Hall of Fame National Basketball Association (NBA) player Moses Eugene Malone was born March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia, and was raised by his mother, Mary Malone, a store clerk. Malone was the first player in history to go to the professional ranks directly from … Read MoreMoses Eugene Malone (1955-2015)
Born in Washington, D.C. on September 2, 1941, legendary basketball coach-emeritus John Thompson Jr., arose from segregated public-housing and asphalt playground-courts to the polished hardwoods of collegiate and professional basketball, becoming the first African American head coach — in any major college sport– to win … Read MoreJohn Robert Thompson Jr. (1941-2020)
“Image Ownership: WSU Athletic Communications” Elson S. Floyd was the first African American president of three universities, a visionary leader, and a skilled statesman. Elson Sylvester Floyd was born on February 29, 1956, in Henderson, North Carolina. He was raised in this racially segregated town … Read MoreElson S. Floyd (1956–2015)
In the extended article that appears below historians Daudi Abe and Quintard Taylor explore the history of African Americans in King County from 1858 to 2014. They analyze the forces which encouraged people of African ancestry to settle in the county and discuss the rapid … Read MoreFrom Memphis and Mogadishu: The History of African Americans in King County, Washington, 1858-2014
Dennis Keith Rodman, hall of fame basketball player, actor, and self-appointed political emissary, was born in on May 13, 1961 in Trenton, New Jersey to Philander and Shirley Rodman. Shortly after Dennis was born, Philander left the family and eventually settled in the Philippines. After … Read MoreDennis Keith Rodman (1961- )
Famous Major League baseball pitcher Robert “Bob” Gibson was Pack and Victoria Gibson’s seventh child born November 9, 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska. Pack died three months before Bob Gibson was born. Young Gibson suffered with asthma, pneumonia, rickets, hay fever, and a rheumatic heart. He … Read MoreRobert “Bob” Gibson (1935-2020)
American television broadcaster Robin René Roberts is the anchor of Good Morning America, an ABC morning news show broadcast from its studios in New York, New York. In December 2013, she quietly came out as a lesbian in a Facebook post that acknowledged her long-time … Read MoreRobin René Roberts (1960- )
Jason Collins, a National Basketball Association center, made history in May 2013 by becoming the first professional athlete in a major American team sport to reveal his homosexuality in an interview which appeared in Sports Illustrated magazine. The oldest by eight minutes, Jason and his … Read MoreJason Paul Collins (1978- )
Jarvis Lavonne Scott, athlete, teacher, and mentor, was born on April 6, 1947, in Waco, Texas to Ivory Scott and Johnie Mae Hester. Jarvis Scott, the eldest of six children, moved to Los Angeles, California when she was nine years old and later attended Pomona … Read MoreJarvis Lavonne Scott (1947-2017)
Will Allen, son of a sharecropper, former professional basketball player, ex-corporate sales leader and now farmer, is recognized as one of the preeminent thinkers of our time on agriculture and food policy. Allen is the founder and CEO of Growing Power, Inc., a farm and … Read MoreWill Allen (1948- )
