Dr. Michael Johnson, microbial biologist and immunobiology professor at the University of Arizona, is currently researching the efficacy of copper as an inhibitor of coronavirus’ spread and replication. Johnson was born in 1982 into a single-parent household in Chicago, Illinois. His academic journey began at … Read MoreMichael D.L. Johnson (1982- )
In March 1943, the United States Army renamed the 367th Negro Infantry Regiment the 364th Negro Infantry Regiment. Most of the new recruits came from Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. By June, the regiment, consisting of approximately 3,000 soldiers, was sent to Camp Papago Park … Read MoreThe Mystery of the 364th Infantry Regiment (1943-1945)
Research scientist Jane Hinton was born on May 1, 1919 in Canton, Massachusetts. Her mother, Ada (Hawes) Hinton, was a former teacher, and her father, William Augustus Hinton, was a bacteriologist and one of the most prominent African American medical researchers of his era. In … Read MoreJane Hinton (1919-2003)
Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel, a professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA), was the league’s first athlete to test positive for COVID-19, the Coronavirus. Gobert who is one of a handful of international players in the NBA, began his professional basketball … Read MoreRudy Gobert-Bourgarel (1992- )
Professional basketball player Rui Hachimura was born on February 8, 1998 to a Japanese mother, Makiko Hachimura, father, Zakari Jabil, an African immigrant from Benin, in Toyama Prefecture of Japan. Hachimura also has three younger siblings, one brother and two sisters. He got involved playing … Read MoreRui Hachimura (1998- )
Tuskegee Airman Jack Daniels Holsclaw was born in Spokane, Washington, on March 21, 1918. His father, Charles, was a clerk in a downtown store, and his mother, Nell, was a manager at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph. Holsclaw attended North Central High School in Spokane, where … Read MoreJack Daniels Holsclaw (1918-1998)
Professional basketball player James Edward Harden Jr. was born on August 24, 1989 to James Harden Sr. and Monja Willis in Los Angeles, California. Harden also have a half-brother named Akili Roberson and a sister named Arnique Jenkins. James Harden Sr. was mostly absent during … Read MoreJames Harden (1989- )
Insurance executive Ivan James Houston was born in Los Angeles, California on June 15, 1925 to Norman Oliver Houston and Doris Talbot (Young) Houston. He attended public schools in Los Angeles and graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in 1943. Later that year … Read MoreIvan James Houston (1925-2020)
Grant Fuhr was the first black superstar of the National Hockey League. Born on September 22, 1962, in Alberta, Canada to teenage parents who gave him up for adoption. His adoptive white parents—Robert Fuhr, an insurance agent, and Betty Wheeler—raised him in Spruce Grove, a … Read MoreGrant Scott Fuhr (1962- )
Kehinde Wiley, an artist, is best known for his 2018 official portrait of former U.S. President Barack Obama and the first African American to complete a portrait of a president for the National Portrait Gallery. Wiley was born a twin in Los Angeles, California on February 28, 1977, to Isaiah D. … Read MoreKehinde Obot Wiley (1977- )
