Allen, Eliza
c. 1840–1910 · Contribution: 1888
Only woman listed on the founding charter of the first chartered African American-owned bank in the United States
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Category
- Business & Misc.
Impact on the world
At a moment when both her race and her sex were barred from the machinery of American banking, Allen's name on that charter marks the documented beginning of Black women's participation in the U.S. financial system.
Sources
- Columbia University Press, Shennette Garrett-Scott, 'Banking on Freedom: Black Women in U.S. Finance before the New Deal' (2019). [Note: this peer-reviewed monograph remains the sole substantive independent source naming Allen
1 more sources and references are available to members.
More in Business & Misc.
Ajao, Adeyemi
1981–Present
Co-founded Base10 Partners, the first Black-led venture capital firm to manage over $1 billion in assets
Allen, Byron
1961-present
Built Allen Media Group from a single bartered celebrity-interview show into a multibillion-dollar media empire spanning broadcast television stations, cable networks, The Weather Channel, and a controlling stake in BuzzFeed, making him one of the wealthiest Black media owners in American history
Awotona, Tope
1981-
Founded Calendly, a widely used scheduling software platform
Baker, Henry E.
1857-1928
Compiled the first comprehensive list of African-American patent holders; published The Colored Inventor (1913)