Dame of Magistral Grace of the Sovereign Order of Malta in the Virgin Islands, philanthropist, entrepreneur, educator, and real estate developer Rita M. de Chabert-Schuster was born on May 27, 1933, in Christiansted, Virgin Islands, to Ralph de Magne de Chabert, Sr., a journalist and … Read MoreRita M. de Chabert-Schuster (1933-2023)
Thérèse Sita-Bella, born Thérèse Bella Mbida in 1933, was a Cameroonian film director who is widely acknowledged as the first female filmmaker in Africa. Sita-Bella was born to the Beti tribe in southern Cameroon, then a French colony, and received her education from Catholic missionaries. … Read MoreThérèse Sita-Bella (1933-2006)
Sister Thea Bowman was a Catholic Franciscan nun, evangelist, and educator known for introducing culturally inclusive practices into the Catholic liturgy. Her contributions were so significant that she is being considered for sainthood. Thea Bowman was born Bertha Elizabeth Bowman on December 29, 1937, in … Read MoreSister Thea Bowman (1937 – 1990)
Ralph Everard Gonsalves or “Uncle Ralph,” also known as “Comrade Ralph,” is the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP). Gonsalves became Prime Minister after his party won a majority in government at the 2001 general … Read MoreRalph Gonsalves (1946- )
The Black Maroons of Florida, also known as Black Seminoles, Seminole Maroons, and Seminole Freedmen, were a community derived from Runaway slaves who integrated into American Indian culture. They were mostly Gullah fugitives who escaped from the rice plantations in South Carolina and Georgia who … Read MoreThe Black Maroons of Florida (1693-1850)
Athniel C. “Addie” Ottley, former Senator, Lieutenant Governor, and broadcasting host, was born on November 19, 1941, in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, to Aubrey Ottley, the postmaster of Charlotte Amalie and Iris Ottley. He was the oldest of 11 children. As a … Read MoreAthniel C. “Addie” Ottley (1941-2022)
Fulbert Youlou was the first President of the Republic of Congo, also known as Congo Brazzaville. Youlou was born on July 9, 1917, at Mandibu, a town near Brazzaville, capital of the French Congo which was part of French Equatorial Africa. As a young boy, … Read MoreFulbert Youlou (1917-1972)
Lorraine Patricia Baa, commentator, entrepreneur, and cancer cure advocate was born in Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands, on February 1, 1953, to Orlando J. Baa, Sr. from the Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) and Rosalia Potter Baa from Anegada, British Virgin Islands. Her siblings … Read MoreLorraine Patricia Baa (1953-2021)
Albertina Sisulu was a South African politician and nurse known for her anti-apartheid activism. Sisulu was born Nontsikelo Thethiwe on October 21, 1918 in Tsomo, Eastern Cape province, formerly a part of Transkei, then a British protectorate but later an autonomous region reserved for Xhosa … Read MoreAlbertina Sisulu (1918-2011)
RuPaul Andre Charles is an actor, model, singer, and drag queen, who is best known by his first name, RuPaul. Charles was born on November 17, 1960, in San Diego, California. His father, Irving Andrew Charles, and his mother, Ernestine (Fontenette) Charles, divorced when he … Read MoreRuPaul Andre Charles (1960- )
