Shady Rest Golf and Country Club
1921-present · Contribution: 1921
First African American-owned and -operated golf and country club in the United States; a nine-hole course and cultural hub purchased and reorganized in 1921 by the Progressive Realty Company, a group of Black investors

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Category
- Business & Misc.
Impact on the world
Shady Rest gave Black America a country club of its own during segregation, a rare space where Black excellence in sport, music, and intellectual life could gather freely.
Sources
- BlackPast.org
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
Allen, Eliza
c. 1840–1910
Only woman listed on the founding charter of the first chartered African American-owned bank in the United States
Awotona, Tope
1981-
Founded Calendly, a widely used scheduling software platform