Blues singer Robert Calvin “Bobby” Bland also known as Bobby “Blue” Bland, was born on January 27, 1930 in Rosemark, Tennessee. He then moved to Memphis, Tennessee with his mother where he started getting involved with local gospel groups. In addition to joining the gospel groups … Read MoreBobby “Blue” Bland (1930-2013)
James Charles Evers, known as Charles, was born on September 11, 1922 in Decatur, Mississippi to parents Jesse Wright and James Evers. Growing up in Mississippi during the era of Jim Crow, Evers witnessed the effects of racial discrimination and prejudice firsthand. At the age … Read MoreJames Charles Evers (1922-2020)
Robert Johnson was the eleventh child of Julia Major Dodds. Born out of wedlock, Johnson did not take the Dodds name. He grew up with his mother in Hazlehurst, Mississippi but soon moved up to live with his father, Charles Dodds, in Memphis. Charles Dodds … Read MoreRobert Johnson (1911-1938)
Samuel L. Robinson was born in Kansas in 1896. He arrived in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in his teens, where he attended the city’s integrated high school. He joined the school’s football team and became a close friend of the team captain and the future … Read MoreSamuel L. Robinson (1896-1964?)
Kenneth Howard Norton was born on August 9, 1943 in Jacksonville, Illinois. An all around athlete, Ken excelled in varsity track and football in high school, and earned a football scholarship to Northeast Missouri State University. He left school during his sophomore year after getting … Read MoreKen Norton (1943-2013)
Marion Motley was born June 5, 1920, in Leesburg, Georgia. Motley played football at Canton McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio, and went on to South Carolina State University and then to the University of Nevada, where he played football while participating in other collegiate … Read MoreMarion Motley (1920-1999)
John Edmondson Prim was the first African American to serve as deputy prosecuting attorney for King County and the first African American judge in the State of Washington. He was born to Charles and Sara Prim in Nashville, Tennessee on September 15, 1898. In 1904, … Read MoreJohn E. Prim (1898-1961)
Athlete and actor Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California. A troubled youth, poor grades, and violent behavior kept Simpson from earning any college scholarship offers while attending high school. Simpson was highly recruited, however, after breaking several junior … Read MoreO. J. Simpson (1947-2024)
Athlete, actor, and political activist James Nathaniel Brown was born February 17, 1936, in St. Simon Island, Georgia. A talented athlete from an early age, Brown earned 13 letters playing a variety of sports at Manhasset High School in New York. Over the course of … Read MoreJames Nathaniel [“Jim”] Brown (1936-2023)
