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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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.
In 1910 the family was confronted with tragedy when her father died in a work-related accident. Marian was 12, so she, her mother and two sisters moved in with their grandmother, and her mother began taking in laundry and sewing to make a living. Marian was often needed at home to help with the work, so her school attendance was sporadic.
When she was 13, Marian was invited to join the church’s senior choir. The other choir members felt Marian’s voice was special—a gift from God–so they took up a collection to send Marian to music school. Unfortunately, the school the choir hoped she could attend turned her away without even listening to her; it was for whites only.
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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
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.
Susie King Taylor (1848-1912), Educator, Author, Activist
- First woman to openly teach former slaves at a school in Georgia.
- Only African-American woman to publish a memoir of her work during the Civil War: Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers.
Susie King was born in August1848 to a slave family in rural Georgia. When she was seven years old, her owners permitted her to move to Savannah to live with her grandmother who had been given her freedom.
