Jessie Maple Patton, a pioneer for African American women in the film industry, was born on February 14, 1937, in McComb, Mississippi. There were 11 children in the Maple family, including sisters Lorrain Maple Crosby, Peggy Maple Lincoln, Debbie Maple Reed, Camilla Maple Clarke Doremus, … Read MoreJessie Maple Patton (1937-2023)
In 2023, New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the former “Colored School No. 4” a protected landmark from demolition or significant alterations, preserving its architectural and historic features. Eric Leroy Adams, the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022, designated $6 … Read MoreColored School No. 4 (1849-1894)
Tatyana Marisol Ali is an actress and singer best known for her role on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ali was born in North Bellmore, New York, on January 24, 1979, and is of Afro-Panamanian and Indo-Trinidadian heritage, with her ancestry rooted … Read MoreTatyana Ali (1979 – )
Patrick Mahomes, who is also known as Patrick Lavon Mahomes, Sr. or Pat Mahomes, is a former American professional baseball player. He actively played from 1988 to 2009. Born on August 9, 1970, Mahomes is the son of Johnny and Cindy Mahomes. During his childhood, … Read MorePatrick Mahomes Sr. (1970-)
Nora Holt was an important figure in the history of Black music in Chicago in the 1930s and was a noted musician, composer, and renowned singer and performer during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1940s. While employed as a music critic for the Chicago Defender … Read MoreNora Holt (1885–1974)
Philip Nathan Jefferson is an American economist who has been a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2022. Jefferson is the fourth African American to serve as Governor. Jefferson was born and raised in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His … Read MorePhilip Jefferson
Twelve-time GRAMMY-winning composer, conductor, librettist, and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter was born on August 25, 1933, in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were Joseph Wayne Shorter, a a welder for the Singer sewing machine company, and Louise Shorter, a seamstress with furriers. They also had … Read MoreWayne Shorter (1933-2023)
The Arnells, a female doo-wop ensemble that also performed as The Teenettes Variations, were all from all-girls Joseph Battin High School in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey. The short-lived but talented group, established in 1963, met in the high school corridors. They rehearsed after school … Read MoreThe Arnells (1963-1964)
Josephine Ebaugh Jones was a community activist and possibly the first Black woman in management at a Fortune 500 company. Born to sharecroppers Anna Nance and Scott Ebaugh on July 30, 1920, in Cross Hill, South Carolina, Josephine arrived in New York City in 1946 … Read MoreJosephine Ebaugh Jones (1920-2017)
John Edward James, a Tea Party conservative Republican and currently member of Congress from Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, was born in Southfield, Michigan, on June 8, 1981, to John A. James, former CEO of the family business James Group International in Starkville, Mississippi. However, John … Read MoreJohn Edward James (1981-)
