Gwendolyn Brooks

An outstanding poet through the 190s to the 1960s. Her book Annie Allen won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1950. She was the first African-American to win that award. She had a profound effect upon such writers as Amiri Baraka, Larry Neal, and Haki Madhubuti.

Madam C.J. Walker

Developed the hot comb and patented it in 1900. She once worked for Annie Malone since she was the first to develope hair care products for African Americans and a company. Madam C.J. Walker was accused of imitating Annie Malone's products. In her building there were barbershop, a beauty parlor, classrooms, an auditorium and other facilities which made it popular gathering place in St. Louis.

Pauli Murray

The first African-American woman to become an Episcopal priest. She participated in civil rights demonstrations of the 1940s in Washington, D.C. She was at the top of her class. Earned a Master of Divinity Degree and became a founding member of the National Organization for Women.

Mary Lou Williams

Began playing piano professionally. She begin arranging and composing music in the 1930s and concentrating on composing religious works. Mary also taught jazz composition at major colleges and universities which includes Duke University in Durham, NC. She died in 1981.

Maya Angelou

Born Marguerita Annie Johnson. She had a extraordinary and full life. She did not speak for five years after she was raped at the age of 8 by her mother's boyfriend. Her uncles murdered the man who raped her. She moved on to become a speaker, dancer, a journalist, an actress, a writer, and a teacher.

Zora Neale Hurston

She was one of the interesting figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Zora was born in Florida, the first black township that was incorporated. She finished high school in Baltimore and studied at Howard University and eventually graduated from Barnard College. She established herslef as a writer of ficition. She suffered several accidents in her life. After the accidents she wrote a few more things and died while financial difficulty at age 69.

Alice Moore Dunbar Nelson

Nationally recognized writer, literary critic, scholar, and teacher. She was interested in Creole culture. She worked to expand the awareness of all aspects of African-American culture. She went on to earn a master's degree from Cornell University as well as the University of Pennsylvania.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Was reared and education by her uncle who was a minister. Her first book was published in 1845. She worked in the antislavery movement and published a very popular poem. She was an activist for civil rights. She was a member of the American Woman Suffage Association and the National Council of Women.

Marita Bonner

She graduated from Radcliffe College. Marita excelled both as a writer and as a singer. She wrote essays, short stories, and plays. Her writings reflected the realities of African-American life.

Maria Stewart

The first African American woman that was a political writer. She first spoke to the New England Anti-Slavery Society on September 21, 1832, which was an audience of blacks and whites. Maria advocated education and economic opportunity for African-Americans. She recieved religious education as an orphan and servant girl. Basically she educated herself. She worked as a school teacherand then retired. She died in 1879.

John Langston

The first African -American who founded the Law Department at Howard University, where he was dean. He held a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia for a short time in 1890 after the House determined that his Democratic opponent had cheated in the election of 1888.

Charles Lennox Remond

Charles was a great orator his advocacy of ending slavery. He lectured on the injustices of slavery and returned to receive an address from the Irish people. He opposed the development of black organizations, preferring, and associations not based on or limited to race.

William Whipper

William Whipper believed in passive resistance and nonviolence, published "Address on Non-Resistance to offensive Aggression" in 1821. He was a mixed-raced successful entrepreneur and he operated a dry cleaning business as well as a grocery store while being a firm believer in temperance, education and economy for all people including blacks. William worked with Frederick Douglass to get President Andrew Johnson to extend civil rights to African-Americans, although they were unsuccessful. He wrote for other abolitionists and spent many thousands of dollars to help runaway enslaved blacks.

Richard Allen

Founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in 1816 when a group of black Methodists from independent churches in Northeastern cities came together after experiencing rejection. Richard was a deacon. The white Methodists tried to gain control of them, but the Pennsylvania supreme court. Other black Methodists came to form the AME church, then to place Allen as the first bishop. He was born into slavery and worked to buy his freedom. He was firm believer in outreach to the enslaved people of African descent in the United states and around the world.

Alexander Twilight

Alexander was born to a free black family in vermont and he was the first African American to graduated from Middlebury College before his outstanding career. He became a preacher in the presbyterian church, founded an academy, and served in the vermont state legislature.

James Forten

James was one of a group of African-Americans in Pennsylvania, in 1800, to submit an anti-slavery petition to the House of Representatives. He was a highly successful businessman and maker of sails, being worth $100,000.00 in 1832. James advocated womens' rights, the universal upliftment of blacks, and the moral as well as educational enhancement of blacks.

David Walker

David physically son of an enslaved black man and a free white woman in North Carolina. Because of his mother's status, he was free. He acquired an education and was an agent for the first African American newspaper, Freedom's journal, in 1827. David was a member of the General Colored Association while operating a used and new clothing business in the black community. He was the first black Nationalist beginning with speeches in 1828.

Denmark Vesey

Denmark Vesey was an enslaved black man who was born in Africa. He was eventually able to pay for his freedom. Vesey disliked the servile manner of many blacks towards whites. He organized an attack on Charleston, South Carolina in 1812. Followers were betrayed when an enslaved African-American revealed their plans to white planters. He was hanged for a revolt which never occurred.

Lemuel Haynes

Lemuel Haynes was a mixed individual. His mother was white and his father was African American. He never knew his father and his mother rejected him as a child. Lemuel received a common education like the children of the family. He studied and was ordained a congregationalist minster, the first black person to minister to a white congregation. Lemuel wrote that enslaved black people should recieve the same rights as white people. He also wrote a book titled Universal Salvation, A very Ancient Doctrine. Lemuel was the first African-American to recieve an honorary masters' degree, and that was from Middleburg College.

Paul Cuffee

Paul Cuffee was the first person to successfully transport black persons to freetown, Sierra Leone. He believed that returning blacks to Africa would convert other blacks there to christianity and encourage theimport and export of products. Paul distinguished himself further by getting goods beyond the British blockades of colonial ports. After the war he only staffed his ships with black sailors.

Random Thoughts

The Aspiring Eagles Program been okay so far. There are some issues that have occured. The program is a way to help freshmen students get started with college life. It does feel like boot camp because we have a bunch of rules. We have a schedule to follow from eight in the morning to ten at night. There is hardly no free time and when we do have free time its for a little bit of time.