by larry | Oct 11, 2022
Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) became the first African American woman to earn an international pilot’s license in 1921. Her flying stunts earned her the title of “Queen Bess.” Bessie Coleman was inducted into the Illinois Black Hall of Fame in the Inaugural Class of...
by larry | Oct 11, 2022
Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone (1869-1957) A chemist and entrepreneur, Annie Turnbo Malone became a millionaire by successfully developing and marketing hair products for black women in St. Louis. She used her wealth to promote the advancement of African Americans and...
by larry | Oct 11, 2022
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931) is credited with performing the first successful open-heart surgery. In 1891 he became the first African American to establish a hospital in the United States, Chicago’s Provident Hospital. Illinois Connections: A Chicago resident...
by larry | Oct 11, 2022
Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was the first Black female writer to document...
by larry | Oct 11, 2022
Ida Gray Nelson (1855-1905), was the first Black Woman to receive a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Michigan Dental School. Illinois Connections: Ida Rollins Nelson was the first African-American woman dentist in Chicago.
