SEPTIMA POINSETTE CLARK (1898 – 1987) “We are living now at a time when the question is: Who’s going to do it and when? — not whether it can be done.” Septima Poinsette Clark was an educator and civil rights leader whose citizenship schools helped drive one of the largest voter education initiatives for…
MIA LOVE (1975 – ) “My parents always told me, in order for people to see you as an equal, you need to act as an equal and be an equal, not make excuses for what you look like.” Congresswoman Mia Love, the U.S. Representative from Utah’s 4th Congressional District, became the first black…
MARIE ST. FLEUR (1962 – ) “We must shape our own destinies here. Power concedes to no one. You must go out and get it.” Marie St. Fleur was first elected to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1999, and is the first Haitian-born person elected to state office in the United…
MARIE FERDINAND-HARRIS (1978 – ) “I am a proud example of someone who had a tough upbringing but uses sports as a vehicle to win in life.” Marie Ferdinand-Harris, a 5’9 shooting guard, is the first Haitian American to play in the WNBA. A Miami native, Ferdinand-Harris led Miami Edison High School to a…
JOSEPHINE PREMICE (1926 – 2001) “At times, cultures that seem exotic are represented through gross exaggerations. My mission will be to clarify and reveal the truth about Haitian culture.” Josephine Premice was one of the premier stage actresses of the 1940s and 1950s. She appeared in numerous Broadway plays including Blue Holiday, Jamaica, A…
ELIZABETH CLARISSE LANGE (1784 – 1882) “She came to Baltimore in 1813…She saw a need in educating children of Caribbean immigrants and slaves, a practice which was illegal at that time.” – The Baltimore Sun Elizabeth Clarisse Lange founded the first school for black Catholic children in Baltimore, and she helped found the Oblate…
EDWIDGE DANTICAT (1969 – ) “Art is Haiti’s own ambassador—it can make its own path…Haiti’s more nuanced and complex face often comes across in its art.” Edwidge Danticat is an award-winning Haitian-American writer known for works such as Breath, Eyes, Memory, Krik? Krak! and The Dew Breaker, among others. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Danticat…
EDMONIA LEWIS (1844 – 1907) “That is what I tell my people whenever I meet them, that they must not be discouraged, but work ahead until the world is bound to respect them for what they have accomplished.” Edmonia Lewis was the first professional female sculptor of color to achieve success for her work.…
DR. ROSE MARIE TOUSSAINT (1956 – ) “When we are rejected in the world, we will recover only as we begin to realize that we must hold on to our sense of who we are and not be defeated by outside evaluations.” Dr. Rose-Marie Toussaint is a physician, author, and health and wellness guru.…