*The birth of Valdo Turner is celebrated on this date in 1866. He was a Black doctor. Valdo Turner was from Tennessee; he had seven siblings. Turner graduated from Meharry Medical College in 1898 and relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota. He married Clara Elizabeth Turner in 1918 in St. Paul, Minnesota. They had one daughter: Valdora Frazer […]
learn more*Gloria Cecelia Ray Karlmark was born on this date in 1942. She is a Black chemist, educator, and member of the Little Rock Nine. Born in Little Rock, she was one of the three children of Harvey C. and Julia Miller Ray; she was 15 when she attempted to enter Little Rock Central High School, where […]
learn moreTammy Sinkfield-Morey is a veteran nurse, professor, and healthcare advocate. In this segment, she shares two sources of admiration that give her strength.
learn more*Benjamin A. Boseman was born on this date in 1840. He was a Black physician and politician. Benjamin Antony Boseman Jr. was born in Troy, New York, the son of Benjamin and Annaretta Boseman, the oldest of five children. In the 1860 U.S. Census, he was listed as mulatto. His father was a steward on a […]
learn more*Blanche Lawrence was born on this date in 1920. She was a Black research chemist. Lawrence received her bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee University. Lawrence worked as a research assistant in the Chicago Met Lab’s health division during the Manhattan Project. She was the widow of Tuskegee Airman Capt—Erwin Lawrence of the 99th Pursuit Squadron. After […]
learn moreAva L. Kenney is an Environmental Project Manager. In this segment, she shares the work episode that shaped her career choice in this area.
learn more*Lilian Ngoyi was born on this date in 1911. She was a Black machinist, nurse, and South African activist. Lilian Masediba Matabane was born in Pretoria, South Africa. She was the only daughter of Annie and Isaac Matabane and a sister to three brothers, Lawrence, George, and Percy. Her grandfather, on her mother’s side, was a […]
learn more*Paul Cornely was born on this date in 1906. He was a Black physician, public health pioneer, and activist. Paul Bertau Cornely was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. His mother was Adrienne Mellon, and his father was Eleodore Cornely. At the age of three, his family moved to Puerto Rico. He moved to the United States as […]
learn more*The birth of Jane “Nellie” Datcher is celebrated on this date in 1868. She was a Black botanist and woman’s activist. Jane Eleanor Datcher was born and raised in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Samuel and Mary Victoria Cook Datcher. Her maternal grandfather, Rev. John Francis Cook, Sr., was the founding pastor of the Fifteenth […]
learn more*The birth of Ruby S. Jackson is celebrated on this date in 1915. She was a Black Public Health Nurse. From Eufaula, Alabama, Ruby Sherman Jackson moved to Atlanta in 1932 to continue her high school education at Booker T. Washington High School, as education for Blacks ended in the 10th grade in Eufaula. She […]
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