scientists in vaccine research for coronavirus protection and treatment. She and her team designed the backbone for many of the COVID-19 vaccines including Moderna, J&J, and Novavax vaccines.