Samuel Eberhart Strickland

From humble roots in Oglethorpe County, Samuel's legacy grew deep like the fields he once plowed — grounded in hard work, family, and Southern soil

Dinah Hawkins

Dinah Hawkins was born into bondage in 1861 and rose to become a symbol of resilience and generational strength. From her childhood in the cotton fields of postwar Georgia to her later years as a matriarch in Michigan, Dinah endured the brutality of slavery.

Caroline Adeline Payne

Anne Sorrow

James Samuel King

Owning land during this period was a monumental achievement for an African American man, particularly in the deeply segregated South… the soil on which he had once toiled as a slave now became a place of refuge and promise for his family.

Theodore Joseph "Ted" Davenport Sr

Ted was the backbone of a large and thriving family, working hard his entire life to give his children a better future

Bernice Alexander

From Chicago’s South Side to the Michigan State Capitol, she rose from drugstore clerk to civil rights trailblazer—shattering racial barriers, raising twelve children, and becoming the first Equal Employment Opportunity Officer in the state. A true matriarch of justice and resilience.

Lucy