Sonny Charles Hemphill, arranger, tenor, director, was born in Blytheville, Arkansas, on September 4, 1940, to sharecroppers. However, at the age of 10, he, his six sisters, and parents moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. At 14 Hemphill, a tenor and harmonica player, sang in the … Read MoreSonny Charles and the Checkmates (1969-2008)
In 1967, Edwin Reuben Hawkins, who was born on August 19, 1943, in Oakland, California and had been playing the piano at the age of five and accompanying the Hawkins family gospel group since he was seven, joined his church pianist and soprano, Betty Watson … Read MoreEdwin Hawkins Singers (1967 – 2018)
Louise Alone Thompson Patterson, civil rights activist, communist, and educator, was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 9, 1901 to Lulu (Louise) F. Brown Toles and William J. Toles. After her parents 1904 separation, Thompson lived in Seattle, Washington as well as Utah, Nevada, Idaho, … Read MoreLouise Thompson Patterson (1901-1999)
Leon Spinks was a professional boxer best known for defeating Muhammad Ali for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship in 1978. Spinks was born on July 11, 1953 to Kay Francis Spinks and Leon Spinks Sr. in St. Louis, Missouri. When Spinks was born, he became ill … Read MoreLeon Spinks (1953-2021)
Aaron Darnell Ford is a lawyer and politician who is serving as the 34th Attorney General of Nevada. Ford was born on May 24, 1972 to Denise and Larry Ford in Dallas, Texas. He is the oldest of three sons. After his parent’s divorce, his … Read MoreAaron Darnell Ford (1972- )
Lieutenant Colonel Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell is the first African American female fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. Kimbrell was born in Lafayette, Indiana on April 20, 1976. Her parents, Eve Blackman Ng A Qui and Dr. Norman N A Qui, migrated from Guyana … Read MoreShawna Rochelle (Ng A Qui) Kimbrell (1976- )
Loletha Elayne Falana, famously known as actress, singer, dancer and model Lola Falana, was born on September 11, 1942 in Camden, New Jersey. Falana’s mother and father are of African-American and Afro-Cuban heritage respectively. Falana was born the third of six children and got her … Read MoreLola Falana (1942- )
William Decker Johnson was the 42nd Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and founder of Johnson Home Industrial College in Archery, Georgia. Born November 15th, 1869 in Glasgow, Thomas County, Georgia to Reverend Andrew Jackson Johnson and Mattie McCullough. Both parents were former … Read MoreWilliam Decker Johnson (1869-1936)
Thomas Detter, late 19th century black businessman, Methodist minister, and civil rights advocate, was one of the first black literary figures to emerge in the U.S. West. The son of a free stonemason, Detter was born near Washington, D.C. around 1830. Very little is known … Read MoreThomas Detter (ca. 1830-1891)
James Victor Scott, born July 17, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio to Arthur and Justine Stanard Scott, was a jazz vocalist known as “Little” Jimmy Scott. Due to a rare genetic condition (Kallmann’s syndrome), Scott sang with an unusually high contralto voice. The condition also stunted … Read MoreJimmy Scott (1925-2014)
