JOHN HOPE

John Hope was an African-American civil rights activist who spent the bulk of his life trying to reform discriminatory policies of federally funded organizations. He began his career as an educator whose philosophy was to demand access to higher education learning opportunities for blacks. He became Morehouse College’s first black President and was able to create institutional policies that increased minority enrollment. Hope solidified his activist reputation by being the only college president to participate in the Niagra Movement in 1906. He was also on hand one year later when the NAACP was created. Throughout his varied career, Hope continued to work to increase the educational opportunities for blacks by serving as president of Atlanta Baptist College and the Atlanta University. Along with these responsibilities, Hope lobbied the YMCA to create new, more racially inclusive programming. John Black died in 1936.

LESTER GRANGER

Lester Granger was an African American civic leader who organized the Los Angels chapter of the NUL. In 1934, he led the organization efforts to promote trade unionism among African American workers and challenge racism by employers and labor organizations. In 1940, Granger became the NUL’s assistant executive secretary in charge of industrial relations. When the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950 began, and insistence on a more aggressive approach became the norm, Granger insisted that the NUL continue its strategy of “education and persuasion,” a position that prevailed. He remained a leading figure over the years in social work, serving as president of the National Conference of Social Work in 1952. Granger died in 1976.

AMY GARVEY

The first wife of Marcus Garvey, Amy Garvey went on too distinguish herself in a life of activism that riled that of her more famous husband. Her career started as a teenager with her work in the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). She became one of the founding members of the UNIA, and played a central role in its organization. After her marriage to Marcus Garvey, she became director of the Black Star Line. She also helped to establish the newspaper Negro World and sold it on the streets to help promote its readership. After she was divorced in 1922, she traveled extensively, but continued to take a keen interest in social welfare, politics and the cultural life in the countries in which she lived. In 1924, Garvey worked with many prominent West Africans in founding a Nigerian Progress Union. Amy Garvey died in 1969.