Beny Jene Primm, a pioneer in HIV/AIDS research and treatment and an anesthesiologist, was born on May 28, 1928, in Williamson, West Virginia, to a funeral director father, George Oliver Primm, and a mother, Willie Henrietta Martin Primm, who taught school. He had one brother, … Read MoreBeny Jene Primm (1928-2015)
Aoua Kéita was a Malian independence activist, politician, feminist, writer, and midwife. Born on July 12, 1912, in then Bamako, French Sudan to Karamogo Kéita, a member of the colonial hygiene service and Miriam Coulibaly, Aoua was one of the few African girls allowed to … Read MoreAoua Kéita (1912-1980)
Louis Cameron Gossett Jr., one of the most commanding American actors in television and film, as well as a producer, director, and social activist, was born on May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, the only child to Louis Cameron Gossett Sr. and Hellen Rebecca … Read MoreLouis Gossett Jr. (1936-2024)
Economist, academic scholar, and bank executive Emmett John Rice was born on December 21, 1919, in Florence, South Carolina to Ulysses Simpson Rice, a Methodist minister, and Sue Suber Pearl, a schoolteacher. However, when he was 13, the Rices moved to Harlem, New York City. … Read MoreEmmett John Rice (1919-2011)
Reggie ‘The Regginator’ Fils-Aimé, who spearheaded the creation of Nintendo Direct, is a first-generation American who was born on March 25, 1961, in New York City and reared on Long Island by Haïtien parents. A 1979 graduate of Brentwood High School, he received a Bachelor … Read MoreReggie Fils-Aimé (1961- )
Amar’e Stoudemire is an American-Israeli professional basketball player and coach, actor, and entrepreneur born in Lake Wales, Florida on November 16, 1982. After a successful career in the National Basketball Association, he moved to Israel to explore his Jewish identity. Stoudemire was born to Hazell … Read MoreAmar’e Carsares Jehoshaphat Stoudemire (1982- )
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- )
Ralph Elwood Brock is generally recognized as the first African American forester. Brock was academically trained and became an experienced manager of foresters in his home state of Pennsylvania. Born on February 15, 1881, near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, he was one of the seven children of … Read MoreRalph Elwood Brock (1881-1959)
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)
Percy Chen, an Afro-Trinidadian Chinese lawyer, businessman, and political activist, was a founding member of the Hong Kong Bar Association. Born in Belmont, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in 1901, he was the eldest of his parents’ seven children. His father, Eugene Chen, a Chinese lawyer … Read MorePercy Chen (1901-1989)
