Singer and guitarist John Lee Hooker was best known for his unique style of Delta Blues, known as “talking blues.” He had a long and successful career, which was revitalized as he turned 80 with two Grammy Awards. His influence can be seen in today’s … Read MoreJohn Lee Hooker (1917-2001)
Fredrick McGhee, a founding member of the Niagara Movement, was born into slavery in Mississippi in 1861. He was freed in 1864 as Union forces marched through the northeastern part of the state. McGhee’s parents helped make it possible for him to attend a United … Read MoreFredrick L. McGhee (1861-1912)
Although he struggled throughout his life to produce a sufficient income, Big Bill Broonzy played an integral role in launching the global popularity of Southern blues. Born to sharecropper parents on June 26, 1893 in Scott, Mississippi, Broonzy grew up in Mississippi and Arkansas. As … Read MoreWilliam Lee Conley “Big Bill” Broonzy (1893-1958)
Etheridge Knight took a very unconventional path on his way to becoming one of the most popular poets during the Black Arts Movement. America’s first introduction to Knight’s literary skills came with his first book publication, Poems from Prison in 1968. Mr. Knight’s troubled past … Read MoreEtheridge Knight (1931-1991)
Yelena Khanga is a journalist and writer who was born in 1962 in Moscow, Russia. She is the daughter of Abdulla Khanga, who was the onetime vice president of Zanzibar, and Lily Golden, a Russian woman who was a historian and educator. She was also … Read MoreYelena Khanga (1962- )
Marjorie Judith Vincent, the fourth African American to be crowned Miss America, was born on November 12, 1964 in Oak Park, Illinois. She was Miss America 1991. Vincent is the daughter of Lucien and Florence Vincent of Cap Haitien, Haiti. Vincent’s parents migrated to the … Read MoreMarjorie Vincent (1964- )
Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr. was born June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Morgan Porterfield Sr., a barber, and Mayme Edna Morgan. Throughout his childhood the Freeman family moved often, living in Mississippi, Indiana and Chicago. Freeman showed early promise … Read MoreMorgan Freeman (1937- )
Rust College was founded in 1866 by the Freeman’s Aid Society’s missionaries of the Methodist Episcopal Church with the goal of providing basic education for adults and children who had formerly been enslaved. Located outside Holly Springs, Mississippi, the College is currently affiliated with the … Read MoreRust College (1866- )
William Alexander Scott II, the founder of the Atlanta Daily World newspaper, was born in 1902 in Edwards, Mississippi. Scott, who was educated at Morehouse College around World War I, initially began publishing a business directory in Atlanta. However, he was interested in encouraging conversation … Read MoreW.A. Scott & C.A. Scott Atlanta Daily World (1928- )
Prominent educator Walter Eugene Massey was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on April 5, 1938. His father, Almar, was a steelworker and his mother, Essie, a teacher. Massey had an exceptional mind, even at an early age. By the time he finished 10th grade, his skills … Read MoreWalter E. Massey (1938- )
