Staff Writer
Alfred Struatt with baseball bat pose

Black Pioneers: Alfred “Slick” Surratt

Alfred “Slick” Surratt was a baseball player in the Negro Leagues in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Arkansas native was involved with the creation and development of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Missouri.

Al Bell headshot

Black Pioneers: Al Bell

Al Bell is considered the driving force behind Stax Records as a producer, songwriter and executive during the company’s most productive period.

Black Pioneers: Corliss Williamson

On this date in 2005, Corliss Williamson was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Sacramento Kings. Williamson is a retired NBA player from Arkansas.

Joyce Elise Williams Warren

Black Pioneers: Joyce Elise Williams Warren

On this date in 2011, Philander Smith College presented the Living Legends Award to Joyce Elise Williams Warren, the first Black female judge in the Pulaski County system and the first in Arkansas.

Image of Maya Angelou in an office setting

Black Pioneers: Maya Angelou

On this date in 2011, President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Maya Angelou, a bestselling author, poet and activist. 

Black Pioneers: George Edwin Taylor

George Edwin Taylor was the first African American standard-bearer of a national political party to run for the office of president of the United States.

Elliott C. van Zandt

Black Pioneers: Elliott C. van Zandt

After World War II, Elliott C. van Zandt remained in Europe and was critical in the development of national programs for several sports, especially basketball.

Image of Charles Green with teammate

Black Pioneers: Charles Edward Greene

On this date in 2010, the University of Nebraska published an article about Charles Greene’s kidney transplant. Greene was a track and field champion who won bronze and gold at the 1968 Olympic Games.