Author: Tribune Staff

Singer Tina Turner, known as the “Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll, is from Nutbush, TN.  She began performing in 1957 with Ike Turner and launched her solo career in the 1980s. There is an museum honoring her at Exit 56 on Route 40. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Marjorie Lee Browne (1914 to 1979) was the third African American woman in the country in 1949 to earn a Ph.D in mathematics. She also won in 1929 the Memphis City Women’s Tennis Singles Championship. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Callie Guy House (1861 to 1928) led a movement for reparations for formerly enslaved people. She was born into slavery in 1861 in Rutherford County. She eventually became head of the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association which was chartered in 1898. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Mary Fields (1832 to 1914), also known as Stagecoach Mary and Black Mary, was born into slavery in Hickman County, TN. She was an American pioneer who was the first Black woman to become a U.S. postal service star route mail carrier. She delivered mail from Cascade, Montana to Saint Peter’s Mission from 1895 to 1903. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Bianca Nicole Belair, a professional wrestler signed with the WWE since 2016, was born in Knoxville. She performs on the SmackDown brand. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Comedian Leslie Jones, cast member and writer for Saturday Night Live from 2014 to 2019,  was born in Memphis. She starred in Ghostbusters in 2016 and in 2017 was named of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Mother Mary Magdalena Lewis Tate (1871 to 1930), born in Vanleer, TN., was an evangelist and the first American woman to serve as Bishop in a nationally recognized denomination. She also founded a Pentecostal denomination in 1903, the first founded by a woman. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Hulda Margaret Little-Frazier (1889-1983) was the first Black woman to pass the state of Tennessee nursing license exam in 1915. Most of her career was at Meharry medical College School of Nursing and the affiliated Hubbard Hospital.  Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

Julia Britton Hooks  (1852 to 1942) was known as the “Angel of Beale Street” in Memphis. She was a musician and educator known for working with youth and poor families. She was a charter member of the Memphis branch of the NAACP. Her grandson, Benjamin Hooks , was executive director of the NAACP from 1977 to 1992. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/

The Stone sisters were proprietors of the first Black-owned beauty parlor in downtown Nashville which operated from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The shop, run by three of the six sisters, was located at Sixth Avenue North and Union. They lived at 1613 Jefferson Street, across he street from Fisk University. Their mother was born enslaved and their father was a white wealthy planter from Maury County. Please make a donation to support the Black press and journalism produced by The TN Tribune by visiting https://tntribune.org/donate/