Delany was as an abolitionist, journalist, writer and medical doctor. He was also among the earliest black nationalists and was one of the most vocal of voices during the Civil War era. He was a leading in recruiting African American men to join the USCT. He was given the rank of major for a field unit in the U.S. Army by Abraham Lincoln. Delany became the first black man to achieve such rank. A historical marker for Delany is at 5PPG Place, 3rd Avenue and Market, Pittsburgh.

A well-known equal rights activist, public speaker and writer, Harper is now known to be the most prolific writer of the 19th Century. She was one of the most prominent women during this period. Her writings appeared often as serials in African American publication like the Christian Recorder and the Anglo-African Magazine. An ally and friend of William Still, Harper aided his Underground Railroad efforts and also worked as an educator among the freedmen during Reconstruction. In 1866, she delivered a powerful speech at the National Women's Rights Convention, along with Lucretia Mott. A historical marker is at her...