You Should Know Their Names

 A lot of names come to mind when we think of people who have shaped New York City history --  John D. Rockefeller, Edith Wharton, and Robert Moses, for instance. But there are many names you might not know. And too many of those names belong to people of color. 

Do you know the name of the person who helped desegregate New York City public transportation? What about the person who helped invent the lightbulb with Thomas Edison?

Did you know that New York City was home to the first Black doctor in the United States? Do you know his name? 

In "You Should Know Their Names," we explore the remarkable stories of seven Black New Yorkers whose names we think you should know: 

• Jupiter Hammon
• James McCune Smith
• Elizabeth Jennings
• Lewis Latimer
• Gladys Bentley
• Arthur Mitchell
• Althea Gibson