International rowing champion Angel Fournier Rodriguez was born in Guantanamo, Cuba on December 31, 1987. Rodriguez was raised playing the most popular Cuban sport, baseball, as well as basketball. At age 12 he was spotted by a coach who introduced him to the sport of rowing. Rodriguez began his international rowing … Read MoreAngel Fournier Rodriguez (1987- )
Samuel Scottron was a inventor of the late 1800s, best known for his invention of the curtain rod. It is unclear if Scottron was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or New England in the years 1841 or 1843. What is clear is that the Scottron family … Read MoreSamuel Raymond Scottron (ca. 1843-1905)
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese–Haitian professional tennis player. She is most famous for her upset victory over Serena Williams in the U.S. Open on September 8, 2018. Beginning her professional career in 2013, Osaka has made many significant achievements. In 2018, Osaka reached her highest singles world ranking as number … Read MoreNaomi Osaka (1997- )
Eight-time world No. 1-ranked professional tennis player Serena Williams was born September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan. She holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 12 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles for 39 total—the most of any active player. Formerly coached by parents Richard Williams and … Read MoreSerena Williams (1981 – )
Little Willie John, born William Edward John on November 15th, 1937, was one of ten children born in Cullendale, Arkansas to Mertis John and mother Lillie John. His family migrated north to Detroit, Michigan in the 1940s so his father could find work. Little Willie John was a musically gifted child who performed … Read MoreLittle Willie John (1937-1968)
Geraldine W. Travis is the first African American elected to the MontanaState Legislature House of Representatives. She worked actively to promote civil rights for African Americans, women, and children, and to break down racial barriers in Montana from 1967 to 1989. Geraldine Washington Travis was born in Albany, Georgia on September 3, … Read MoreGeraldine Washington Travis (1931- )
Pioneering physician–physicist Roderic I. Pettigrew was born in Waynesboro, Georgia, on March 26, 1951, one of the three children of Dr. Cleveland W. Pettigrew, president of Fort Valley State University from 1973 to 1982, and the former Edwina l. Phinazee. An exceptional student at Monroe High School in Albany, Georgia, … Read MoreRoderic Ivan Pettigrew (1951- )
Billy King Solomon is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General. Born November 16, 1944 in Oakwood, Freestone County, Texas, he attended Prairie View A&M University and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. While at Prairie View he enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps … Read MoreBilly King Solomon (1944- )
Ralph Wiley was an influential writer on both sports and race. Born on April 12, 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, Wiley began his career playing college football at Knoxville College, a historically black liberal arts college located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Wiley’s mother, Dorothy Brown, was a college teacher who inspired in him a … Read MoreRalph Wiley (1952-2004)
During the 1961 Major League Baseball spring training season, Ralph M. Wimbish, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based African American physician, forced city leaders, hotel owners, and team officials to integrate its player housing and allow the entire team to live under one roof. Born on July 24, 1922, in Cordele, Georgia, Ralph Melvin … Read MoreRalph Melvin Wimbish (1922-1967)
