Those We Lost
Those We Lost — May 12
May
Honoring those we lost on May 12 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.
Oscar DePriest
Born March 9, 1871 — Died May 12, 1951
Field: Politics / Congress / Black Political Firsts
Oscar DePriest was the first Black person elected to Congress after Reconstruction and the first Black congressman from a northern state.
Why it matters: His career shows the shift of Black political power into northern urban centers during the early 20th century.
William Miles
Born April 18, 1931 — Died May 12, 2013
Field: Documentary Film / Black Historical Memory
William Miles was a documentary filmmaker known for preserving Black history on film.
Why it matters: His work matters because Black history must be documented, archived, and made visible to future generations.
Claudia B. Thomas
Born January 14, 1930 — Died May 12, 2018
Field: Medicine / Orthopedic Surgery / Black Women in Medicine
Claudia B. Thomas was one of the first Black women orthopedic surgeons in the United States.
Why it matters: Her life expands the Black women in medicine archive into a specialty that was especially difficult to enter.
Henry “Dickie” Marrow
Born January 7, 1947 — Died May 12, 1970
Field: Racial Violence / Civil Rights Memory / North Carolina
Henry Marrow was a Black Army veteran who was attacked on May 11 and died on May 12, 1970, in Oxford, North Carolina.
Why it matters: His death became a catalyst for protest and boycott, showing that racial violence and segregationist power continued after the major civil rights laws.
