Air Force 4-star General Darren W. McDew was born in Rantoul, Illinois, on September 29, 1960. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1982 from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. With his officer’s commission, McDew trained as pilot in the 82d Flying Training Wing, Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. He … Read MoreDarren Wayne McDew (1960- )
Novelist and short story writer Terry McMillan was born on October 18, 1951 in Port Huron, Michigan to Edward and Madeline McMillan. During her childhood her father spent much of his time confined to his home due to tuberculosis, forcing her mother to support the family by working … Read MoreTerry McMillan (1951- )
Vasco De Gama Hale, educator, blinded veterans’ association organizer, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) official, was born in Crawford, Mississippi, to Brotop and Jane Hale on February 16, 1915. His father, Brotop, toiled as a sharecropper for a short time … Read MoreVasco De Gama Hale (1915-2002)
Four-star general and precision flier Lloyd W. Newton was born December 24, 1942 in Ridgeland, South Carolina, the fourth of seven children of John H. Newton, a farmer, and Annie Newton. Finishing Jasper High School in Ridgeland, he majored in mechanical engineering at Tennessee State … Read MoreLloyd Warren Newton (1942- )
Image Ownership: Public Domain Isaiah Mays, a Buffalo Soldier awarded the Medal of Honor in 1890 for his actions during the Wham Paymaster Robbery, was born as a slave in Carters Bridge, Virginia, on February 16, 1858. Very little is known about his life other … Read MoreIsaiah Mays (1858-1925)
Lisa Deshaun Leslie is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Sparks in the Women’s Basketball Association (WNBA) for her twelve-year career from 1997 to 2009. She is a two-time WNBA champion, three-time WNBA MVP, and a four-time Olympic gold … Read MoreLisa Deshaun Leslie (1972- )
Dennis Earl Green was an American football coach who was best known during his time in the National Football League (NFL) as head coach to the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals. Green was born on February 17, 1949, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His father was a … Read MoreDennis Earl Green (1949–2016)
Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal is a retired American professional basketball player who is also an analyst on the TNT television program, Inside the NBA. During his career, O’Neal at 7 ft. 1 in. and weighing 325 pounds was one of the heaviest players in the National … Read MoreShaquille Rashaun O’Neal (1972– )
Black Lives Matter Protesters in Seattle June 2020 “Image Ownershp: Erika Schultz/The Seattle Times” Black Lives Matter was created by three community organizers—Alicia Garza in Oakland, California; Patrice Cullors in Los Angeles, California; and Opal Tometi in Phoenix, Arizona—as a response to the 2013 acquittal … Read MoreBlack Lives Matter, Seattle Chapter (2014– )
Born on February 20, 1876, in Auburn, Alabama, Louis Augustus Carter was the second African American Army chaplain to be promoted to colonel. Carter received his early education in a local public school, attended Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) from 1895 to 1897, and Selma … Read MoreLouis Augustus Carter (1876–1941)
