From great leaders in the Civil Rights Movement to groundbreaking entrepreneurs and artists, a number of famous Black leaders have called Peoria home over the years. Do you know their names?
Annie Malone
Believed to be the first Black female millionaire, Annie Turnbo Malone was born in Metropolis in 1869 and came to live with an older sister in Peoria when she was orphaned. She attended Peoria Central High School, where her picture still hangs in honor of her status as a special alumnus, according to The Peorian.
With a talent for chemistry, Malone set about developing hair products for women of color, which she marketed to great success.
In the early 1900s, Malone started a hair and beauty school in St. Louis, which was one of the first colleges for Black women. Called Poro College after a West African word meaning “physical and spiritual growth,” the school employed hundreds of Black women and became a social center for the community.
Recent Comments