Ball handling wizard Elgin “Rabbit” Baylor was born Elgin Gay Baylor on September 16, 1934, in Washington, D.C. to John Wesley Baylor from Caroline County, Virginia, and Uzziel Lewis Baylor from Spotsylvania County, Virginia. His brothers were John L. Baylor and Kermit Baylor, and his … Read MoreElgin “Rabbit” Baylor (1934-2021)
The four century (1460-1860) transatlantic slave trade is responsible for the involuntary migration of 388,000 enslaved Africans to the United States according to historians’ best estimates. However, the U.S. has witnessed a much larger influx of voluntary African migration since the 1960s. Whether it was … Read MoreAfrican Immigration to the United States (1965- )
R&B composers, lyricists James Samuel “Jimmy Jam” Harris III (born June 6, 1959, in Minneapolis, Minnesota), and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956, in Omaha, Nebraska), were one of the most successful songwriting teams of the late 20th Century. Harris was a senior, and … Read MoreJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (1981- )
Lipps, Inc., a short-lived rhythm and blues, disco, and funk ensemble, was founded in 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Vocalist/ saxophonist Cynthia Johnson (born April 22, 1956, in St. Paul), who was the 1976 Miss Black Minnesota, led this ensemble and co-composed for the band while … Read MoreLipps, Inc. (1979-1985)
Sian Hayley Proctor is a geology professor, motivational speaker, pilot, artist, author, and spaceflight participant most noted for her flight on the civilian-funded Inspiration 4 Space Mission in September 2021. The flight was sponsored by U.S. technology billionaire Jared Isaacman to raise funds for St. … Read MoreSian Proctor (1970- )
Multi-talented musician Morris Eugene Day was born on December 13, 1956, in Springfield, Illinois, to LaVonne Daugherty. When he was eight years old, however, his family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. There he privately studied the piano and percussion, but his passion was always the drums. … Read MoreMorris Eugene Day (1956- )
Frederick Stephen Humphries Sr., university president, professor, and HBCU advocate, was born December 26, 1935, in Apalachicola, Florida to Minnie Fry Henry, a domestic servant and teacher, and Thornton Govan Humphries Sr., a lumber mill worker and salter. A lifelong Catholic, Humphries was influenced by … Read MoreFrederick Humphries (1935-2021)
Grafton Tyler Brown was a cartographer, lithographer, and painter, widely considered the first professional African American artist in California. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1841, Brown learned lithography in Philadelphia and then became part of a cohort of African Americans who sought better economic and … Read MoreGrafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918)
Who was George Floyd and what happened because of him? George Floyd, an African American, died on Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, on a Minneapolis, Minnesota street. A white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes as Floyd … Read MoreGeorge Floyd (1973-2020) [Children’s Edition]
Darnella Frazier, an activist and motivational speaker, was born in 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee to parents LaTangie Gillespie and James Frazier. She has three brothers and one sister. Most of Darnella’s life, however, has been spent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After being active in varsity basketball, … Read MoreDarnella Frazier (2003- )
