Alabama

Hurston (1891-1960) was a novelist, poet, anthropologist, and folklorist who documented life across the African diaspora and stood as a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Her work focused on Black cultural traditions, spirituality, and the vibrant dynamics of Black communities across the Americas. Her most well known works were Their Eyes Were Watching God, Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica, and Mules and Men.

Civil Rights

Gilmore (1920-1990) was a midwife, cook, founder of The Club from Nowhere, and an unsung heroine of the Civil Rights Movement.

When state trooper James Fowler shot and killed deacon Jimmie Lee Jackson during a peaceful protest in Marion, Alabama, Civil Rights leaders responded by organizing the Selma to Montgomery march for Sunday, March 7, 1965. Key organizers included Amelia Boynton Robinson, Marie Foster, Annie Lee Cooper, SNCC leaders Diane Nash and John Lewis, and SCLC's Hosea Williams. The March 7th protest aimed to challenge voter suppression tactics including literacy tests, poll taxes, police brutality, and other systematic barriers preventing Black citizens from registering to vote and voting.

Entrepreneur in fashion, journalism, and beauty. Founder of Ebony Fashion Fair Tour, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, and Ebony and Jet Magazine and The Negro Digest.

Physician, NASA Astronaut, Author, Chemical Engineer, avid Star Trek fan, and the first Black woman to travel into Space, flight STS-47, Spacelab-J.

Rice (1954) is an American diplomat, civil servant, professor, and part-owner of the Denver Broncos. She served as the 66th U.S. Secretary of State (2005-2009), making her the second woman in U.S. history to serve in this role. She also served as the 19th U.S. National Security Advisor (2001-2005), becoming the first woman to hold this position. Both of these positions were held during the administration of President George W. Bush. Throughout her career, Rice has made significant contributions to American foreign policy and national security, while also maintaining a strong presence in academia as a professor and director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

(1926-1984)