Dr. Robert Wedgeworth has achieved several marks as a librarian, university administrator and professor over the course of four decades. He is the first African-American Executive Direct of the American Library Association, and an early advocate of the practice of library automation. Details of Wedgeworth’s early life are scarce, but what is known is […]
They are referred to as ‘The Great Eight.’ That’s the collective name for eight Black women scholars who are on track to earn their Ph.D’s at Indiana University’s School Of Education. The group says that support helped them stay the course despite having such a low percentage of African-Americans in their program. Fox59.com reports: After […]
Merze Tate was a professor, scholar, author and diplomacy expert who achieved a series of notable firsts in her lifetime. Tate is the first African-American to graduate from what is now known as Western Michigan University, and the first African-American woman to attend the University of Oxford. Born February 6, 1905, in Blanchard, Michigan, […]
Melissa Harris-Perry has fired off some parting shots about her swift exit from MSNBC – written 140 characters at a time. The former host took to Twitter Tuesday to reveal details of her recent removal from the cable channel, expressing regret for not speaking up earlier for other MSNBC hosts who were abruptly fired, and accusing […]
Dr. Jalaal Hayes (pictured, right) made history in 2015 after becoming the youngest person to earn a Ph.D from Delaware State University at the age of 22. As the son of two librarians, the North Philadelphia native was probably expected to be an excellent student but has surpassed those expectations with his academic feats. Even […]
Scholar, author and psychiatrist Dr. Frances Cress Welsing passed away after suffering a stroke this past weekend, coming as quite the shock to her many supporters. Dr. Welsing became a nationally known figure for her controversial 1991 book, The Isis Papers, which expanded upon an essay she wrote in the ’70’s while working at […]
Dr. Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was a son of former slaves who became Howard University’s first Black president, raising the academic standards of the vaunted institution over the course of three decades. Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, Howard University became recognized as the premier African-American university. Johnson was born December 12, 1890 in Paris, Tenn. to parents […]
There are a lot of people that can do many things, but only a few people that can do many things well. Scholar, educator, talk-show host, author, activist, wife and mother Melissa Harris-Perry is one of those people. The 41-year-old host of her self-titled MSNBC talk show, Harris-Perry has broken barriers in the competitive landscape […]
Despite the significant obstacles she faced as a child in Tennessee, Dr. Mary Frances Berry has established a reputation as one of the most respected educators in the nation, with more accomplishments still on the horizon. Born February 17, 1938, poverty split her family apart and she and her brother lived as orphans for a time. While […]
Dr. Darlene Clark Hine is a pioneer in the study of African-American history and the role of women within that narrative. But despite her standing as a leading scholar on Black women, that specialty came about almost by accident. Hine was born February 7, 1957 in Morley, Mo. She attended Roosevelt University for her […]
Dr. Clarence “Skip” Ellis was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science. Dr. Ellis was also a passionate educator who worked with Black students and preferred to teach those who lacked experience in the field. Ellis was born May 11, 1943 and raised in the tough South Side section of Chicago. […]
Alain Leroy Locke is recognized as one of the leading Black philosophers and educators, and was instrumental in bringing attention to the Harlem Renaissance. Among Locke’s many achievements, one of his most notable is he being the first African-American awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Born in Philadelphia, Pa. on September 13, 1866, Locke was […]
