African-American leaders have been vital to making America strong. We’ll begin this section by celebrating Black History Month (February), and it will then become a continuing ACA section.
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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Claude Barnett (1889-1967), Journalist and Publisher
Founded the Associated Negro Press, the first international news agency for black newspapers- Advocated against segregation in the military and the segregation of the blood supply
Claude Barnett was born in Sanford, Florida. His parents were domestic workers, and their marriage didn’t last. While still a baby, Barnett moved with his mother to Oak Park, Illinois so they could live near his maternal grandmother.
As a child, Barnett worked when he could to help ends meet. When he graduated from high school he was admitted to the Tuskegee Institute where he completed his degree in only two years (1904-06). His time at Tuskegee gave him a strong network of alumni and professors, which helped Barnett accomplish what he did personally and professionally. Barnett also took quickly to the principles espoused by the school’s founder, Booker T. Washington (1856-1915): moderation, respectability, vocational training, capitalism, and taking responsibility for oneself.
Marian Anderson (1897-1993), Internationally Acclaimed Singer
• Rose to stardom despite racial barriers
• Helped change segregation in theatres
• Broke color barrier at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1955
Marian Anderson was one of three daughters in a close-knit family. They lived in Philadelphia, and Marian began singing in the choir of the Union Baptist Church the family attended.
Dorie Miller (1919-1943), Hero of World War II
- Serving in a noncombat role in the Navy, Dorie Miller responded heroically when the battleship West Virginia was attacked at Pearl Harbor
- Because the Navy was segregated, African-Americans were not given combat roles or weaponry training, so Miller’s adept ability to shoot down enemy planes was all the more remarkable
- First African-American awarded the U.S. Navy Cross
Anna Julia Cooper (1858-1964), Educator, Scholar, and Activist
One of the most prominent African-American scholars in the 19th and 20th centuries- gave voice to African-Americans, from the end of slavery to the civil rights movement
- Only woman of any color to be quoted in the current edition of the U.S. Passport
Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige (1906-1982), Legendary Pitcher
- One of the greatest baseball pitchers of all times
- Great crowd-pleaser who attracted huge audiences wherever he was
Leroy Robert Page was born in Mobile, Alabama to John Page, a gardener, and Lula Page, a domestic worker. John died a few years after their son was born, and Lula changed the spelling of the last name to Paige, perhaps to make a new beginning.
Justina Ford (1871-1952), Physician
Overcame major obstacles in order to practice medicine- Only female doctor in Denver for at least the first three decades of the 20th century
Justina Ford was born in Knoxville, Illinois in 1871. Her mother was a nurse and helped people in their neighborhood, and Ford often accompanied her. As Justina got older, she wanted to be a doctor. Her family helped save the money for her to attend the Hering Medical College in Chicago; it was a new school with a homeopathic philosophy, which may partly explain why they accepted an African-American woman.
The Nicholas Brothers: Fayard (1914-2006) and Harold (1921-2000)
Magical tap dancers; charismatic performers
The Nicholas Brothers may never have become the household names that Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire became, but they should have. Astaire and Kelly were great dancers; the Nicholas Brothers were even better. In Fayard’s obituary from USA Today in 2006, Gregory Hines notes that if the Nicholas brothers’ life story were ever to be filmed, their dance numbers would have to be computer-generated because no dancer could duplicate them.
