Composer, lyricist, blues singer Clarence George Carter was born blind on January 14, 1936, in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and began guitar lessons when he was 9. Carter graduated from high school in 1954. Afterward, he … Read MoreClarence Carter (1936- )
On August 5, 2016 Jamarion Robinson, a 26-year-old African American was shot 76 times while at his girlfriend’s residence, Parkside Camp Creek Luxury Apartments, in Atlanta, Georgia. Robinson was killed when members of several law enforcement agencies opened fired during an attempt to serve a … Read MoreJamarion Rashad Robinson (1990-2016)
Historian, thespian, activist Georgette M. Norman was born on January 27, 1946, in Montgomery, Alabama, to George Maggie Norman, a real estate broker from Hope Hull, Alabama, and Juliet Graham Norman, who taught at W.B. Paterson Elementary School and was from Montgomery. Georgette’s early education … Read MoreGeorgette M. Norman (1946- )
A cappella doo-wop, gospel sextet Take 6 was formed on the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Seventh Day Adventist campus of Oakwood University in 1980 in Huntsville, Alabama. The ensemble’s repertoire includes jazz, doo-wop, Contemporary R&B, Negro Spirituals, and Classical European genres of … Read MoreTake 6 (1980- )
Maree Benjamin “Rich Boy” Richards is a rapper who was best known for his 2006 hit single “Throw Some D’s.” Richards was born on September 2, 1983 to Elizabeth Richards and unnamed father in Mobile, Alabama. He also has for siblings including Steph Thomas, Emily’s … Read MoreRich Boy/Marece Benjamin Richards (1983- )
Comedian, actor, syndicated radio/ television host Rickey Smiley was born Broderick Dornell Smiley on August 10, 1968, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Carolita Smiley Lester and James Smiley, who died when he was seven years old. Rickey has one sister, Karon Katiea Smiley-Dennis. Smiley is a … Read MoreRickey Smiley (1968- )
Charles Henry Chapman was born June 20, 1876, in Cayuga County, New York. He is one of the seven founders (Jewels) of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity in the United States established for men of African descent. In 1880, Chapman … Read MoreCharles Henry Chapman (1876–1934)
Henry Arthur Callis was one of the Seven Jewels or founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He was born on January 14, 1887, in Rochester, New York, to the Rev. Henry Callis and Helen Josephine (Sprague) Callis and was one of five children. As a … Read MoreHenry Arthur Callis (1887–1974)
Journalist, historian, activist A. Peter Bailey was born on February 24, 1938, in Columbus, Georgia, to Upson Bailey, Sr. from Randolph County, Alabama, and Alga McFarlane Bailey from Birmingham. However, he was reared in Tuskegee, Alabama. From the first grade in 1944 to the eighth … Read MoreA. Peter Bailey (1938- )
Teacher, civil rights activist, and author Barbara E. Pope was born free in January 1854, to former slaves Hannah and Alfred Pope, in the city of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia. Her parents were enslaved in New Jersey and her father, Alfred, became famous … Read MoreBarbara E. Pope (1854 -1908)
