61 Notable alumni of
Clark Atlanta University
Updated:
Clark Atlanta University is 896th in the world, 330th in North America, and 308th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 61 notable alumni from Clark Atlanta University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Akon
- Occupations
- rapperentrepreneurrecord producersingersongwriter
- Biography
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Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam, known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. An influential figure in modern world music, he rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of his debut single "Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) and its follow up, "Lonely." Styled in hip hop and R&B respectively, both songs preceded the release of his debut studio album Trouble (2004), which became his commercial breakthrough.
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Emmanuel Lewis
- Occupations
- television actorchild actor
- Biography
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Emmanuel Lewis is a retired American actor, best known for playing the title character in the 1980s television sitcom Webster.
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Eva Marcille
- Occupations
- actormodeltelevision actor
- Biography
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Eva Marcille Sterling is an American actress, fashion model and television personality. She rose to prominence after she won the third cycle of America's Next Top Model. Afterwards, she starred as Tracie Evans in Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2007–2012), and landed the role of Tyra Hamilton on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless (2008–2009). Sterling later returned to reality television as a cast member on the Bravo television series The Real Housewives of Atlanta (2018–2021).
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Kenya Barris
- Occupations
- showrunnertelevision produceractordirectorfilm director
- Biography
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Kenya Barris is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the ABC sitcom black-ish (2014–2022).
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DJ Drama
- Occupations
- record producerrapperdisc jockey
- Biography
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Tyree Cinque Simmons, known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the official DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I. and would continue to gain prominence hosting mixtapes, namely his trademark Gangsta Grillz series. The branding has since been utilized by artists of whom released projects compiled by Drama, including Lil Wayne, Tyler the Creator, Snoop Dogg, Yo Gotti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Fabolous, Jeezy, Meek Mill, and Gucci Mane, among others. He is also a co-founder of the record label Generation Now, an imprint of Atlantic Records which signed artists including Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow.
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Ralph Abernathy
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- In 1951 graduated with Master of Arts in sociology
- Occupations
- civil rights advocatepoliticiantheologianhuman rights activistChristian minister
- Biography
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Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was ordained in the Baptist tradition in 1948. As a leader of the civil rights movement, he was a close friend and mentor of Martin Luther King Jr. He collaborated with King and E. D. Nixon to create the Montgomery Improvement Association, which led to the Montgomery bus boycott and co-created and was an executive board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He became president of the SCLC following the assassination of King in 1968; he led the Poor People's Campaign in Washington, D.C., as well as other marches and demonstrations for disenfranchised Americans. He also served as an advisory committee member of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE).
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Hank Johnson
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- In 1976 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Henry Calvin Johnson Jr. is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 4th congressional district since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is anchored in Atlanta's inner eastern suburbs, including Decatur, all of Rockdale County, Lithonia, Stone Mountain, Covington and a sliver of Atlanta itself. Johnson is one of only three Buddhists to have served in the United States Congress. The others are Senator Mazie Hirono and former Representative Colleen Hanabusa, both of Hawaii.
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James Weldon Johnson
- Occupations
- writersongwriterdiplomatcomposerpoet
- Biography
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James Weldon Johnson was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920, he was chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He served in that position from 1920 to 1930. Johnson established his reputation as a writer, and was known during the Harlem Renaissance for his poems, novel and anthologies collecting both poems and spirituals of Black culture. He wrote the lyrics for "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which later became known as the Black National Anthem, the music being written by his younger brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson.
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Bobby V
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Bobby Marcel Wilson, better known by his stage name Bobby V (formerly known as Bobby Valentino), is an American R&B singer. Born in Mississippi and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he first joined the R&B group Mista in 1994, who became best known for their 1996 single "Blackberry Molasses". The song preceded the release of their eponymous debut studio album that same year, which underperformed commercially. The group disbanded the following year.
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Hosea Williams
- Occupations
- scientistpolitician
- Biography
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Hosea Lorenzo Williams was an American civil rights leader, activist, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist, and politician. He is best known as a trusted member of fellow famed civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King Jr.'s inner circle. Under the banner of their flagship organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King depended on Williams to organize and stir masses of people into nonviolent direct action in myriad protest campaigns they waged against racial, political, economic, and social injustice. King alternately referred to Williams, his chief field lieutenant, as his "bull in a china shop" and his "Castro." Vowing to continue King's work for the poor, Williams is well known in his own right as the founding president of one of the largest social services organizations in North America, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless. His famous motto was "Unbought and Unbossed."
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Ajamu Baraka
- Occupations
- human rights activistpolitician
- Biography
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Ajamu Sibeko Baraka is an American political activist. In 2016, he was the Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States on the ballot in 45 states and received 1,457,216 votes (1.07% of the popular vote).
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Fletcher Henderson
- Occupations
- pianistconductorjazz musicianbandleadercomposer
- Biography
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James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical arrangers and, along with Duke Ellington, is considered one of the most influential arrangers and bandleaders in jazz history. Henderson's influence was vast. He helped bridge the gap between the Dixieland and the swing eras. He was often known as "Smack" Henderson (because of smacking sounds he made with his lips).
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Don Cannon
- Occupations
- composermusic executivedisc jockeyrecord producer
- Biography
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Donald Cannon is an American DJ, record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Cannon is a co-founder of the Atlantic Records imprint, Generation Now. He was also a member of the prominent Atlanta mixtape collective, Aphilliates Music Group, with his long-time collaborator and fellow Generation Now founder, DJ Drama. Over the course of his career, Cannon has produced tracks and albums for artists like Jeezy, Logic, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, 50 Cent, and numerous others. He also served as the Vice President of A&R at Def Jam Recordings.
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Henry Ossian Flipper
- Occupations
- military officerengineer
- Biography
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Henry Ossian Flipper was an American soldier, engineer, former slave and in 1877, the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, earning a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He was also an author who wrote about scientific topics and his life experiences.
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Marva Collins
- Occupations
- teacher
- Biography
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Marva Delores Collins was an American educator. Collins is best known for creating Westside Preparatory School, a widely acclaimed private elementary school in the impoverished Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, which opened in 1975.
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Marilyn Strickland
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- Graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- mayorpolitician
- Biography
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Marilyn Strickland is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district. The district is based in the state capital of Olympia, and also includes much of eastern Tacoma.
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Major Owens
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- In 1957 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- bureaucratpoliticianlibrarian
- Biography
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Major Robert Odell Owens was an American politician and librarian who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007, representing the New York's 11th and then 12th congressional district. He was first elected to replace retiring Representative Shirley Chisholm. Owens shepherded the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 through the House. He retired at the end of his term in January 2007 and was succeeded by Yvette Clarke.
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Kenny Leon
- Occupations
- theatrical directorfilm directordirectortelevision directoractor
- Biography
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Kenny Leon is an American director, producer, actor, and author, notable for his work on Broadway, on television, and in regional theater. In 2014, he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for A Raisin in the Sun.
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Charlie Heat
- Occupations
- record producercomposer
- Biography
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Ernest Brown, professionally known as Charlie Heat, is an American record producer, songwriter and record executive. In 2015, he signed to Very Good Beats, a subsidiary of GOOD Music, which is run by Kanye West. Since making his debut into the mainstream music realm, Brown has worked with a wide array of artists such as Denzel Curry, Lil Uzi Vert, Tommy Genesis, Madonna, Ty Dolla Sign, Young Buck, Lecrae, Gucci Mane and Travis Scott among others. Charlie Heat is the only producer featured on the track list for the Kanye West album The Life of Pablo.
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Walter White
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- In 1916 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- journalistnovelisthuman rights activistessayist
- Biography
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Walter Francis White was an American civil rights activist who led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for a quarter of a century, from 1929 until 1955. He directed a broad program of legal challenges to racial segregation and disfranchisement. He was also a journalist, novelist, and essayist.
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Pinky Cole
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Aisha "Pinky" Cole is an American restaurateur. She is the owner and operator of Slutty Vegan, a plant-based burger restaurant chain in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2023, she was added to the Time magazine 100 Next list, recognizing individuals with an outsized influence on American culture.
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Amanda America Dickson
- Occupations
- socialite
- Biography
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Amanda America Dickson was an African-American socialite in Georgia who became known as one of the wealthiest African-American women of the 19th century after inheriting a large estate from her white planter father.
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Louis T. Wright
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- Studied in 1911
- Occupations
- surgeon
- Biography
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Louis Tompkins Wright, MD, FACS was an American surgeon and civil rights activist. In his position at Harlem Hospital he was the first African-American on the surgical staff of a non-segregated hospital in New York City. He was influential for his medical research as well as his efforts pushing for racial equality in medicine and involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which he served as chairman for nearly two decades.
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Alexander Jefferson
- Occupations
- military personnelaircraft pilot
- Biography
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Alexander Jefferson was an American Air Force officer, famous as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
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Lucy Craft Laney
- Occupations
- suffragisteducator
- Biography
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Lucy Craft Laney was an American educator who in 1883 founded the first school for black children in Augusta, Georgia. She was principal for 50 years of the Haines Institute for Industrial and Normal Education.
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Otis Johnson
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Otis Samuel Johnson is an American social worker, educator and politician from the U.S. state of Georgia who served as the Mayor of Savannah from 2004 until 2012. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Nikky Finney
- Occupations
- writerpoet
- Biography
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Nikky Finney is an American poet. She was the Guy Davenport Endowed Professor of English at the University of Kentucky for twenty years. In 2013, she accepted a position at the University of South Carolina as the John H. Bennett, Jr. Chair in Southern Letters and Literature. An alumna of Talladega College, and author of four books of poetry and a short-story cycle, Finney is an advocate for social justice and cultural preservation. Her honors include the 2011 National Book Award for her collection Head Off & Split.
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John Mack
- Occupations
- activist
- Biography
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John Wesley Mack was an American activist in the civil rights movement. He was the executive director of the National Urban League chapter in Flint, Michigan, from 1964 to 1969. He served as the president of its Los Angeles chapter from 1969 to 2005, and as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners from 2005 to 2013. He was an advocate for equal opportunities in education, law enforcement and economic empowerment for blacks and other minorities.
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Alexander B Cummings Jr
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Alexander Benedict Cummings Jr. is a Liberian politician, businessman and philanthropist. He is the Standard Bearer of Liberia's Alternative National Congress.
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Henry Lincoln Johnson Sr
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- Studied in 1888
- Occupations
- archivistlawyer
- Biography
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Henry Lincoln Johnson was an American attorney and politician from the state of Georgia. He is best remembered as one of the most prominent African-American Republicans of the first two decades of the 20th century and as a leader of the dominant black-and-tan faction of the Republican Party of Georgia. He was appointed by President William Howard Taft as Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, at the time regarded as the premier political patronage position reserved for black Americans, and one of four appointees known as Taft's "Black Cabinet".
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Evelyn G. Lowery
- Occupations
- activist
- Biography
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Evelyn Gibson Lowery was an American civil rights activist and leader.
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Richard R. Wright
- Occupations
- bankereducator
- Biography
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Richard Robert Wright Sr. was an American military officer, educator and college president, politician, civil rights advocate and banking entrepreneur. Among his many accomplishments, he founded a high school, a college, and a bank. He also founded the National Freedom Day Association in 1941.
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Marcia Jones
- Occupations
- professorartist
- Biography
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Marcia Jones is an American professor and contemporary artist, known for her multimedia and large-scale installation works.
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Charles Clinton Spaulding
- Years
- 1874-1952 (aged 78)
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Charles Clinton Spaulding was an American business leader. For close to thirty years, he presided over North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, which became America's largest black-owned business, with assets of over 40 million US$ at his death.
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Leslie B. McLemore
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Leslie-Burl McLemore is an American civil rights activist and political leader from Jackson, Mississippi. He served as interim mayor of Jackson following the death of Frank Melton on May 7, 2009 until the inauguration of re-elected mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. on July 3, 2009.
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Janaye Ingram
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in psychology
- Occupations
- beauty queenbeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Janaye Michelle Ingram is a political organizer from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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Mamie Locke
- Occupations
- politicianuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Mamie Evelyn Locke is an American politician and educator. A Democrat, she was a member of the Hampton, Virginia city council 1996–2004, and mayor 2000–2004. Since 2004, she has been a member of the Senate of Virginia from the 2nd district. She currently represents parts of the cities of Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth, plus part of York County. She is also Professor of Political Science and Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Hampton University.
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Billy McKinney
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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James Edward "Billy" McKinney was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. McKinney served as a Democrat in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1973 until 2003. He was also the father of former Georgia congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney.
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Adrienne McNeil Herndon
- Occupations
- architectstage actor
- Biography
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Adrienne Elizabeth McNeil Herndon was an actress, professor, and activist in Atlanta, Georgia. While admittedly an African American to friends and colleagues, she performed with the stage name Anne Du Bignon. She was one of the first African American faculty at Atlanta University, where she met W. E. B. Du Bois and subsequently worked with him. Herndon and Alonzo Herndon were an influential couple.
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Warren Elliot Henry
- Occupations
- physicist
- Biography
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Warren Elliot Henry was an American physicist, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his work in the fields of magnetism and superconductivity. He made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology and education, training and mentoring several generations of physicists.
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Terry Francois
- Years
- 1921-1989 (aged 68)
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- Graduated with master's degree in business management
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Terry A. Francois was an African American attorney, civil rights activist, and politician. He served as the San Francisco chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and became the first African American to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
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Elizabeth Duncan Koontz
- Occupations
- teachereducator
- Biography
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Elizabeth Duncan Koontz was a national figure in education, civil rights and the women's movement. She was the first African-American president of the National Education Association and director of the United States Department of Labor Women's Bureau.
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Edward A. Johnson
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Edward Austin Johnson was an attorney who became the first African-American member of the New York state legislature when he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1917.
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Joseph C. Carter
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Joseph C. Carter is a retired Brigadier General who was The Adjutant General (TAG) of the Massachusetts National Guard from 2007 - 2012. He is the former chief of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police. He currently lives in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts with his wife Rae, an Oak Bluffs School teacher, and his daughter Emily.
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Pernessa C. Seele
- Occupations
- immunologist
- Biography
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Pernessa C. Seele is an American immunologist and interfaith public health activist. Seele is the CEO and founder of Balm in Gilead, Inc., a religious-based organization that provides support to people with AIDS and their families, as well as working for prevention of HIV and AIDS. In 1989 she initiated the Harlem Week of Prayer, with 50 churches, synagogues and mosques participating. This became an annual event and organizing force for the religious community to respond to the AIDS crisis.
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LaRoche Jackson
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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LaRoche J. Jackson is a former American football defensive back. He played as a defensive back for Clark Atlanta University. He was signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Sharks in 2010, played for the championship Sharks team in 2011, and played for the Sharks throughout 2012. He signed with the Lakeland Raiders in 2013. On March 30, 2013, it was announced that he had signed with the Cleveland Gladiators. On April 22, 2015, Jackson returned to the Sharks. On April 27, 2017, Jackson was released by the Sharks. On May 16, 2017, Jackson was assigned to the Tampa Bay Storm. He signed with the Atlanta Havoc in December 2017. On March 5, 2019, Jackson returned to the AFL as he was assigned to the expansion Atlantic City Blackjacks.
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Tiona Nekkia McClodden
- Occupations
- visual artist
- Biography
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Tiona Nekkia McClodden is an interdisciplinary research-based conceptual artist, filmmaker and curator based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Augustus Granville Dill
- Years
- 1881-1956 (aged 75)
- Occupations
- human rights activisthistoriansocial workersociologist
- Biography
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Augustus Granville Dill was born in Portsmouth, Ohio. His parents were John Dill and Elizabeth Jackson. He received his B.A. from Atlanta University in 1906, received a second B.A. from Harvard in 1908, and received his M.A. in 1909 from Harvard.
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William H. Crogman
- Years
- 1841-1931 (aged 90)
- Occupations
- educatorclassical scholarclassical philologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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William H. Crogman was a pioneering African American educator and classicist at Clark University of Atlanta in the United States. The William H Crogman School in Atlanta is named for him.
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C. Hartley Grattan
- Occupations
- economisthistorian
- Biography
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Clinton Hartley Grattan was an American economic analyst, historian, critic, and professor emeritus, who was considered one of the leading American authorities on 20th-century Australian history.
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Butler R. Wilson
- Biography
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Butler Roland Wilson was an attorney, civil rights activist, and humanitarian based in Boston, Massachusetts. Born in Georgia, he came to Boston for law school and lived there for the remainder of his life. For over fifty years, he worked to combat racial discrimination in Massachusetts. He was one of the first African-American members of the American Bar Association. Wilson was a founding member and president of the Boston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
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Juan Logan
- Occupations
- university teacherartist
- Biography
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Juan Logan is an American artist from Nashville, Tennessee. His paintings, sculptures, and installations are reflective of his experiences of racial and institutional power structures in the South and prompt viewers to consider social responsibility.
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Harriet Mitchell Murphy
- Years
- Died in 2024
- Occupations
- judge
- Biography
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Harriet Mitchell Murphy was the first African-American woman appointed to a regular judgeship in Texas.
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LaShanda Korley
- Occupations
- scientist
- Biography
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LaShanda Teresa James Korley is a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science at the University of Delaware and an expert in soft matter, polymers, and nature-inspired materials. On a larger scale, Korley is also working on developing strategies and technologies to prevent plastic waste in landfills and oceans by upcycling plastic waste to more valuable products. She leads such efforts through the Center for Plastics Innovation, the Center for Research in Soft Matter and Polymers, and also the Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials. Korley was awarded the 2019 National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers Lloyd N. Ferguson Young Scientist Award for Excellence in Research.
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Silas X. Floyd
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Silas Xavier Floyd was an African-American educator, preacher, and journalist. Active in Augusta, Georgia, he was a writer and editor at the Augusta Sentinel and later wrote for the Augusta Chronicle. In 1892 he co-founded the Negro Press Association of Georgia. He was pastor at Augusta's Tabernacle Baptist Church and was a prominent agent of the International Sunday School Convention. He was also a public school principal and an officer of the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools.
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Dinah Watts Pace
- Occupations
- teacher
- Biography
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Dinah Watts Pace was an American educator who founded black schools in Covington, Georgia and later founded the Covington Colored Children's Orphanage, which she ran for over forty years. Raised as a slave, she received her diploma in education from Atlanta University and gained a nationwide reputation for her charitable work with orphans.
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Ardie Clark Halyard
- Years
- 1896-1989 (aged 93)
- Occupations
- bankerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Ardie A. Clark Halyard was a banker, activist and first woman president of the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
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Ellen Diggs
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- In 1933 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- anthropologist
- Biography
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Ellen Irene Diggs was an American anthropologist. She was the writer of a major contribution to African American history, Black Chronology: From 4,000 B.C. to the Abolition of the Slave Trade.
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Earl F. Hilliard
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- In 1970 graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Earl Frederick Hilliard is an American politician from the U.S. state of Alabama who served as the U.S. representative for the state's 7th district. He served in the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate. His son Earl Hilliard Jr. is also a politician.
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Josephine Dibble Murphy
- Biography
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Josephine Dibble Murphy was an American educator, community leader, and activist. She is best known for her exemplary community leadership in education and service, especially within the Atlanta branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the NAACP, and the Atlanta University Alumni Association. Josephine believed, "If there is to be any future to peace in the world all races must learn to live together with mutual respect each for the other".
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Reatha King
- Enrolled in Clark Atlanta University
- In 1958 graduated with Bachelor of Science in chemistry
- Occupations
- philanthropistuniversity teacherchemistbusinessperson
- Biography
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Reatha Belle Clark King is an American chemist, the former vice president of the General Mills Corporation; and the former president, executive director, and chairman of the board of trustees of the General Mills Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of General Mills, Inc.
