Submission of Biographies

Western New York has venerable African American communities with roots firmly embedded in the history of the region.  African Americans were among the area's earliest settlers and were counted among the residents of newly incorporated cities and towns, for example Buffalo and Rochester.  As the metropolitan areas grew and developed, African American communities developed and established their own social structure, institutions and organizations.  African American women were and still are instrumental in community development.  Their contributions can be found in the parallel institutions, both religious and secular, the businesses, the arts, fraternal/charitable groups, and educational organizations founded to support the community.  Through advocacy, collaboration, and self-determination these women have been the community builders in the African American community.  Furthermore, the community at large has also benefited from their work. Too often, however, the contributions of these women have been unrecognized or unheralded and unfortunately, some have been forgotten.

The purpose of this project is to identify, collect information about and publicize the Biographies of the African American women of Western New York who have been identified as Uncrowned Queens: African-American Women Community Builders.  

• Submissions are not limited to deceased individuals. An individual may submit herself.
• Submissions must state as much information as possible about the individual, e.g. biographical background, nature of contribution/contributions, specific area for which person is being recognized, any additional corroborating information or documents.
• Submissions should identify specific area(s) of primary contribution, e.g. education, religion, advocacy, the arts, social service, volunteerism, community/political activism, or business.
• Submission of pictures or other documents are encouraged. 

The submission form and accompanying documents should be sent to:

Barbara A. Seals Nevergold, Ph.D.
Uncrowned Queens Institute for 
Research and Education on Women, Inc.
984 Parkside Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14216