African-American leaders have been vital to making America strong.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America’s past.
These stories are about Americans—people just like you—who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you.
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Woman-Owned, Minority-Owned Construction Company Marks 108 Years and Counting
“The road to success is always under construction,” aptly quotes Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, a New York construction company involved in many
Cheryl McKissack Daniel
major infrastructure projects.
In her position as company head, Cheryl Daniel represents the fifth generation of the oldest family-run minority and woman-owned design and construction firm in the country. For more than a century, McKissack family members have stood on the shoulders of the previous generation to build what is now a multi-million dollar company with 160 employees. In the last few years the company has been growing 17-20 percent in both revenue and clients.
The company was founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1905 by Cheryl’s grandfather, Moses III (1879-1952). Cheryl McKissack Daniel’s father, William DeBerry McKissack, took over in 1968 and ran the company until 1983 when he suffered a serious heart attack. Next, his wife and Cheryl’s mother, Leatrice Buchanan McKissack, stepped in to effectively managed and grow the business.
Today clients include Columbia University, the NYS Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the NYC School Construction Authority, and in 2013, McKissack & McKissack was announced as part of the construction team that will be working on the re-build of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the 3.1 -mile bridge that spans the distance between Rockland and Westchester Counties and is a vital link across the Hudson River, carrying 138,000 cars per day.
The Family Story in the U.S. Began with Slavery
1922 Architecture License for Moses McKissack
The tradition of working in the building trade dates to the first family member to arrive in this country. Moses was kidnapped from his home in West Africa; he was only 12 at the time. He was purchased by a Scotsman named John McKissack who provided him with a surname and put the slave to work in the brick-building and construction business McKissack ran with his son, William.
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Maggie Lena Walker (1864-1934), First Woman to Be a Bank President
Maggie Lena Walker was born in 1864 to Elizabeth Draper, a former slave who worked at the Richmond home of Elizabeth Van Lew, an abolitionist and Union spy. Maggie’s…
Margaret Knight (1838-1914), Successful Inventor
Received first patent in 1868; obtained at least 25 more patents over her lifetime
Invented a machine…
Lorraine Hansberry 3rd (1930-1965), Influential Playwright
Youngest American and first black playwright to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award
First…
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806): Astronomer, Surveyor, Scientist, Writer
African-American scientist, surveyor, author of almanacs
Benjamin Banneker was not only a contemporary of the Founding Fathers but from…
Benjamin Banneker’s Letter to Thomas Jefferson, 1791
Prior to the publication of his first almanac, Benjamin Banneker decided to send a pre-publication manuscript to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, along with a cover letter. He felt…
Addison Jones (ca. 1845-1926), Black Cowboy and Range Boss
Known as the “most noted Negro cowboy that ever ‘topped off’ a horse”
Became well-known in a world of…
