AfricanAmerican Leaders - 4/9 - America Comes Alive

African-American Leaders

Marjorie Stewart Joyner (1896-1994): Inventor of a Permanent Hair-Wave Machine

Invented a permanent wave machine that added curl to straight hair and could be used to straighten curly hair Became national supervisor for more than... continue »

Hattie McDaniel (1895-1952), First African-American to Win an Oscar

First African-American woman to sing on radio First African-American to win an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone with the Wind); however,... continue »

Roy Campanella (1921-1993), Negro League Superstar Chosen to Move to Major Leagues

Top National League catcher of his day Second African-American player selected to play in the Major Leagues Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame 1969... continue »

Victor Hugo Green (1892-1960), Creator of the Green Book–First Travel Guide for African-Americans

• Created The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide for African-Americans that was needed because of Jim Crow laws • Civic leader and postal... continue »

Eddie Anderson (1905-1977): Created Role of Rochester

• First African American to have a regular role on a nationwide radio--and then television--program • Though the character of Rochester was a valet, Anderson,... continue »

Charlotta Spears Bass (1874-1969): Newspaper Owner Who Fought for Civil Rights

• First African-American woman to own and operate a newspaper • Crusaded against job and housing discrimination, police brutality, and media stereotyping. Advocated for civil... continue »

The California Eagle: A Newspaper for a Black Readership That Was Ahead of Its Time

The California Eagle, a newspaper for black residents of Southern California, was the brain child of John James Neimore (1862-1912). Neimore, a California newcomer, observed... continue »

Worcy Crawford (1917-2010), Civil Rights Hero

• Crawford was one of many unsung heroes of the civil rights movement • Crawford Bus Company served the black community at vital times •... continue »

Martin Luther King, Jr: Thoughts To Live By

This weekend we mark the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who changed America, and was only 39 when he was killed for... continue »

Mary Fields (ca. 1832-1914): First African-American Woman to Carry the Mail

First African-American woman employed to carry the U.S. mail; Traveled the mail route for central Montana for more than ten years. Mary Fields was born... continue »

Jackie Ormes (1911-1986), First African-American Female Cartoonist

Ormes’ comic strips were syndicated in black newspapers in the 1930s and ‘40s, making her the only nationally syndicated black woman cartoonist until the 1990s.... continue »

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... continue »

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