Mathematician Floyd Leroy Williams was born on September 20, 1939 in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended his local schools, and in his senior year of high school, he was offered a scholarship to Lincoln University of Missouri to study music. Williams studied Classical Piano and … Read MoreFloyd Leroy Williams (1939- )
Memphis Minnie, known as the “Queen of the Blues,” was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her title stems from her legacy of successfully recording music across four decades as well as being the lone female voice in a male dominated blues scene. Memphis Minnie was … Read MoreMemphis Minnie (1887-1973)
Carol Channing was an Afro-European actress and performer. Channing was born in Seattle, Washington on January 31, 1921. She was the only child of Adelaide Glaser and George Christian (Stucker) Channing. Her father moved the family to San Francisco, California when Channing was two years … Read MoreCarol Elaine Channing (1921-2019)
Donald Walbridge “Don” Shirley was an American classical and jazz composer and pianist. Shirley was born on January 29, 1927, to Stella Gertrude Young and Edwin Samuel Shirley in Pensacola, Florida. His mother and father were Jamaican-born immigrants. Shirley was a prodigy, taught to play … Read MoreDon Shirley (1927-2013)
Pioneering black journalist Louis Lomax was born in Valdosta, Georgia on August 16, 1922 to parents Emanuel C. Smith and Sarah Louise Lomax. He attended Paine College in Augusta, Georiga where he was editor of the student newspaper. He graduated from Paine in 1942 at the age of 19. Lomax then entered graduate … Read MoreLouis Emanuel Lomax (1922-1970)
Darryl Dawkins (also known as Chocolate Thunder—a name music legend Stevie Wonder gave him), was born in Orlando, Florida, on January 11, 1957. Born to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins, he was raised by his grandmother, Amanda Celestine Jones, in Orlando where he attended Maynard … Read MoreDarryl Dawkins (1957-2015)
Kyrie Andrew Irving is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Cleveland (Ohio) Cavaliers. Since joining the NBA in 2011, Irving has established himself as one of the league’s elite point guards. His resume includes being a four-time … Read MoreKyrie Andrew Irving (1992- )
Entertainer Robert Allen “Bob” Cole, Jr. was born on July 1, 1868 in Athens, Georgia to his parents Robert Allen Cole, Sr. and Isabella Thomas Weldon. The Coles were well known in the Athens community, which boasted a robust African American community at the time. … Read MoreRobert “Bob” Cole, Jr. (1868-1911)
Image Ownership: Avi Loud/DomeCare Solutions Jonathan Moore, teacher, musician, entrepreneur, activist, and youth advocate, was born to Gwendolyn Jones and Jonny Moore in Seattle, Washington, on April 21, 1969. As a student at Roosevelt High School in the 1980s, Moore rented rooms at the Seattle … Read MoreJonathan Moore (1969-2017)
Born February 12, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio, Arsenio Hall is a comedian, talk show host, writer, producer, and actor. He hosted the late night show Arsenio Hall Show from 1989 to 1994. A Baptist preacher’s son, Hall he grew up in a poor East Cleveland … Read MoreArsenio Hall (1956- )
