Antoine James Hodge was a critically acclaimed opera singer, best known for his role in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” Hodge was born on August 5, 1982, in Albany, Georgia, to Mildred Wingfield and Larry Hodge. Educated in the Dougherty school system, Hodge graduated from Dougherty … Read MoreAntoine Hodge (1982-2021)
Rose Royce is an R&B group founded during the 1970s in Los Angeles, California. Original members of the group were Henry Garner (drums), Kenny Copeland (lead vocals, trumpet), Kenji Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Terral “Terry” Santiel (congas), Lequeint “Duke” Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Freddie … Read MoreRose Royce (1970- )
Known as the “perfect pitch” virtuosic a cappella legends, the Persuasions were established in 1962 by Jesse “Sweet Joe” Russell, who was born on September 25, 1939, in Henderson, Kentucky; bass James Caldon Hayes, born November 12, 1943, in Hopewell, Virginia; composer/tenor Jerome Eugene Lawson, … Read MoreThe Persuasions (1962-2017)
Virtuoso technician Classical, jazz, composer Nestor Miguel Torres was born on April 25, 1957, in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, to Nestor Torres Sr., pianist and vibraphone, and Ana E. Salcedo Baldovino-Torres. His first percussion and piano teacher was his father. However, Torres, skipping two grades, began … Read MoreNestor Torres (1957- )
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo is a professional basketball player for the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Bucks who played for the National Association Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo was born on December 6, 1994 to Charles Antetokounmpo and Veronica Antetokounmpo in Athens, Greece. Antetokounmpo’s parents immigrated from Nigeria to … Read MoreGiannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (1994- )
The Soul-funk R&B ensemble, known as the Dramatics and formed in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan, began as the Dynamics, a vocal sextet. The original members included countertenor Ron Banks born on May 10, 1951, tenor Cleveland Larry Reed, born on October 17, 1948; and baritone … Read MoreThe Dramatics (1964-2000)
Located in Palm Beach County, Pahokee, Florida is a small city with a population of approximately 6,269 people. Every October, residents of Pahokee witness the fall of “black snow.” The “snow” is a sooty byproduct of the agricultural practice of burning the sugar cane fields … Read More2) Pahokee, Florida (1909- )
Historian and Political Scientist Russell L. Adams, Sr. was born on August 13, 1930, in Baltimore, Maryland, to James Russell, a farmer and Isabella Ponder Adams, a school teacher. Both were originally from Quitman, Georgia. Isabella Adams graduated from Edward Waters College, an HBCU in … Read MoreRussell L. Adams, Sr. (1930- )
Educator Lulu Merle Johnson was born on September 14, 1907, in the town of Gravity, Iowa to Jeanette (Burton) and Richard Johnson. Her mother was the daughter of freed slaves, and her father, formerly enslaved, owned and operated his own barbershop. The family were the … Read MoreLulu Merle Johnson (1907-1995)
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)
