Those We Lost — June 5

Honoring those we lost on June 5 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary

Born October 9, 1823 — Died June 5, 1893

Title: Abolitionist, journalist, publisher, teacher, and lawyer

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a pioneering Black activist and one of the most important women in 19th-century abolitionist history. She became the first Black woman newspaper publisher in North America and used education, journalism, and law to fight slavery and racial injustice.

Elizabeth Jennings Graham

Born March 1827 — Died June 5, 1901

Title: Teacher, civil rights activist, and public transportation desegregation figure

Elizabeth Jennings Graham challenged segregation in New York City public transportation after being forced off a streetcar in 1854. Her successful legal case helped lead to the desegregation of New York City transit years before the better-known Montgomery bus boycott era.