Ronald Blackwood was the first African American mayor of Mount Vernon, New York, a suburb of New York City. Blackwood was born on Jan 19, 1926, in St. Andrew Parish, Jamaica. In search of a better life, he immigrated to the United States at the … Read MoreRonald Alexander Blackwood (1926-2017)
Evan Dale Abel, a pioneering endocrinologist, and advocate for more Black men being accepted into medical school, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 4, 1963. His father and mother were educators and parents of five children; three of whom today are doctors, and two … Read MoreEvan Dale Abel (1963 -)
Wes Moore—Rhodes Scholar, banker, and writer—was elected governor of Maryland on November 8, 2022. He is the first African American to hold that office in the state. Moore was born Westley Watende Omari Moore on October 15, 1978, in Washington, D.C., to Westley Moore, a … Read MoreWes Moore (1978- )
Charles Wade Mills was a notable Caribbean-American political philosopher and distinguished professor. He was born in London on January 3, 1951 to Jamaican parents, Winnifred and Gladstone Mills, who were both pursuing their graduate degrees in the city. The couple returned to Kingston shortly after … Read MoreCharles Wade Mills (1951-2021)
Frederick Eutrope Degazon was a Dominican politician who served as the country’s first president from 1979 to 1980. He was born on January 4, 1913, in Castries, St Lucia. Degazon attended St. Mary’s College, St. Lucia, and studied law at the University of London. He … Read MoreFred Degazon (1913-2008)
Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds is a St Kitts and Nevis politician who served as the first Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis from 1983 to 1995. He was born on April 12, 1936, to Bronte Clarke and the late Arthur Simmonds and attended public … Read MoreSir Kennedy Simmonds (1936- )
The Most Honorable Andrew Michael Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, was born on July 22, 1972, in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and named in honor of former Prime Minister of Jamaica Michael Manley to Morris Holness, a farmer and socialist, and Carol Harvey Williams, a civil … Read MoreAndrew Michael Holness
(1972- )
Sir William Alexander Bustamante ONH GBE PC was a Jamaican politician and trade union leader who became the first Prime Minister of Jamaica in 1962. He was born William Alexander Clarke on February 24, 1884, to Mary Clarke and Robert Constantine Clarke. Bustamante attended primary … Read MoreAlexander Bustamante (1884-1977)
Dwight Arrington “Heavy D” Myers was a rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was born on May 24, 1967, to Eulahlee Lee and Vincent Myers in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, from Jamaica. Much of Myers of early life … Read MoreHeavy D/Dwight Arrington Myers (1967-2011)
Marcus Jacques Garvey, Jr., was the oldest son of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Sr., founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) and Amy Euphemia Jacques. The UNIA-ACL, a leading black nationalist organization, was founded in 1914 in Jamaica and later headquartered … Read MoreMarcus Jacques Garvey, Jr. (1930-2020)
