Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown, the first African American to complete flight training in the United States Navy, was also the first African American naval officer killed in the Korean War. Born October 13, 1926 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, he was one of six children; his father, … Read MoreJesse Leroy Brown (1926 -1950)
Meadow “Meadowlark” Lemon III was most famous as the longtime star player of the Harlem Globetrotters. Lemon was born in Wilmington, North Carolina on April 25, 1932. He adopted the name “Meadowlark” while he was with the Harlem Globetrotters. Lemon attended Williston Industrial School in … Read MoreMeadow “Meadowlark” Lemon III (1932-2015)
Isaac Wright Jr. is an African-American criminal and civil attorney, consultant, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Wright became the only person in U.S. history to be condemned to mandatory life sentence plus 70 years in prison, to secure his own release and exoneration, and then be granted … Read MoreIssac Wright Jr. (1962- )
On June 9, 2020, four-star general Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the be the Air Force’s representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), thus becoming the first African American to both head a branch of the military … Read MoreCharles Quinton Brown Jr. (1962- )
Patrick Aloysius Ewing is a professional basketball player and coach who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 17 seasons for the New York Knicks, Seattle Supersonics (Now Oklahoma City Thunder), and Orlando Magic. Ewing was born on August 5, 1962 to Dorothy Ewing … Read MorePatrick Aloysius Ewing (1962- )
Markeis McGlockton was an artist who could draw virtually anything. He was a loving father to three children with his girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, and an aspiring rapper who loved making music videos with his friends. McGlockton was born to Monica Moore-Robinson and Michael McGlockton on … Read MoreMarkeis McGlockton (1990-2018)
Ray (Raymond) Emmitt Dandridge was a third baseman in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Dandridge was born on August 31, 1913 to Archie and Alberta Thompson Dandridge in Richmond, Virginia. Dandridge’s early childhood included playing baseball, football, and boxing. Dandridge had to quit playing football after … Read MoreRay Emmitt Dandridge (1913-1994)
Laura Adorkor Kofi was a religious leader and Pan-Africanist who created the African Universal Church. Kofi was born circa 1895 in a Ga village outside of the city of Accra in Ghana. In the early 1920s, Kofi served as a church pastor in the Asofa … Read MoreLaura Adorkor Kofi (c. 1895-1928)
In the early 16th century, around 1511, Spain colonized Cuba. Cuba produced almost a third of the world’s sugar supply by 1860 through the work of enslaved Africans and other island natives stolen from their land. By the year 1895, Cubans revolted against the Spanish … Read MoreBattle of El Caney, Cuba (1898)
