Though Roosevelt Grier is most known for his All-Pro football career with the New York Giants and Los Angeles (California) Rams, he has become associated with many other ventures. Grier’s more than half century of being in the public eye has included writing, acting, singing, ministry, and politics. Roosevelt “Rosey” Grier was born … Read MoreRoosevelt “Rosey” Grier (1932- )
Joe Tex was an American rhythm and blues singer who was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He is most famous for his hits “Hold On To What You’ve Got” (1965), “Skinny Legs and All” (1967), “I Gotcha” (1972), and “Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big … Read MoreJoe Tex (1935-1982)
Carl Brewer served as the 100th Mayor of Wichita, Kansas, only the second African American elected to that office. Brewer was born on March 8, 1957 in Wichita, Kansas. He attended Wichita North High school, and graduated in 1975. He obtained his first job at … Read MoreCarl Brewer (1957-2020)
Kevin Maurice Johnson served as Mayor of Sacramento, California, from December 2, 2008 to December 13, 2016. Johnson, the son of Georgia West and Lawrence Johnson, was born in California’s capital city on March 4, 1966. He graduated from Sacramento High School, where he led … Read MoreKevin Maurice Johnson (1966- )
Danny Lyon Scarborough made his mark in the world in two arenas, as an innovative, Emmy Award-winning choreographer/dancer and as one of the first well-known African Americans to go public about having AIDS. Born on July 27, 1947, he grew up on a farm near Wake Forest, North … Read MoreDanny Scarborough (1947-1989)
Robert James Hutton, also known as Bobby or Lil’ Bobby, was the first recruit and first treasurer of the Black Panther Party (BPP) at just 16 years old. He was also the first member of the party killed by the police. Hutton was born in Jefferson … Read MoreBobby Hutton (1950-1968)
Joseph W. Hatchett, the first African American Supreme Court Justice after Reconstruction in the South, was born on September 17, 1932, in Clearwater, Florida, to John and Lula Hatchett. He attended Florida A&M University, where he received a Bachelor of Political Science in 1954. Four years later in 1959, he graduated … Read MoreJoseph Woodrow Hatchett (1932-2021)
Major General Errol R. Schwartz, the first black adjutant general for the District of Columbia, was born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1952. In 1972 Schwartz arrived in the United States, following his brother and sister who emigrated from Guyana to enroll at Howard University. Their own quest for higher education … Read MoreErrol R. Schwartz (1952- )
Russel L. Honoré is a three-star general known for his relief work during Hurricane Katrina. He was born in Lakeland, Louisiana during a hurricane in 1947 to farmers Lloyd Honoré and Eudell St. Armant Honoré. As one of twelve children, Honoré became the first in his family to attend college … Read MoreRussel L. Honoré (1947- )
In 2012 Timothy Russell, an African American man, was involved in a car chase by Cleveland, Ohio police officers. At the end of the chase he and Malissa Williams were shot and killed by one of the officers. Their controversial deaths helped inspire the Black Lives Matter movement the following year. … Read MoreTimothy R. Russell (1968-2012)
