Raymond Lee Washington was the original founder of the Los Angeles, California-based street gang that came to be known as the Crips. Washington was born August 14, 1953 in Los Angeles to Violet Samuel and Reginald Washington. He had three older brothers from his mother’s first marriage … Read MoreRaymond Lee Washington (1953-1979)
Felix Wayne Mitchell, also known as Felix the Cat, was a notorious drug kingpin operating in Oakland, California who headed the criminal organization known as the “69 Mob.” Born on August 23, 1954 in East Oakland, California, Mitchell began a life of crime early. While still a teen, … Read MoreFelix Wayne Mitchell (“Felix the Cat”) (1954-1986)
Late 20th Century drug lord Ricky Donnell Ross was born on January 26th, 1960 in Troup, Texas. He is better known as “Freeway Rick,” the convicted drug trafficker turned philanthropist who established himself as kingpin in the 1980’s. Ross grew up in Los Angeles, California, moving there in 1963 … Read MoreFreeway Rick Ross (1960- )
Rayful Edmond III was born on November 26, 1964 in Washington, D.C. to Rayful Edmond, Jr. and Constance “Bootsie” Perry. Both of his parents worked for the U.S. government but were also drug dealers on the side in their Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Near Northeast. Rayful was … Read MoreRayful Edmond (1964- )
As one of the country’s most notorious gangsters and drug kingpins, Frank Lucas led a very public life, even having his story depicted in the film American Gangster. Lucas was born to Mahalee Jones Lucas and Fred Lucas, on September 9, 1930 in La Grange, North Carolina. … Read MoreFrank Lucas (1930-2019)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Historians rarely compare the mostly working-class and poor Korean population in Japan and African Americans seeking economic justice in the United States. Japanese scholar Kazuyo Tsuchiya of Kanagawa University takes on that task in her new book, Reinventing Citizenship: Black Los … Read MoreThe TransPacific Struggle over Citizenship: Seeking Welfare Rights in Kawasaki City, Japan and Los Angeles, California,1962-1982
Etheridge Knight took a very unconventional path on his way to becoming one of the most popular poets during the Black Arts Movement. America’s first introduction to Knight’s literary skills came with his first book publication, Poems from Prison in 1968. Mr. Knight’s troubled past … Read MoreEtheridge Knight (1931-1991)
Opened in 1923, the Cotton Club on 142nd St & Lenox Ave in the heart of Harlem, New York was operated by white New York gangster Owney Madden. Madden used the Cotton Club as an outlet to sell his “#1 Beer” to the prohibition crowd. … Read MoreCotton Club of Harlem (1923- )
