Percy Tyrone Sledge was an American R&B, soul, and gospel singer best known for his 1966 single “When a Men Loves a Woman.” Sledge was born on November 25, 1940, to Fannie Sledge Woods and an unnamed father in Leighton, Alabama. Growing up, Sledge worked … Read MorePercy Tyrone Sledge (1940-2015)
Pierre G. Deslondes (last name sometimes spelled Deslonde) was an African American sugar planter and wealthy free man of color who served as Secretary of State of Louisiana during Reconstruction. He was the son of famed slave rebellion leader George Deslondes and Eloise Belly and … Read MorePierre George Deslondes (1829-1885)
Martha White was a leader of the 1953 Baton Rouge Boycott. Born in Woodville, Mississippi, on April 2, 1922, to sharecroppers Ephraim White and Viola White, she had seven siblings. White moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a teenager after the death of her parents. … Read MoreMartha White (1922-2021)
Catholic nun and philanthropist Henriette Díaz de Lille was born on March 11, 1813, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her great, great, grandmother was enslaved and brought from West Africa. Her mother, Marie-Josèphe Díaz, was a free woman of color, and her father, Jean-Baptiste Lille Sarpy, … Read MoreHenriette Díaz de Lille (1813 -1862)
Alton Sterling, a victim of a police killing, was born on June 14, 1979, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He worked as a CD vendor, had five children, and lived in the Living Waters Outreach Ministries shelter in Baton Rouge before his death. He was known … Read MoreAlton Sterling (1979 – 2016)
Nick Aaron Ford, critic, pedagogic, and activist, was born on August 4, 1904, in Ridgeway (part of Columbia), South Carolina, to Nick Aaron Ford, Sr., a laborer who was born enslaved, and Carrie Ford, a substitute teacher. Nick was introduced to reading by his mother … Read MoreNick Aaron Ford (1904-1982)
Atatiana Koquice Jefferson was a 28-year-old graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana who also worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative and saved money for medical school, according to her family. She graduated from Lake Highland High School in 2010 and then studied at Xavier University … Read MoreAtatiana Jefferson (1990-2019)
Abraham Galloway, freedom-fighter, spy, abolitionist, and politician, is an unsung hero of American history. Galloway was born a slave on February 8, 1837 in Smithville (now Southport), North Carolina, the son of an enslaved woman and a white boatman. Little is known about his youth, … Read MoreAbraham Galloway (1837-1870)
Christopher Dooley Jr. is an American rapper known to the world as Hurricane Chris. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on March 7, 1989. Dooley had always expressed an interest in becoming a renowned rapper and credits his mother as his inspiration. She is often mentioned in … Read MoreHurricane Chris/Christopher Jerrod Dooley Jr. (1989- )
The Sylvers, an R&B family vocal ensemble, was officially formed in the Watts section of Los Angeles, California in 1971. The four older siblings, however, had performed and recorded earlier as the Little Angels. The group members comprised singer Olympia Ann Sylvers, born October 13, … Read MoreThe Sylvers (1971-1985)
