African Descent Archives - Page 17 of 51

Iris Carr

Joining the NSA during WWII, she fought diligently, though quietly, for better opportunities for talented but underutilized employees.

Lillie Berry

The first African American woman in the NSA to give instruction in signals analysis and the first African American woman assigned as an Agency recruiter.

Fleet Master Chief April D Beldo

The first woman and first African-American in multiple Navy positions, including the first female Command Master Chief of an aircraft carrier and the first female Command Master Chief for recruit training.

Jesmyn Ward

Jesmyn Ward is the acclaimed author of the novels “Where the Line Bleeds,” “Salvage the Bones,” winner of the 2011 National Book Award, and “Sing, Unburied, Sing,” winner of the 2017 National Book Award. Her nonfiction work includes the memoir “Men We Reaped,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the 2020 work “Navigate Your Stars.”

Dr Jennifer Richeson

Social psychologist whose research has illuminated how identities – particularly racial identities – are formed and shaped through interactions with others.

Marian Wright Edelman

Founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund and an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life.

Sissieretta Jones

Sissieretta Jones sang for kings, presidents, and to audiences around the world, becoming the highest paid African-American entertainer of the late 19th century.

Xernona Clayton

Civil rights leader and pioneering broadcasting executive best known as the founder and CEO of the Trumpet Awards (1993), an annual awards program celebrating African-American acheivements televised by the TBS network and distributed internationally to over 185 countries.

Toni Stone

In 1953, she became the first woman to play as a regular on an American major-level professional baseball team.

Lena Horne

Legendary singer/actor Lena Horne has fought against racism in the entertainment industry throughout her career and against racial discrimination in this country throughout her life.