Donald Walbridge “Don” Shirley was an American classical and jazz composer and pianist. Shirley was born on January 29, 1927, to Stella Gertrude Young and Edwin Samuel Shirley in Pensacola, Florida. His mother and father were Jamaican-born immigrants. Shirley was a prodigy, taught to play … Read MoreDon Shirley (1927-2013)
Image Ownership: Public Domain Pioneering black journalist Louis Lomax was born in Valdosta, Georgia on August 16, 1922 to parents Emanuel C. Smith and Sarah Louise Lomax. He attended Paine College in Augusta, Georiga where he was editor of the student newspaper. He graduated from Paine in 1942 at the age of 19. … Read MoreLouis Emanuel Lomax (1922-1970)
Drake, Flanked by Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officers Image Ownership: Public domain Aubrey “Drake” Graham is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor, and songwriter. Drake was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Sandi Graham, a Jewish Canadian, and Dennis Graham, a … Read MoreAubrey Drake Graham (1986- )
Image Ownership: Public domain Darryl Dawkins (also known as Chocolate Thunder—a name music legend Stevie Wonder gave him), was born in Orlando, Florida, on January 11, 1957. Born to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins, he was raised by his grandmother, Amanda Celestine Jones, in Orlando … Read MoreDarryl Dawkins (1957-2015)
Image Ownership: Public domain Kyrie Andrew Irving is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Cleveland (Ohio) Cavaliers. Since joining the NBA in 2011, Irving has established himself as one of the league’s elite point guards. His resume … Read MoreKyrie Andrew Irving (1992- )
Robert “Bob” Cole and J. Rosamond Johnson Image Ownership: Public domain Entertainer Robert Allen “Bob” Cole, Jr. was born on July 1, 1868 in Athens, Georgia to his parents Robert Allen Cole, Sr. and Isabella Thomas Weldon. The Coles were well known in the Athens … Read MoreRobert “Bob,” Jr. Cole (1868-1911)
Image Ownership: Public domain Born February 12, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio, Arsenio Hall is a comedian, talk show host, writer, producer, and actor. He hosted the late night show Arsenio Hall Show from 1989 to 1994. A Baptist preacher’s son, Hall he grew up in … Read MoreArsenio Hall (1956- )
Image Ownership: Public domain Throughout his 20 seasons in baseball, Derek Jeter established himself as a New York Yankees legend. Growing up as a Yankee fan and having played his entire career with the franchise, his play was synonymous with the team’s success. With on-field … Read MoreDerek Jeter (1974- )
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" Gladys Maria Knight is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, and humanitarian. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 28, 1944, to Sarah and Merald Knight Sr. and began singing in church as a child. At age seven, she … Read MoreGladys Knight (1944– )
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" On July 14, 1946, four African American sharecroppers were lynched at Moore’s Ford in northeast Georgia in an event now described as the “last mass lynching in America.” Yet the killers of George Dorsey, Mae Murray Dorsey, Roger Malcolm, and Dorothy … Read MoreThe Moore’s Ford Lynching (July 1946)