PRIVATE PRINCE AMES of African and Indigenous descent was enslaved by Captain Benjamin Ames of Andover, Massachusetts. He enlisted as a soldier in the American Revolution as a substitute for his enslaver and served as a Forgotten Patriot for nearly 70 months from 1777 to 1783. He and his wife raised ten children including daughters Eunice Ames Davis, a founding member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society and upon her death was noted as the oldest living female abolitionist in the nation and was a real daughter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her sister Lavina Ames Hilton was also active in the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. Her son is considered one of the first American men of African ancestry to join the Sons of the American Revolution.  

RHONDA BRACE  of the great state of Massachusetts. An independent scholar and the appointed historian for the Brace family lineage Participated in the first global conference on Slavery, Past, Present, and Future held at Mansfield College, Oxford University in England. Brace's work illuminates the persistent global struggle against slavery, focusing on her ancestor's transition from enslavement in West Africa to a Revolutionary War soldier, farmer, and abolitionist. Documented in "The Blind African Slave," his life story of capture and subsequent fight for freedom with the Continental Army highlights the Brace family's historical journey. She descends from Revolutionary War Forgotten Patriot Jeffrey Brace, Private, Connecticut Continental Regiment.

Courtesy: A'Lelia Bundles

A'LELIA BUNDLES of the great District of Columbia. An Emmy award-winning journalist, she authored On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, which was adapted into a Netflix series. She is the founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives, a former ABC News producer and executive, and National Archives Foundation chair emerita. She descends from Revolutionary War Forgotten Patriot Ishmael Roberts, Private, North Carolina Continental Regiment.

Courtesy: Yale University

JOSEPH LOUIS COOK or Akiatonharónkwen, posthumously of the great state of New York. A Forgotten Patriot of the American Revolution, attained the position of lieutenant colonel, becoming the Continental Army's most senior officer of both African American and Native American heritage. Born around 1736 to an African father and an Abenaki Native American mother, Cook was adopted by a Mohawk family after being captured during a raid. A Mohawk leader and warrior, he earned distinction in the French and Indian War. Post-war, he dedicated himself to Indigenous rights and land advocacy for the Mohawk and other Iroquois allies.  He passed away in 1786, celebrated for his bravery, leadership, and commitment to justice.

DR. SHIRLEY GREEN of the great state of Ohio. She is the author of Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence, a journey based on her family’s military service. She was able to put together the pieces of a family puzzle through archival research, interviews, and DNA evidence. In addition to providing context and substance to the Black experience during the war years, she underscores the significant distinction between free Blacks in military service and those who had been enslaved, and how they responded in different ways to the harsh realities of racism.

DENNIS LLOYD of the great state of Georgia. Founder of the Slave Legacy History Coalition to honor the history of enslaved individuals, highlighting his commitment to social justice. His lineage traces back to Darby Vassall, a notable abolitionist and key figure within Boston's free Black community, who was the son of Tony and Cuba, enslaved individuals owned by a family instrumental in the establishment of Harvard's law school. Alumni of Boston State College and postgraduate of Howard University, he showcased bravery as an Ariel-Assault Door Gunner in the Vietnam War, earning the Army Aircraft Crewman’s Wings. Lloyd contributed to the Boston Redevelopment Authority and The Boston Globe and engaged in property development. Active in The Historic Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Roxbury and Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta. 

Courtesy:
Library of Congress

PAUL ROBESON posthumously of the great state of  Pennsylvania. Known for his achievements in music as a bass-baritone singer, performances of spirituals and folk songs, as well as his work in theater and film, alongside a career in professional football and his active role in political advocacy. Born in 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey, Robeson excelled academically and athletically at Rutgers University before pursuing law at Columbia University.  Through roles in "Othello" and "The Emperor Jones," he challenged racial prejudices in American theater. Robeson also became a prominent civil rights and social justice advocate, fighting against racial discrimination, colonialism, and for workers' rights and global peace. Robeson's commitment to art and human rights crafted a legacy that inspires beyond his passing in 1976. He descends from Cyrus Bustill, known for his roles as a brewer, baker, abolitionist, and community leader.

PETER SALEM posthumously of the great state of Massachusetts. A Forgotten Patriot of the American Revolution, born into slavery around 1750 in Framingham, Massachusetts.  After being freed by Major Lawson Buckminster, he joined the Continental Army, playing a crucial role in battles like Bunker Hill, reputedly killing British Major John Pitcairn. He fought alongside other Black Minutemen in significant engagements such as Saratoga and Stony Point. Salem passed away in 1816, initially buried in a pauper's grave. In 1882, Framingham, Massachusetts commemorated his legacy with a monument, acknowledging his and other African Americans' pivotal roles in founding the nation.

PHILLIS WHEATLEY posthumously of the great state Massachusetts. Recognized as the first African American woman and only the third American woman to publish a book of poems The publication of "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral." brought her fame both in England and the American colonies. Wheatley was born in West Africa around 1753 and kidnapped to America. She was educated by her captors, mastering English, Latin, and Greek, and reading both classical and contemporary works.  Many of America's founding fathers, including George Washington, paid tribute to her, with Washington himself penning a letter to her.  Her legacy lives on as a cornerstone of American literature, representing the rise of an African American literary voice and the intricate connections between identity, race, and freedom in her time.