By the end of the Civil War, African Americans made up nearly half of the population of Florida. As in other Southern states, most Blacks in Florida before the Civil War were enslaved people and none had the right to vote. The passage of the … Read MoreThe Florida Poll Tax (1889-1941)
Historian, thespian, activist Georgette M. Norman was born on January 27, 1946, in Montgomery, Alabama, to George Maggie Norman, a real estate broker from Hope Hull, Alabama, and Juliet Graham Norman, who taught at W.B. Paterson Elementary School and was from Montgomery. Georgette’s early education … Read MoreGeorgette M. Norman (1946- )
David Lubega “Lou Bega” Balemezi is a singer who is best known for his 1999 song “Mambo No.5 (A Little Bit of… ). Balemezi was born on April 13, 1975, to a Sicilian mother and a Ugandan father in Munich, Germany. After his parents separated, … Read MoreLou Bega/ David Lubega Balemezi (1975- )
Jesse James McCrary, Florida Secretary of State from 1978 to 1979, was born on September 16, 1937, in Blichton, Florida. During his high school years, McCrary attended Howard Academy, a school for African American children in Ocala where he was the quarterback on the school’s … Read MoreJesse James McCrary Jr. (1937-2007)
Choreographer, dancer, artistic director and LGBTQ community activist Alexander Emanuel Simon was born on November 27, 1980, in Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands, to Rufus Emanuel Simon from Basseterre which is part of the Caribbean Island federation of Nevis St. Kitts, and Martha Maria Santiago … Read MoreAlexander Emanuel Simon (1980- )
Lyricist, guitarist, singer Tweet, as she was called growing up on Custer Street, in Rochester, New York, was born Charlene Keyes on January 21, 1971, in a home filled with music, where she learned to play drums and the guitar. Her parents are Tom Keys, … Read MoreTweet (1971- )
Rapper Khia also known as Shamone Finch Chambers, was born on November 8, 1977, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Carol Belinda Chambers, a data entry specialist. Information regarding Khia’s father is not available. However, she spent her foundational years in Germantown, Pennsylvania. At the age of … Read MoreKhia/Shamone Finch Chambers (1977- )
Gospel Legend Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams was born October 13, 1938, in Durham, North Carolina, the 10th of 13 children to Jim Caesar, a minister, and Hallie Caesar, a homemaker. In 1943 at the age of five Caesar started singing and performing as “Baby Shirley” throughout … Read MoreShirley Caesar (1938- )
Quiet Fire, a reggae, Latin jazz, and R&B ensemble which emerged as one of the premier groups in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was founded by teenagers attending Croix Central High and St. Joseph’s Catholic high schools on St. Croix Island. They began as the Soul … Read MoreQuiet Fire (1967-2021)
Omali Yeshitela, Pan-Africanist, socialist, and activist, was born Joseph Allen Waller Jr. on October 9, 1941, in St. Petersburg, Florida, to Lucille Waller of Pensacola, Florida, and Joseph Waller of Eatonton, Georgia. Lucille, a licensed practical nurse and cosmetologist, owned multiple hair salons, and Joseph … Read MoreOmali Yeshitela (1941- )
