Elaine Brown
African-American political activist
Tag Archives: African Descent
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Jacqueline Woodson
Popular writer of books for young people
Amy Mallard
On November 20, 1948, a mob of 20 armed white men shot and killed African American Robert Mallard in front of his family. The killing initially garnered little attention, but due in part to the outspokenness of Mallard’s wife, the case soon became national news, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) entered the case.
Marian Alexis Scott
President and chair of the board of directors of the Atlanta Daily World newspaper
Lena Baker
Lena Baker was the first and only woman to be executed in Georgia’s electric chair. She was executed in 1945, after she was convicted of murdering a man who had imprisoned her.
Dottie Peoples
Gospel singer and songwriter Dottie Peoples is one of Georgia’s most renowned figures in Christian music. Hailed as the “Songbird of the South” by the late radio host Esmond J. Patterson, Peoples has been compared to gospel and rhythm-and-blues artists Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle.
Edith McGuire
Edith McGuire became the top sprinter of the 1960s, winning six Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships and an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Japan, in 1964. McGuire was also the only American woman ever to hold three AAU titles at different times, in the 100 and 200 meters and the long jump.
Annie L McPheeters
Annie L. McPheeters was one of the first African American professional librarians in the Atlanta Public Library and an influential proponent of African American culture and history.
Mattiwilda Dobbs
The first African American to sing at La Scala in Milan, Italy, and the first African-American woman to be offered a long-term contract by the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York.
Emma Amos
An artist accomplished in several media, Emma Amos explored difficult issues concerning politics, gender, race, and cultural history in her work. Her highly expressive visual art combined printmaking, painting, and textiles with photography and collage. She was also known as a teacher, curator, writer, and activist.