American Olympic athlete Rafer Johnson was born on August 18, 1935 in Hillsboro, Texas to parents Lewis Johnson and Alma Gibson Johnson. When he was around nine years old, the family moved from Texas to Kingsburg, California. He attended Kingsburg High School where he was part of the football, basketball, baseball, … Read MoreRafer Johnson (1935-2020)
Buddy Catlett was a solo jazz multi-instrumentalist but is known for playing the bass. Catlett was born in Long Beach, California on May 13, 1933. He moved to Seattle, Washington when he was three years old and lived there most of his life. He came from a family of pioneers, his grandfather, … Read MoreGeorge James (“Buddy”) Catlett (1933-2014)
Born in Jamaica in 1935, Dorrel Dixon began weightlifting in his teens which slowly became his introduction into the realm of athletics. Through weightlifting, Dixon widened his physical stature. His physique and strength led him to win his first accolade as Mr. Jamaica in 1954. Later in the … Read MoreDory Dixon (1935- )
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese–Haitian professional tennis player. She is most famous for her upset victory over Serena Williams in the U.S. Open on September 8, 2018. Beginning her professional career in 2013, Osaka has made many significant achievements. In 2018, Osaka reached her highest singles world ranking as number … Read MoreNaomi Osaka (1997- )
Political activist Reverend Mineo Katagiri was born in Haleiwa, Hawaii on August 1, 1919. He graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1941 and then earned his theological degree from the Union Theological Seminary in New York City, New York in 1944. He was ordained in 1945 and was a minister … Read MoreRev. Mineo Katagiri (1919-2005)
In June of 1932, poet Langston Hughes, political activist Louise Thompson, and 22 other African American artists, filmmakers, and actors, traveled to the Soviet Union (USSR) to create a film about African American life in the American south. The film, aptly titled Black and White, was to focus on the many examples of racial discrimination … Read MoreLangston Hughes’ Visit to the Soviet Union (1932-1933)
Flemmie Kittrell was born on December 25, 1904 to James and Alice Kittrell in Henderson, North Carolina. Kittrell attended Hampton Institution in Virginia (which has since changed to Hampton University) and received her bachelors of science in 1928. Kittrell’s undergraduate degree was in home economics and after encouragement from her professors, Kittrell enrolled … Read MoreFlemmie Pansy Kittrell (1904-1980)
Major General Marcelite J. Harris of the U.S. Air Force was born on January 16, 1943 in Houston, Texas to Cecil O’Neal Jordan and Marcelite Terrill Jordan, Harris grew up in Houston and graduated from Kashmere High School in 1960 before enrolling at Spelman College where she earned a bachelors in … Read MoreMarcelite J. Harris (1943- )
Lieutenant General James Reginald Hall, Jr. was born in Anniston, Alabama in 1937. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, studying political science. James also pursued a second degree in public administration, from Shippensburg College in Pennsylvania. Following graduation in 1957, Hall joined the United … Read MoreJames Reginald Hall, Jr. (1937- )
Army General Arthur James Gregg was born on May 11, 1928 near Florence, South Carolina. He obtained his elementary education in South Carolina, but moved to Newport News, Virginia during high school where he observed the military lifestyle. After graduating from high school, Gregg went to Chicago, Illinois to obtain … Read MoreArthur James Gregg (1928- )
