Nora Douglas Holt
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Nora Douglas Holt

Nora Douglas Holt was a scholar of music who composed more than 200 original pieces. She became the first black person to earn a Master of Music degree in the U.S.

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Paul Revere Williams
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Paul Revere Williams

Orphaned at a young age and discriminated against for the color of his skin, Paul Revere Williams became one of the most renowned architects in history.

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Jews and Black Schools
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Jews and Black Schools

When Adolph Hitler rose to power in 1933 and set Jewish Scholars in his sights, many American colleges and universities refused to employ them, but not historically black ones.

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Maggie Lena Walker
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Maggie Lena Walker

Maggie Lena Walker was among the foremost black business leaders of the early twentieth century. She also founded one of the longest-lived black-owned banks in U.S. history.

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Daniel Hale Williams
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Daniel Hale Williams

Daniel Hale Williams was a pioneer in the medical field. He opened the first black-owned hospital in the United States and, in 1893, performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries in the world.

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The Black Fives
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The Black Fives

While baseball had the Negro Leagues, amateur and professional basketball had the Black Fives, consisting of all-black teams that played the sport well before the NBA was formed and integrated.

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Rosa L. Dixon
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Rosa L. Dixon

Rosa L. Dixon spent nearly a lifetime as an educator. She rose to become an influential civic leader and educational reformer in Virginia.

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Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins
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Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins

Thomas Wiggins was a black composer and pianist who promoters billed as “Blind Tom.” While he could only speak a few words, he was likely an autistic savant given his extraordinary abilities and musical skills.

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Pullman Porters
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Pullman Porters

Beginning in 1867, George Pullman hired black Pullman porters to service white passengers traveling on U.S. railroads. While they endured racism and early economic oppression, Pullman porters managed to create a black middle class.

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Mary Ann Shadd
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Mary Ann Shadd

Mary Ann Shadd was a writer, educator, newspaper publisher, lawyer, abolitionist, and suffragist. Throughout her life, she advocated for equal rights and the abolition of slavery.

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