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)
Howard Drew at the 1912 Olympics Image Ownership: Bain News Service (Fair Use) Howard P. Drew, schoolboy Olympian, original “World’s Fastest Human,” scholar, soldier, lawyer, first African American judge in Connecticut, was born to David and May Drew in Lexington, Virginia on June 28, 1890. … Read MoreHoward Porter Drew (1890–1957)
Tommie Smith is best known as a world class sprinter and for protesting (along with John Carlos) U.S. racism and human oppression on the winner’s podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Smith was born in Clarksville, Texas, and raised in Lemoore, California. … Read MoreTommie Smith (1944- )
William DeHart Hubbard was the first African American to win a gold medal at the Olympics as an individual, placing first in the running long jump. Hubbard was born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended Walnut Hills High School in that city. … Read MoreWilliam DeHart Hubbard (1903-1976)
Dick Gregory, comedian, actor, and civil rights activist, was born Richard Claxton Gregory in 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri. Gregory’s father left the family when Gregory was a child forcing his mother, Lucille, a maid, to raise him and his five siblings. During his high … Read MoreDick Gregory (1932-2017)
Ernest “Ernie” Banks was the first African American baseball player for the Chicago (Illinois) Cubs and the first African American manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Banks earned the nickname “Mr. Cub” while playing shortstop and first base from 1953-1971 for the team. Ernest Banks … Read MoreErnest “Ernie” Banks (1931-2015)
Gale Eugene Sayers, nicknamed the “Kansas Comet,” was born on May 30, 1943, in Wichita, Kansas. Gale was born to Roger and Bernice Sayers and was the second of three sons. Gale’s father, Roger Sayers, worked as a mechanic for Goodyear until 1950 when the … Read MoreGale Eugene Sayers (1943-2020)
Carl Lewis was a successful track and field athlete whose career spanned two decades from 1979 to 1997. He won ten medals as a member of five Olympic teams and won ten World Championship medals. Carl Lewis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 1, … Read MoreFrederick Carlton “Carl” Lewis (1961- )
The first African American to win an Olympic Gold Medal, John Baxter Taylor was born November 3, 1882, in Washington, D.C. He attended Central High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he ran track and was the only African American on the team. After graduating from … Read MoreJohn Baxter Taylor, Jr. (1882-1908)
John Carlos is best known for his black-gloved fist salute on the winner’s podium (with Tommie Smith) at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Born on June 5, 1945, in Harlem, New York, Carlos was a promising student-athlete in high school. Following graduation, attended … Read MoreJohn Carlos (1945- )
