The first African American players in the National Basketball Association in the twentieth century all came into the league in 1950. They were Earl Francis Lloyd (Washington Capitols), Charles Henry Cooper (Boston Celtics), and Nathaniel Clifton (New York Knicks). They all began their college careers … Read MoreThe First Black Players in the NBA (1950)
The Black Scholar is a quarterly journal founded in 1969 by Nathan Hare, Robert Chrisman, and Allan Ross. It is the third oldest journal of Black history and culture in the United States after The Crisis, the publication of the NAACP founded in 1910, and … Read MoreThe Black Scholar (1969- )
Bell Biv DeVoe (BBD) is an R&B ensemble from Boston, Massachusetts, and comprises Ricky Bell (born September 18, 1967), Michael Bivins (born August 10, 1968), and Ronnie DeVoe (born November 17, 1967). The trio were original members of the New Jack Swing R&B ensemble, New … Read MoreBell Biv Devoe (1989- )
New Jack Swinger Bobby Brown was born Robert Barisford Brown on February 5, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Herbert James Brown and Carole Elizabeth Williams Brown and reared in a family of eight children in Orchard Park Housing Projects in the Roxbury section of the … Read MoreBobby Brown (1969- )
Physician, concert pianist, and conductor, Adele Darlene Allen was born March 19, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, to Oscar Clement Allen, a physician from Baltimore, Maryland, and Hattie Lawson Allen, a registered nurse, high school administrator, author from Danville, Virginia. She has one sister, Carol … Read MoreAdele Darlene Allen (1953- )
Composer, conductor, lyricist, singer Andraé Edward Crouch was born on July 1, 1942, along with a twin sister, Sandra, in Compton, Los Angeles, California, to parents Benjamin, a minister, and Catherine Hodnett Crouch, manager of dry-cleaning operations. His older brother was Benjamin Crouch. They were … Read MoreAndraé Edward Crouch (1942-2015)
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- )
David R. Williams is a distinguished social scientist and Harvard professor. He works to understand how race, social status, stress, and other social influences relate to health inequalities. Born on June 12, 1954, in the Caribbean Island of Aruba, Williams attended the University of the … Read MoreDavid R. Williams (1954- )
William A. Jackson briefly gained notoriety in the early years of the Civil War as an escaped slave and spy. When the Civil War started, Jackson was held in bondage in Richmond, Virginia where he worked as a messenger in the courts and also drove … Read MoreWilliam A. Jackson (1831/ 2(?)- )
Jack Sisson was an enslaved African American who became a militia volunteer and was instrumental in the capture of British Gen. Richard Prescott in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War. Sisson was born around 1743 and was owned by Thomas Sisson of Tiverton, Rhode Island. … Read MoreJack Sisson (1743?-1821)
