Leonard Goodall was born in Warrensburg, Missouri on March 15, 1937. After high school he attended Central Missouri State College. He earned his master's at the University of Missouri and attended the University of Illinois for his doctorate in political science. After college, he taught at Arizona State University in the Political Science department. He then moved to the Univesity of Ilinois, Chicago starting out as an instructor, but eventually becoming a chancellor at the unviersity.

Audrey "June" Taylor Henry was born February 24, 1935. Her parents were members of the Brownskin Models, a touring carnival show in the mid-1930s. Audrey grew up in the care of nannies while her parents toured. She went to the New York School of Performing Arts and was a dancer. For a while, she sold black history books over the phone. Audrey earned undergraduate and master's degrees in education and counseling, and maintained a successful ten-year radio broadcast career.

Janie (Tobman) Moore is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada and the daughter of small business owners Herb and Jean Tobman. Janie Moore attended West Charleston Elementary, Hyde Park Junior High School, and Clark High School. After a semester at Arizona State University, Moore worked at the Stardust Hotel for many years, both as a cashier in Freddie's clothing store and for the chief of security.

Samuel E. Wright was born in Washington, D. C. He attended Howard University. Wright arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1979. Samuel E. Wright candidly discusses growing up during the 1960s racial riots and notes the influence of black activist Stokely Carmichael during that era. He attended Howard University and began a career in public transportation that eventually brought him to Los Angeles and then to Las Vegas with a personal invitation from Mayor Bill Briare.