Robert Charles O’Hara Benjamin, also known as R.C.O. Benjamin, was a Caribbean-born political activist, newspaper editor, minister, poet, teacher, author, and lawyer. He was born on the island of St. Kitts on March 31, 1855. Information about his parents is unknown, but we do know … Read MoreRobert Charles O’Hara Benjamin (1855-1900)
In June 2021, Dr. Chibundu Onuzo exemplified the range of her talents when she released a music video entitled “Good Soil” to accompany the publication of her third novel, Sankofa. Dr. Onuzo is an author, singer, pianist, playwright, screenwriter, regular contributor to The Guardian, and … Read MoreChibundu Onuzo (1991- )
Mason Derelle Betha is an American pastor, author, and former rapper born on August 27, 1975, as a fraternal twin with sister Stason. Better known by his stage name, Ma$e, Betha was born almost two months premature to Mason and P.K. Betha in Jacksonville, Florida. … Read MoreMa$e/Mason Derelle Betha (1975- )
Political novelist Al-Tayyib Salih, whose family background was both Arab and Nubian, was one of Sudan’s most significant authors of the 20th century. He was born on July 12, 1929, in Marawi, Sudan, to a poor Muslim farming family and was an only child. In … Read MoreAl-Tayyib Salih (1929-2009)
Author, philanthropist, scholar, mentor, and activist James L. Conyers Jr. was born James (Jim/ Naazir) L. Brown Jr. on June 17, 1961, in Jersey City, New Jersey at the Margaret Hague Hospital. He graduated from Henry Snyder High School in 1979 and four years later … Read MoreJames L. Conyers Jr. (1961-2021)
Dr. Arlyne Simon is a biomedical engineer, patented inventor, and author of children’s literature. She was born in 1986 on the Caribbean Island of Dominica to Beverly Stedman-Andrew, a primary school teacher, and Lionel Simon, a civil engineer. Simon earned a Ph.D. in macromolecular science … Read MoreArlyne Simon (1986- )
Ronald Elbert Mickens is the Fuller E. Calloway Professor of Physics at Clark-Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Born in Petersburg, Virginia, on February 7, 1943, he was the son of Joseph Mickens and Daisy Brown Mickens but was raised by his maternal grandparents. His grandfather, James Williamson, inspired Mickens to become a scientist … Read MoreRonald Elbert Mickens (1943- )
Mathematical physicist and university administrator Arlie O. Petters was born in the Central American city of Dangriga in the nation of Belize (formerly British Honduras) on February 21, 1964, the son of civil engineer Oswald Vasquez. His mother, Velina, left him when he was a child to work in … Read MoreArlie Oswald Petters (1964- )
Novelist and short story writer Terry McMillan was born on October 18, 1951, in Port Huron, Michigan, to Edward and Madeline McMillan. During her childhood, her father spent much of his time confined to his home due to tuberculosis, forcing her mother to support the family by … Read MoreTerry McMillan (1951- )
Ishmael Reed is an African American poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, songwriter, cartoonist, editor, publisher, lecturer, and public media commentator. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on February 22, 1938, he grew up in Buffalo, New York, after his mother, Thelma Coleman, moved there during the Great Migration of World … Read MoreIshmael Reed (1938- )
