Explore people and objects across Black history. Start anywhere, or follow the collection by date.
115,761 matching cards · 24 cards per page
1934–2022
Barbara J. Jacket (December 26, 1934 – January 6, 2022) was an American track and field coach. She was the women's track and field head coach for Prairie View A&M from 1965 to 1991. While with the university, Jacket won ten National Association of…
1938–2017
Barbara Jones-Hogu (April 17, 1938 – November 14, 2017) was an African-American artist best known for her work with the Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC) and for co-founding the artists' collective AfriCOBRA.
1936–1996
Jordan represented Texas in the U.S. House and gained national attention for her powerful testimony during the Watergate hearings.
Loading image…1967–
Barbara Krauthamer (born 1967) is an American historian specializing in African-American history. She was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University since 2023, until she stepped down on January 6, 2026. Prior to this, Krauthamer was…
Loading image…1946–
Barbara Jean Lee (née Tutt; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd mayor of Oakland since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Lee previously served as a U.S. representative from California from 1998 to 2025,…
1927–2012
Barbara Lett-Simmons (née Lett; June 4, 1927 – December 22, 2012) was an American politician and educator in Washington, D.C. A member of the district's Board of Education from 1974 to 1986, she was active in the Democratic Party. In 2000, she served as a…
Loading image…1942–
Barbara Lynn (born Barbara Lynn Ozen, later Barbara Lynn Cumby, January 16, 1942) is an American rhythm and blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. She is best known for her R&B chart-topping hit, "You'll Lose a Good Thing" (1962). In…
1939–2016
Barbara M. Clark (June 12, 1939 – February 22, 2016) represented New York State Assembly District 33, which comprises Bellerose, Cambria Heights, Hollis and St. Albans, among other neighborhoods located in Queens County, New York.
Loading image…1918–1983
Barbara Mae Watson (November 5, 1918 – February 18, 1983) was a lawyer, United States diplomat, the seventh Ambassador to Malaysia, and the first Black person and the first woman to serve as an Assistant Secretary of State.
1945–
Barbara McCullough (born 1945) is an American director, production manager and visual effects artist whose directorial works are associated with the Los Angeles School of Black independent filmmaking. She is best known for Water Ritual #1: An Urban Rite of…
Loading image…1954–
Barbara Anne McKinzie (born January 2, 1954) is an American accountant and executive. From 2006 to 2010 she was the twenty-seventh International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑΚΑ), the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by…
Loading image…1934–2007
Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades in television, film, and stage. McNair's professional career began in music during the late…
Biography
Barbara Mills, Baroness Mills of Greenwich is a British barrister. She is the first black woman elected as Chair of the Bar Council, in the 131-year history of the organisation, which represents the barristers in England and Wales. She was called to the…
1941–2020
Barbara Ann Neely (often self-stylized as BarbaraNeely; November 30, 1941 – March 2, 2020) was an African-American novelist, short story writer and activist who wrote murder mysteries. Her first novel, Blanche on the Lam (1992), introduced the protagonist…
Loading image…1989–
Barbara Udoezi Nwaba (born January 18, 1989) is an American track and field athlete who represents the Santa Barbara Track Club. Nwaba is known for the pentathlon and heptathlon. She is the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field champion in the heptathlon.
Biography
Barbara Rose Hatton (1940 or 1941 – November 3, 2025) was an American academic administrator. She served as the president of South Carolina State University from 1993 to 1995 and as the president of Knoxville College from 1997 to 2005. Hatton earned a…
Loading image…1939–2021
Barbara-Rose Collins (née Richardson; April 13, 1939 – November 4, 2021) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan and the first Black woman from Michigan to be elected to Congress.
1935–1991
Barbara Rose Johns Powell (March 6, 1935 – September 28, 1991) was a leader in the American civil rights movement. On April 23, 1951, at the age of 16, Powell led a student strike for equal education opportunities at R.R. Moton High School in Farmville,…
1942–
Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O. (born June 1, 1942) is an American physician, academic, and the first African-American woman to serve as dean of a U.S. medical school; she is also known as the sister of Diana Ross along with being the aunt of actress Tracee Ellis…
Loading image…1971–
Barbara Muhammad Sharief (born November 7, 1971) is an American politician and nurse who has served as a member of the Florida Senate since 2024. She previously served as a Broward County commissioner from 2010 to 2021, serving as mayor from 2013 to 2014,…
Loading image…1946–
Barbara Smith (born November 16, 1946) is an American lesbian feminist and socialist who has played a significant role in Black feminism in the United States. Since the early 1970s, she has been active as a scholar, activist, critic, lecturer, author, and…
1946–2015
Barbara "Robie" Smith (1946–2015) was an American activist from Chicago known for co-founding the Affinity Community Services foundation, a support group for Black lesbians, in 1995.
1937–2017
Barbara Smith Conrad (August 11, 1937 – May 22, 2017) was an American opera singer. A mezzo-soprano, she performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Nacional in Venezuela, and many others. She was also an educator, co-directing the…
1944–2014
Barbara Summers (September 6, 1944 – November 2014) was an American writer and educator who had also had a long and successful career as a fashion model, working for 17 years with Ford Models, one of America's top agencies. Her 1998 book, Skin Deep – the…
Biographies, museum objects and archive records are distinct card types. Every card links to its historical source.
