African Descent Archives - Page 17 of 75

Anna Bobbitt Gardner

In 1932, Anna Bobbitt Gardner (1901-97) became the first African American women to be awarded a bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.

Dorcas

Dorcas was an enslaved woman thought to be the first named African to settle in the New England area and also the first to be accepted as a member of a local Puritan church.

Ellen Swepson Jackson (1935-2005) was the founding director of the Freedom House Institute of Schools and Education and the visionary behind Operation Exodus, a program that bussed inner-city students to less crowded schools.

Gladys A Moore Perdue

Boston organist

E Alice Taylor

Beautician and community activist, formed the Boston unit of the Housewives League with Geneva Arrington and E. Alice Taylor.

Julia Ann Shelton Shorey

Julia Ann Shelton was part of an influential Black family connected to local and national efforts to expand opportunities for African Americans after the Civil War, which brought her to the heights of the maritime community connecting San Francisco to the world.

Mary W Jackson

Mary Winston Jackson (1921–2005) successfully overcame the barriers of segregation and gender bias to become a professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations at NASA.

Blanche Woodson Braxton

In 1923, Blanche Woodson Braxton became the first African American woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Bar. She later became the first African American woman admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court in the state.

Kittie Knox

A biracial woman and a bicyclist, Kittie Knox (1874-1900) braved barely-paved Boston streets as well as discrimination by the all-white (and predominantly male) bicycle clubs. As a competitive cyclist, she designed a bicycle-riding outfit for women that included knickerbockers pants.