Calendar

Dr. Price (1930-2015), the "Duck Doctor," was an eminent veterinary microbiologist and an authority on avian diseases, particularly those affecting ducks and other waterfowl. She conducted extensive research on parasites, infections, viruses, and microbial diseases that impacted these birds and developed vaccines to protect them against a spectrum of diseases. Dr. Price's vaccines have been used by duck, turkey, and pigeon farmers across North America.

Hall (1940-2003) was a pastor, educator, dynamic speaker and a powerful figure in the Civil Rights Movement. She challenged misogyny in the movement and was one of the first women field leaders in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). While working with SNCC, she was shot at and jailed multiple times. On September 9, 1962, Hall led a prayer at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in 'Terrible Terrell' County, Georgia, where Martin Luther King Jr. was present. Her rhythmic repetition of 'I Have a Dream' during this prayer influenced King's famous 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington. After witnessing the traumatizing aftermath of Bloody Sunday she left SNCC in 1966. She eventually earned her Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, becoming a prominent womanist theologian who advocated for the intersection of race, gender, and faith in religious practice.

Dr. Mossell (1898-1989), hailing from the distinguished Mossell and Tanner family lines, was an attorney, civic servant, and humanitarian. She was the first black woman to graduate from University of Penn Law School and the first black woman admitted to the Pennsylvania bar (1927). She was also the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in Economics in the United States (University of Pennsylvania, 1921), and the first National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Bumbry (1937-2023) was a mezzo-soprano and later, a soprano opera singer, and one of the most celebrated voices of 20th century opera. She exploded onto the international stage after she appeared as Venus in Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Germany in 1961. She was the first black woman to perform at this festival and her appearance was met with outrage, scorn, and controversy. Post performance she was hailed the “magnificent ‘Black Venus’” and received 42 curtain calls and a 30-minute standing ovation.

Jones (1869-1933) was an internatioanally acclaimed soprano opera singer who notes were said to be as clear as a mockingbird’s with perfect annunciation. Her remarkable abilities led her to perform at the White House for four U.S. Presidents: Harrison, McKinley, Cleveland, and Roosevelt. Jones toured extensively across Europe, the West Indies, South America, Australia, India, and southern Africa, performing for notable figures including Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII of England, and Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany.

Huggins (1948) is an educator, writer, human rights and community activist, and former Black Panther Party leader who helped establish innovative community education models in Oakland, California. While attending Lincoln University she met John Huggins. It was there that they were both deeply moved by a Ramparts magazine photo of a wounded Huey Newton shackled to his hospital bed and they decided to drive from the East Coast to Los Angeles to attend a Free Huey rally. A month later, in November 1967, they joined the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party.

Hill (1907-1969) was an organic and analytical chemist, educator, and one of the first Black women to earn a Master's in Chemistry. She co-authored over 40 research papers and published two textbooks with her husband, General College Chemistry and Experiments in Organic Chemistry.

DePrince (1995-2024) pirouetted her way into the hearts of Americans with her inspiring story and exceptional talent, beautifully showcased in the 2011 documentary "First Position."

Chase (1923-2019) The “Queen of Creole Cuisine”.

Hurston (1891-1960) was a novelist, poet, anthropologist, and folklorist who documented life across the African diaspora and stood as a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Her work focused on Black cultural traditions, spirituality, and the vibrant dynamics of Black communities across the Americas. Her most well known works were Their Eyes Were Watching God, Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica, and Mules and Men.

Shakur (1947-2016) was an activist and community organizer who held several high-ranking roles within the Black Panther Party including Section Leader of the Harlem Branch, Communications Secretary, and Press representative. She was also the mother of rapper and actor Tupac Amaru Shakur. She is most notably remembered for representing herself while pregnant in The Panther 21 Case, where she and twenty other Panthers faced charges of conspiracy to bomb New York City police stations, department stores and railroad tracks.

Singer, Actress, Model

Starring Tyra Banks

Founded on the campus of Howard Universty in 1913.

Poet

McCrear (c.1857-1940) was the last known survivor of the Clotilda and the last link to the transatlantic slave trade.

Lawrence Vonetta McGee (1945-2010) was a trailblazing film and television actress who rose to fame during the Blaxploitation film period.

Allen (1950)

Major General Harris (1943-2018),

Physicist

First Lady of the United States (2009-1017)

Science

Purrrr!

Pharmacist

Community Service program run by the black panther party.

Dr. Jessye (1895-1992) was a preeminent Conductor, Choral Director, founder of the Eva Jessye Choir, and the first Black woman to earn international distinction as a director of a professional choral group. She was the first musical director for the original production of Porgy and Bess and, devoted to Civil Rights, Jessye and the Eva Jessye Choir were appointed by Dr. Martin Luther King the official choir of the 1963 March on Washington.

Naval Engineer

Brown was the first black woman to hold both a private (1937) and commercial (1939) pilot’s license in the United States and one of the first woman to hold a commercial pilot's license and a master aviation mechanic's certificate (1935). She co-founded the Coffey School of Aeronautics where she trained thousands of pilots, nearly 200 of which became Tuskegee airmen. She was also the first black woman to run for Congress.

Educator

Vaudeville

Entrepreneur