Nathaniel “Nate Dogg” Dwayne Hale was a singer and rapper. Hale was born on August 19, 1969 to unnamed parents in Long Beach, California. Growing up, Hale sang at the Long Beach’s New Hope Baptist Church where his father was pastor. He attended Long Beach … Read MoreNate Dogg/Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (1969-2011)
Orville Richard Burrell, whose stage name is Shaggy, was born October 22, 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica. The Jamaican-American is a reggae musician, singer, DJ, and actor known for his hit songs “It Wasn’t Me,” “Boombastic,” “Oh Carolina,” and other singles. Nominated for seven Grammy Awards, … Read MoreShaggy/ Orville Richard Burrell (1968- )
Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr., jazz pianist and music educator, was considered the patriarch of the first family of New Orleans jazz. Marsalis passed away on April 1, 2020 of complications from the coronavirus (COVID-19), at the age of 85. He was one of the first … Read MoreEllis Marsalis (1934-2020)
Project 100,000 was a program devised by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1966 to ease recruitment standards for the United States Army. While the project was ostensibly promoted to allow inner city youth and poor young men from rural areas to join the military … Read MoreProject 100,000 (1966-1971)
Clayton Pitre was a longtime Seattle, Washington-based community activist, former Chief Housing Developer for the Central Area Motivation Project (CAMP), and a retired Montford Point Marine. Born on June 30, 1924, to Gilbert Pitre and Eugenie Lemelle, Clayton Pitre was the fourth child of seven … Read MoreClayton Pitre (1924-2020)
On July 18, 1988, Charles Z. Smith became the first African American to serve on the Washington Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court by Washington’s then Governor Booth Gardner and was subsequently elected to his position on the court for a two-year term … Read MoreCharles Z. Smith (1927-2016)
With the beginning of World War II African Americans would get their chance to be in “the toughest outfit going,” the previously all-white Marine Corps. The first recruits reported to Montford Point, a small section of land on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on August 26, 1942. By October, only 600 recruits had … Read MoreMontford Point Marines (1942-1949)
