Devante Smith-Pelly, one of only 30 Black players in the National Hockey League (NHL), was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada on June 14, 1992. His parents, Wayne Pelly, who oversees a limousine company, and Jacqueline Smith, who works in corporate communications, raised Smith-Pelly and his … Read MoreDevante Malik Smith-Pelly (1992- )
Insurance executive Ivan James Houston was born in Los Angeles, California on June 15, 1925 to Norman Oliver Houston and Doris Talbot (Young) Houston. He attended public schools in Los Angeles and graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in 1943. Later that year … Read MoreIvan James Houston (1925-2020)
María Isabel Urrutia Ocoró, Olympic champion weightlifter and politician, was born in Calendaria, Department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, on March 25, 1965. Her mother, Nelly, was a homemaker and her father, Pedro Juan, was an industrial mechanic. Sources differ, but Urrutia had at least … Read MoreMaría Isabel Urrutia Ocoró (1965- )
Barbara Hillary was the first African American woman on record to reach both the North and South Poles. Born in New York City, New York on June 12, 1931, to Viola Jones Hillary and raised in Harlem, Hillary attended the New School University in New … Read MoreBarbara Hillary (1931-2019)
Alfred Schmitz Shadd, a black educator, physician, farmer, politician, editor and civic leader was born in Raleigh, Ontario in 1870. He was the fourth son of Garrison and Harriet Poindexter Shadd, a distinguished abolitionist family. Shadd planned to become a doctor but trained as a … Read MoreDr. Alfred Schmitz Shadd (1870-1915)
Washington State politician George Fleming was born February 22, 1937, in Dallas, Texas, to parents A.R. and Lilla N. Fleming. He started post secondary education at the University of Washington, Seattle. While attending the University, Fleming was running back and kicker for the Washington Huskies … Read MoreGeorge Fleming (1937-2021)
