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African-American Virginians

African-Americans have contributed much to Virginia heritage and culture. The following are a few African-Americans with historic ties to Virginia.

Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington.
Maggie Walker
Maggie Walker
Dr. Edwin B. Henderson
Dr. E.B. Henderson
Douglas L. Wilder
L. Douglas Wilder
Tim Reid Tim Reid
Blair Underwood
Blair Underwood

Booker T. Washington – (1856-1915 ) Educator, Founder of Tuskegee Institute http://www.nps.gov/bowa/

Maggie L. Walker – (1864*-1934) Richmond; First woman bank president in America, Advocate of black women's rights http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/ biographies/walker-ml.html
http://www.nps.gov/ malw/home.htm
* A discovery in 2009 revealed bank records showing Walker's birth earlier than the widely believed 1867 date.

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson – (1878-1949) Richmond; Dancer, stage and screen actor in early 1900s http://www.kathleenacademy.com/ funzone/bojangls.html

Dr. Edwin B. Henderson - (1883-1977) Washington, DC, settled in Falls Church for more than 50 years; "Grandfather of Black Basketball;" Introduced basketball to African-Americans on a wide-scale, organized basis in 1904; Author of The Negro in Sports (1939); Principle organizer of the first rural branch of the NAACP
http://www.tinnerhill.org/history/

Roger Arliner Young - (1889-1964) Clifton Forge; Aoologist; The first African-American woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in zoology http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0800427.html

Ella Fitzgerald – (1917-96) Newport News; "The First Lady of Song;" Grammy Award-winning Jazz Singer http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/

Pearl Bailey – (1918-88) Newport News; Actress, Singer and Author; Tony Award (1967); Medal of Freedom Award (1988) http://www.norfolk.gov/WalkOfFame/Pearl_Bailey.asp

L. Douglas Wilder – (1931- ) Richmond; First elected African-American Governor in U.S. history http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/wilder.htm

Arthur Ashe – (1943-93) Richmond; Tennis player, writer, commentator; Wimbledon champion (1975); Medal of Freedom Award (1993) http://www.cmgww.com/sports/ashe/about/bio.htm
http://www.arthurashe.org

Tim Reid – (1944 - ) Norfolk; TV actor, director "WKRP in Cincinnati", "Simon & Simon", "Sister, Sister"
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005347/

Willie Lanier – (1945- ) Clover; Football player, Kansas City Chiefs (1967-77); member, pro football Hall of Fame (1986) http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=122

Spencer Christian – (1947- ) Charles City; TV weatherman for ABC's "Good Morning America" http://premierespeakers.com/spencer_christian/bio

Rita Dove – (1951- ) Akron, Ohio; Currently teaches at UVA; Common Wealth Award of Distinguised Service (2006); Duke Ellington Lifetime Acheivement Award (2001); U.S. Poet Laureate (1993-95), Pulitzer Prize winner (1987) http://people.virginia.edu/~rfd4b/

Moses Malone – (1955- ) Petersburg; basketball player; ABA Utah Stars, St. Louis Spirits (1974-76); NBA Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers (1976-95); NBA MVP (1979, '82, '83); named "One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History" (1996); member, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2001) http://www.nba.com/history/players/malonem_bio.html

Lawrence Taylor – (1959- ) Williamsburg; football player; Second Overall Draft Pick (NFL Draft, 1981), New York Giants (1981-93); member, pro football Hall of Fame (1999) http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=212

Bruce Smith – (1963- ) Norfolk; Football player; Outland Trophy winner at Virginia Tech (1984) , First Overall Draft Pick (NFL Draft, 1985), Buffalo Bills, Washington, Redskins; member, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (2005); member, College Football Hall of Fame (2006) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Smith

Blair Underwood – (1964- ) Tacoma, WA moved to different states before settling in Alexandria, VA; Actor, film and television credits include "Full Frontal," "Rules of Engagement," "City of Angels," "LAX," "L.A. Law;" NAACP Image Award Winner (1992, '95, '99, 2001) http://www.blairunderwood.com/bio.html

Pernell Whitaker – (1964- ) Norfolk; Boxer; Olympic Gold Medalist (1984); member, International Boxing Hall of Fame (2006) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pernell_Whitaker

Alonzo Mourning – (1970- ) Chesapeake; Basketball player; NBA Charlotte Hornets (1992-95), Miami Heat (1995-present); Olympic Gold Medalist (2000) http://amcharities.org/

Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-ah "Tiki" Barber - (1975- ) Roanoke; Football player, sports broadcaster, author; NFL New York Giants (1997-2006); NBC's "Today," "Football Night in America" and "Sunday Night Football" (2007-present); identical twin brother of "Ronde" Barber. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki_Barber

Jamael Orondι "Ronde" Barber - (1975- ) Roanoke; Football player, author; NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1997-present); Super Bowl XXXVII winner vs. Oakland Raiders (2003); identical twin brother of "Tiki" Barber. http://www.nfl.com/players/rondebarber/profile?id=BAR048197

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Last Updated: 2/4/2010 10:49:25 AM