Lewis Chitengwa was a Zimbabwean golfer who, in 1993, became the first black person to win the South African Amateur Championship. Chitengwa was born on January 25, 1975, to Lewis Muridzo and an unnamed mother in Harare, Zimbabwe. Chitengwa’s father was an accomplished golf professional … Read MoreLewis Chitengwa (1975-2001)
Mance Lipscomb was a blues singer, guitarist, and songster, born Beau De Glen Lipscomb on April 9, 1895, to an African American father and an African American and Native-American mother in Navasota, Texas. Lipscomb’s father left the family when he was a young child, resulting in … Read MoreMance Lipscomb (1895-1976)
Steven Anthony Davis was a prominent business leader, a former chairman, and CEO of Bob Evans Farms Inc. from 2006 until 2014. Davis was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Dolores and Henry Joseph Davis on June 8, 1958. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin- … Read MoreSteven Anthony Davis (1958-2022)
Richard Allen Tucker, born on February 13, 1850, was an ordained minister, educator, and poet. He was the son of Reverend Lewis Tucker, the first African-American ordained Baptist minister in the City and Elizabeth “Betsey” Hunter, a seamstress. Richard’s parents were free Blacks before the … Read MoreRichard Allen Tucker (1850-1924)
Twelve-time GRAMMY-winning composer, conductor, librettist, and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter was born on August 25, 1933, in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were Joseph Wayne Shorter, a a welder for the Singer sewing machine company, and Louise Shorter, a seamstress with furriers. They also had … Read MoreWayne Shorter (1933-2023)
Freddie Stowers, recognized posthumously for his heroism and bravery during the decisive Hundred Days Offensive in France in 1918, was the first Black soldier awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S military decoration, for serving during World War I. Born on January 12, 1896, … Read MoreFreddie Stowers (1896-1918)
Black advertising pioneer Thomas J. Burrell was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 18, 1939. His parents had both migrated from the South. His father owned buildings and a blues tavern; his mother ran a beauty shop out of their home. Burrell grew up on … Read MoreThomas J. Burrell (1939- )
Peter Crosby was born in 1844 and lived twenty years in Clark County, Mississippi. He moved to Vicksburg in 1864 and enlisted at the age of 20 where he became a member of the US Colored Troops in Company C, 5th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. … Read MorePeter Crosby (1844-1884)
Sheriff Eric Fagan, a 30-year Fort Bend County resident, was elected on November 3, 2020, as the Sheriff of the County. On January 1, 2021, Fagan became the 45th Sheriff of Fort Bend County, Texas and the first African American to serve in the position … Read MoreEric Fagan
John Haywood Baker Jr. was elected Sheriff of Wake County, North Carolina in 1978. A former professional football player, with his election he would become the first African American sheriff elected in the in the state since the Reconstruction Era, Baker held the office for … Read MoreJohn H. Baker Jr. (1935-2007)
