Stafford Fitzgerald Haney, an international businessman and diplomat, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 3, 1969, but grew up in Naperville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He graduated from Central High School in Naperville and then attended the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where … Read MoreStafford Fitzgerald Haney (1969- )
Crystal Nix-Hines is an attorney, screenwriter, producer, and diplomat who was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on August 23, 1963. Her father, Theophilus R. Nix Sr., was the second African American attorney admitted to the Delaware bar, and her mother, Dr. Lulu Mae Nix, was the … Read MoreCrystal Nix-Hines (1963- )
The 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry was a Union Army cavalry regiment during the Civil War. The cavalry regiment was organized at Camp Meigs, Readville, Massachusetts, during the Fall of 1863. On January 9, 1864, Company A was mustered into service, and by May … Read More5th Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment (1864-1865)
Fani Taifa Willis is the first Black woman to hold the office of District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia. Willis was born on October 27, 1971, in Inglewood, California, and raised by her father, John Clifford Floyd III, in Washington, D.C. Learning at the feet … Read MoreFani Willis (1971- )
Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr. is currently the baseball manager of the Houston Astros and a former major league player. Baker was born on June 15, 1949, to Johnnie B. Baker Sr. and Christine Baker in Riverside, California. Growing up, Baker played various sports, including … Read MoreJohnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr. (1949- )
Orchestral pianist, violinist, conductor, composer, and arranger of the Swing to Bebop eras, Teddy Wilson was born Theodore Shaw Wilson on November 24, 1912, in Austin, Texas. He and his brother Gus Wilson, however, were reared on the campus of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), … Read MoreTeddy Wilson (1912-1986)
The case of the Jena Six exposed racial injustice and inequality following an incident involving six male African American teenagers. The arrest of the students, all enrolled at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana, ignited a national movement to address longstanding injustices in what has … Read MoreJena Six (2006)
Deion Luwynn Sanders is a college football coach, former professional football player, and baseball player. Sanders was born on August 9, 1967, to Connie and Mims Sanders in Fort Myers, Florida. Sanders’s parents divorced when he was two years old, and his mother married Willie … Read MoreDeion Luwynn Sanders (1967- )
Chuck Leonard, a pioneering disk jockey known for his rich, smooth voice, was born Charles Wesley Leonard in Chicago, Illinois, on March 30, 1937, to Alma Leonard and Charles Leon. Chuck graduated from Hyde Park High School with honors in 1955, where he ran on … Read MoreChuck Leonard (1937-2004)
Sultry, soulful vocalist, lyricist, composer, actor, and activist Oleta Adams was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 4, 1953, and began piano lessons at seven. When she was 11, her family moved to Yakima, Washington, where she sang in the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church choir, … Read MoreOleta Adams (1953- )
