Denyce Graves is a renowned mezzo-soprano opera singer. She has performed at opera houses around the world and is best known for her roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. Denyce Graves was born on March 7, 1964 to parents Charles Graves and Dorothy Graves-Kenner in Washington D.C. She was raised by her … Read MoreDenyce Graves (1964- )
Dr. Isiaah Crawford is the 14th, and current, president of University of Puget Sound, a prestigious liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington. He was selected on February 26, 2016, and assumed the presidency on July 1 of that year, succeeding President Ronald R. Thomas, who retired after 13 … Read MoreIsiaah Crawford (1960- )
Due to his dedication to battling social injustices and racism throughout the United States, DeRay Mckesson has emerged as a key 21st century civil rights activist and educator. His documentation of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri following the unjust murder of Michael Brown in 2014 solidified his role as a leader in the national Black Lives … Read MoreDeRay Mckesson (1985- )
Nationally acclaimed poet Tyehimba Jess was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1965. His father worked in the City’s Department of Health and served as vice president of Detroit’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). His mother was a teacher and a nurse who founded a nursing school … Read MoreTyehimba Jess (1965- )
Billy Daye is one of the most influential role models for African Americans in lacrosse. He began his freshman year at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1989, playing in the 1990 spring season. He was one of the first black lacrosse players in the newly-founded … Read MoreBill Daye (1981- )
India Arie is a four-time Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She has sold over 10 million records worldwide. Arie was born in Denver, Colorado on October 3, 1975 to parents Joyce and Ralph Simpson. When she was 13, her parents divorced and Arie moved with her … Read MoreIndia Arie/India Arie Simpson (1975- )
Lisette Titre is an American video game artist and designer best known for her work as an artist for Electronic Arts. Little is known about her personal life beyond the fact that she was born in 1977. Titre graduated magna cum laude from the Miami International University of Art and … Read MoreLisette Titre (1977- )
Ryan Kyle Coogler is an American director and screenwriter. At the 2013 Sundance film festival he received the prize for best Dramatic film for Fruitvale Station (2013), and his most recent film, Black Panther (2018), is the highest-grossing film by a black director. Born on May 18, 1986 in Oakland, California to Joselyn and Ira Coogler, … Read MoreRyan Kyle Coogler (1986- )
Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known as R. Kelly, is an R&B singer, songwriter, and producer who is best known for his hit song “I Believe I Can Fly.” Kelly was born on January 8, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois to Joanne Kelly. R. Kelly is the third of four children … Read MoreRobert Sylvester Kelly / “R. Kelly” (1967- )
Rachel Megan Markle was born on August 4, 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Her African American mother Doria Ragland was a social worker and yoga instructor, and her Caucasian father Thomas Markle Sr., is a retired television director of lighting and photography. The couple divorced … Read MoreRachel Megan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex (1981- )
