The following are short descriptions of the women and men who have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
Lana Michele Moorer is an American DJ, rapper, and actress best known under the stage name MC Lyte. Moorer was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 11, 1970, and by the age of twelve she began rapping using her book of poems and rhymes, … Read MoreMC Lyte/ Lana Moorer (1970- )
Lolita Shanté Gooden is an American rapper best known under the stage name Roxanne Shanté. Gooden was born on November 5, 1969 in Queens, New York. She grew up in the Queensbridge Projects, the largest public housing complex in North America. Gooden started rapping at … Read MoreRoxanne Shanté (1969- )
Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand is a Trinidadian American rapper who performs under the name Foxy Brown. Marchand was born on September 6, 1978 in New York City, New York. Her father, Keith Stahler, a welder, is of Afro-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian descent, and her mother, Judith … Read MoreInga Marchand (1978- )
Composer, librettist, and pianist Michael D. Raphael was born January 12, 1952, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Latham Hill, Sr., a factory worker, and Lillian Walton Hill, a trained social worker. His name at birth was Michael Hill. He grew up in the mostly Black town … Read MoreMichael Raphael (1952-2015)
Doxey Alphonso Lewis Alexander Wilkerson, communist, Marxist, professor, author, editor, and union leader, was born April 24, 1905 in Excelsior Springs, Missouri to Mattie L. Wilkerson of Kentucky (1884-1955) and Methodist minister Alphonso Wilkerson. A 1921 graduate of Sumner High School in Kansas City, Kansas, … Read MoreDoxey Wilkerson (1905-1993)
Robert “Black Rob” Ross was an American rapper formerly signed to the Bad Boy Records label and was best known for his hit single “Whoa!” Ross was born on July 12, 1969 in Buffalo, New York but he has kept many details about his early … Read MoreRobert Ross (1969-2021)
Melissa Viviane Jefferson is an American flutist, songwriter, rapper, and singer who performs under the name Lizzo. Jefferson was born in Detroit, Michigan on April 27, 1988 to Michael Jefferson and Shari Johnson-Jefferson. The family of five lived in Detroit until Jefferson was nine years … Read MoreLizzo (Melissa Jefferson) (1988- )
Melissa “Missy” Arnette Elliott, songwriter, rapper, and music producer, was born on July 1, 1971 to power company dispatcher Patricia Elliott and U.S. Marine Ronnie Elliott at Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia. Elliott had a troubled childhood while the family lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina. … Read MoreMissy Elliott (1971- )
James E. Stamps, one of five pivotal founders of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASALH), was born on March 6, 1890, in Marlin, Texas, to Perry A. Stamps and Mabel Myers, both born in slavery. He had two brothers and … Read MoreJames E. Stamps (1890-1972)
Lyric Contralto and songwriter Mickey Guyton was born in Arlington, Texas, on June 17, 1983, to Michael Eugene Guyton and Phyllis Ann Roddy. However, her name at birth was Candace Mycale Guyton, and she was the second child of four children. As a youth, she … Read MoreMickey Guyton (1983- )
