Known simply as “William,’ Carney was born into slavery in Norfolk, Virginia on Leap Day of 1840. At a young age, Carney was able to attend a secret school where he could learn to read and write because it was illegal in Virginia to educate slaves. He was a slave to a man named Major Carney. When his owner died, he was emancipated and moved to Bedford, Massachusetts. His goal was to become a minister.

In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which paved the way for blacks in the north to join in the Civil War. Carney put aside his aspirations in the ministry to help free the slaves. He joined the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry’s C Company. In the summer of 1863, they were sent to James Island, South Carolina.

On July 18, 1863, C Company saw its first action. After two days without much food or rest, the colored company made an assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. The black regiment charged the enemy under a fail of cannon and rifle fire. At the head of the 54th Infantry was Sergeant John Wall carrying the American flag. Suddenly, Wall was shot and Carney dropped his rifle and grabbed the flag before it hit the ground. Carney began carrying the colors in place of Sergeant Wall. Then, Carney was hit in the leg, but he kept upright and continued to carry the flag. Somehow, Carney entered the fort and planted the flag at the entrance. But to Carney’s surprise, he was standing all alone because all of the men in the advance were shot dead. He stood at the fort for 30 minutes while shots flew above him toward the Union line.

When the confederate troops realized he was standing next to the fort with the Union flag, they advanced toward him. Carney wrapped the flag around the staff and and took off down an embankment into the water. He held the flag above his head so that it would not touch the water. Carney was shot in the chest, the right arm and in the right leg again. Still, Carney carried the flag away from the enemy until he could reach the Union line.

When he safely reached the Union line, a member of the 100th New York said that he would take the flag for Carney. Carney refused, saying, “No one but a member of the 54th should carry the colors.” The Union line began to retreat, and Carney continued to carry the flag. Suddenly, a bullet grazed his head, but Carney refused to fall. When Carney and the remaining men finally reached safety, he was met with cheers and congratulations. Before collapsing, he said, “Boys, I only did my duty… the flag never touched the ground.”

Carney was discharged from the Army because of the severity of his wounds. He was given no medal or citation after the war. He never became a minister. Instead, he became a mail carrier and a messenger. It was not until May 23, 1900 when Carney was award the nation’s highest award, the Medal of Honor. Despite many African-Americans serving with honor during the Civil War as well as numerous Indian campaigns, Sergeant Carney was the first to receive this honor. His service and his heroism made Carney a truly great American.

Emma Ophelia DeVore was born in 1922 in Edgefield, South Carolina. She was educated in segregated schools, but her parents paid for education in piano, dance, and refinement. At the age of 11, she was sent to New York City to live with an aunt. After high school, she went to New York University and received a B.S. in mathematics.

While in high school and college, Ophelia modeled in New York. She enrolled in the Vogue School of Modeling. While in the school, she noticed that other modeling candidates were turned away because they were black. It was then that she realized that the school did not know she was black on account of her fair skin. After her training, she picked up several modeling jobs. When Ebony Magazine began publishing in 1945, she found steady work with them. She was also married in 1941 to Harold Carter and they went on to have five children.

In 1946, she and several of her friends started the Grace del Marco Agency to promote non-white models. Two years later, she started a charm school. Her agency was able to place black models into mainstream publications such as Life Magazine and the New York Times. Some of the models in her agency when on to star on broadway, television as well as the covers of various magazines. She found even more success in France with her agency.

Throughout her life, DeVore was an activist for inclusion of blacks into the mainstream. She was considered a pioneer of the “Black is Beautiful” movement of the 1960s. She received over 200 awards throughout her career in changed the perception of blacks in American. Her contributions to the fashion industry and the inclusion of blacks in mainstream culture made her a great American.