John Wesley Edward Bowen

John Wesley Edward Bowen (1855-1933) was born a slave in New Orleans. He was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Boston University and later became a Methodist minister. According to the New York Times, he was the featured speaker on “Negro Day” at the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta in 1895, the same event at which Booker T. Washington delivered his “Atlanta Compromise” address. In his speech, “An Appeal to the King,” Bowen asked if there was a place for blacks in America.