Actor Michael Bakari Jordan was born on February 9, 1987 in Santa Ana, California to Donna Jordan and Michael A. Jordan. He also has an order sister, Jamila, and a younger brother, Khalid. When Michael was two years old, his family moved to Newark, New … Read MoreMichael Bakari Jordan (1987- )
Norman A. Black is one of the most prominent coaches in the history of professional sports in the Philippines. Born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 12, 1957, Black was the son of a public school teacher. He graduated from the Catholic Cardinal Gibbons School in … Read MoreNorman August Black (1957- )
Kevin Maurice Johnson served as Mayor of Sacramento, California, from December 2, 2008 to December 13, 2016. Johnson, the son of Georgia West and Lawrence Johnson, was born in California’s capital city on March 4, 1966. He graduated from Sacramento High School, where he led … Read MoreKevin Maurice Johnson (1966- )
Wilmeth Webb, born February 13, 1918 in Washington, D.C., become the first star African American athlete at Syracuse University. His father, Elias Webb, died when Wilmeth was young, and his mother, Pauline Webb, remarried. Her new husband, Dr. Samuel Sidat-Singh, was a medical student from India. He adopted Wilmeth, … Read MoreWilmeth Sidat-Singh (1918-1943)
Stephen Anthony Smith is a sports commentator on ESPN. Alongside Max Kellerman, Smith is a featured commentator on ESPN’s First Take, a show reviewing daily sports news. Smith’s parents came from the United States Virgin Islands, and his dad was a baseball and basketball star in the 1950s. Smith … Read MoreStephen A. Smith (1967- )
In 2007, Ambassador John L. Withers II, a second generation diplomat, was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to serve as ambassador to Albania. Withers was born in 1948 in Guilford, North Carolina, to John L. Withers, Sr. and Daisy P. Withers. His father had briefly worked as a political science professor … Read MoreJohn Lovelle Withers, II (1948- )
Dr. Donnis Hazel Thompson was an athlete, coach, University of Hawaii Women’s Athletic Director, State of Hawaii Department of Education school superintendent, Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission chair in Hawaii, and champion for Title IX women’s athletics in Hawaii. Thompson was born in Chicago, Illinois, … Read MoreDonnis Hazel Thompson (1933-2009)
Vincent K. Brooks is a distinguished general in the US Army and is currently the commander of the UN Command, Combined Forces Command, and US Forces Korea. He was born on October 24, 1958, in Anchorage, Alaska, to Leo Brooks Sr., an army general, and … Read MoreVincent K. Brooks (1958- )
Ora Mae Washington was the first prominent African American athlete to dominate two sports, tennis and basketball. Born on January 23, 1898, in Caroline County, Virginia, she was the daughter of James “Tommy” and Laura O. Young-Washington. Washington’s family moved north in search of opportunity … Read MoreOra Washington (1898-1971)
Darryl Dawkins (also known as Chocolate Thunder—a name music legend Stevie Wonder gave him), was born in Orlando, Florida, on January 11, 1957. Born to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins, he was raised by his grandmother, Amanda Celestine Jones, in Orlando where he attended Maynard … Read MoreDarryl Dawkins (1957-2015)
