Ted Rasberry was a player and team owner in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Rasberry was born on October 8, 1913, in West Point, Mississippi, and in his youth, played basketball, baseball and football. He attended Mississippi Industrial College and graduated with a degree in teaching … Read MoreTed Rasberry (1913-2001)
Minnie Forbes is one of a handful of women to own a Negro League Baseball Team. Forbes owned the Detroit Stars team from 1956 to 1958. Forbes was born in Mississippi in 1932, and in 1945, her family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to live … Read MoreMinnie Forbes (1932- )
The Detroit Stars were a Negro League baseball team founded in 1919 by Rube Foster, owner of the Chicago American Giants. They were co-owned by Tenny Blount. Their first season was played as an independent team, not affiliated with any league, and their first game … Read MoreDetroit Stars (1919-1931)
On January 13, 1997 Lieutenant Charles L. Thomas was awarded the Medal of Honor for “heroism in action” in Climbach, France during World War II. born on April 17, 1920 in Birmingham, Alabama. Thomas’s family relocated to Detroit, Michigan as part of the Great Migration. … Read MoreCharles L. Thomas (1920-1980)
Beth A. Brown was an American astrophysicist and the first black woman to receive a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Michigan. Born on July 15, 1969, Brown grew up with her parents, younger brother, and an older cousin in Roanoke, Virginia. Her curiosity … Read MoreBeth A. Brown (1969-2008)
Billie Blair is an African American model who rose to fame during the 1973 fashion extravaganza at the Palace of Versailles near Paris, France. She later left the fashion world to pursue her passion for evangelism. Born to Hattie and William Blair in Arkansas, Billie … Read MoreBillie Blair (1951- )
Gardner Taylor was a civil rights advocate, social change agent, prominent minister, and leader within the National Baptist Convention. Taylor became known as “the dean of American preaching” and was admired by many for his understanding and teachings of the Christian faith. Taylor was born … Read MoreGardner Taylor (1918-2015)
Ed Dwight, the first African American astronaut candidate, IBM computer systems engineer, real estate developer, professional sculptor, and former Air Force test pilot, was born in Kansas City, Kansas on September 9th, 1933. From a young age, Dwight was an avid reader and a talented … Read MoreEd Dwight (1933- )
The history of the Indianapolis ABCs is complicated by the fact that five separate teams operated under the same name between 1917 and 1942. The 1907-1926 team played both as an independent team and were the charter members of the Negro National League, formed in … Read MoreThe Indianapolis ABCs (1907-1942)
United Airlines executive Brett Jonah Hart was born on March 22, 1969 and raised in the small town of Cassopolis, Michigan where his parents were both self-employed at their own companies. In his youth, he spent his summers working on construction sites with his contractor … Read MoreBrett Jonah Hart (1969- )
