The Negro and the elective franchise. A series of papers and a sermon

Among the first African Americans to graduate from Cornell, he later wrote searching, public-minded essays on Black citizenship and political rights at the turn of the 20th century.

Francis J. (Francis James) Grimké

1850–1937

Born in Charleston to an enslaved mother and a white father, he rose to become one of the most respected Black Presbyterian ministers of his time. His life joined faith, public leadership, and a steady fight for equal rights in Washington, D.C.

John Hope

1868–1936

A pioneering Black educator and activist, he helped shape higher education in Atlanta and argued for broad, ambitious learning at a time when opportunities for Black students were sharply limited.

A pioneer of fibre optics who also became a generous champion of students, he is remembered both for influential work in photonics and for scholarships that opened doors for others.

Kelly Miller

1863–1939

A pioneering Black intellectual of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he brought mathematics, sociology, and public debate together in a remarkably wide-ranging career. His writing and teaching made him a major voice in conversations about education, race, and social progress in America.