Ruth Simmons (1945- )

Ruth Simmons (1945- )

Ruth Simmons is the first African American to be named President of an Ivy League university.  She is also the first African American woman to lead any major university in the United States. Simmons was sworn in as the 18th President of Brown University in autumn 2001...
Pam Grier (1949- )

Pam Grier (1949- )

Actress Pam Grier is best known for her portrayal of tough and sexy crimefighters in the 1970s genre of “blaxploitation” films. Her later work in the 1998 film Jackie Brown earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Pamela Suzette Grier was born in Winston-Salem, North...
Jackie Robinson (1919-1972)

Jackie Robinson (1919-1972)

When Jack Roosevelt (Jackie) Robinson took the field on April 15, 1947 wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform, he became the first African American in over fifty years to play on a major league baseball team. In the process, he broke through baseball’s color line that had...