Diébédo Francis Kéré is a Burkinabe architect internationally known for his innovative, often sustainable, and collaborative work. He is the first African to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture. Kéré was born on April 10, 1965, in … Read MoreDiébédo Francis Kéré (1965- )
The first president of Sao Tome and Principe, two islands in the Gulf of Guinea, was Manuel Pinto da Costa. He was born in Agua Grande on Sao Tome Island on August 5, 1937. At that time Sao Tome and Principe was a Portuguese colony. … Read MoreManuel Pinto da Costa
(1937- )
Sylvanus Olympio was the first president of Togo and also served as prime minister. He was born on September 6, 1902, in Lome, Togoland, then a German colony. Olympio’s grandfather had emigrated from Brazil in the mid-19th century. Young Sylvanus was one of 30 children. … Read MoreSylvanus Olympio (1902-1963)
R&B singer, lyricist Ciara was born Ciara Princess Harris on October 25, 1985, in Austin, Texas, to Carlton Clay Harris of the US Army and Jackie Smith-Harris, a member of the US Air Force. Because of the demands of the military, however, the Harris family … Read MoreCiara/Ciara Princess Wilson (1985- )
American sociologist, social worker, and minister Richard Robert Wright Jr. was born on April 16, 1878, in Cuthbert, Georgia to Richard Robert Wright, Sr., who had been born into slavery but graduated from Atlanta University and founded the National Freedom Day Association. Wright’s mother, Lydia … Read MoreRichard Robert Wright Jr. (1878-1967)
Vincent “Slim 400” Cohran was a rapper. On June 21, 1988, Cohran was born to unnamed parents in Frankfurt, Germany. His father was stationed there while in the US Army. After Cochran’s birth, his father was transferred to the Los Angeles, California area. Cohran grew … Read MoreSlim 400/ Vincent Cohran (1988-2021)
Chris Dickerson, born Henri Christophe Dickerson, was the first African American to become Mr. America. He was born August 25, 1939, the youngest of triples, in Montgomery, Alabama. After his parents’ divorce, Dickerson entered a Quaker boarding school in Ohio, where he gained an interest … Read MoreChris Dickerson (1939-2021)
David Lubega “Lou Bega” Balemezi is a singer who is best known for his 1999 song “Mambo No.5 (A Little Bit of… ). Balemezi was born on April 13, 1975, to a Sicilian mother and a Ugandan father in Munich, Germany. After his parents separated, … Read MoreLou Bega/ David Lubega Balemezi (1975- )
Musician, songwriter, disc jockey, music journalist, film director, and drummer Ahmir Thompson, known as “Questlove,” was born January 20, 1971, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With his friend Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, he co-founded the hip-hop group the Roots. Since 2014, the Roots have been the in-house … Read MoreAhmir “Questlove” Thompson (1971- )
Hamilton Earl Holmes was the lesser-known of the Black duo who desegregated the University of Georgia in 1961. He was born July 8, 1941, in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of businessman Alfred Holmes and schoolteacher Isabella Holmes. A precocious, goal-driven youth, early on, he took … Read MoreHamilton Earl Holmes (1941-1995)
