Government-Local-City Council
Bil Moss (1932- )
Bil Moss, in 1975, was the first woman of color to win a Tacoma councilmanic primary election. Although she lost...
Victorine Quille Adams (1912-2006)
Victorine Quille Adams was a Baltimore Public School teacher, business manager of the Charm Center, founder of the Colored Women’s...
Allegra “Happy” Haynes (1953- )
Allegra “Happy” Haynes was born on March 4th, 1953. Her nickname, Happy, comes from the Spanish translation of her first...
William Peyton Hubbard (1842-1935)
William P. Hubbard was the first the person of African descent elected to office in a major Canadian city. Hubbard...
Martha and the Vandellas (1960-1974)
Martha Reeves, one of Ruby and Elijah Reeves’s eleven children, was born in Eufaula, Alabama on July 18, 1941. Before...
Lyman S. Parks (1917-2009)
Lyman S. Parks was the first African American mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving in the role from 1971 to...
Marielle Franco (1979-2018)
Marielle Franco was a Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) city councilmember, and member of the Party for Socialism and Liberty. She was also a...
Severiano de Heredia (1836-1901)
The first mayor of African descent of a major European city, Severiano de Heredia, was born in Havana, Cuba, on November 8, 1836. He was the son...
Melvin Carter (1979- )
Thirty-eight-year old politician Melvin Carter III was born in 1979 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is the first African American to serve as...
