LeVert was a popular R&B group composed of Marc Gordon (1964-2010), Gerald Levert (1966-2006) and Sean Levert (1968-2008). Sean and Gerald were sons of Eddie LeVert, the popular lead singer and founder of the R&B group The O’Jays. Influenced by their father’s illustrious career in … Read MoreLeVert (1983-2006)
Macy Gray is a pop and jazz singer known for her unique voice and colorful persona. She was born Natalie McIntyre on September 6, 1967, in Canton, Ohio. Her mother, Laura McIntyre, was a math teacher and her father, Otis Jones, was absent throughout her … Read MoreMacy Gray (1967- )
Dr. Herbert Charles Smitherman Sr. was a chemist and the first African American to be employed at Proctor & Gamble as a doctorate-level employee. He helped improve formulas for products such as Crest toothpaste, Bounce fabric softeners, Folgers’ coffee, and Safeguard soap. Smitherman was born … Read MoreHerbert Charles Smitherman Sr. (1937-2010)
Alexis Nikole Nelson is a queer actor, writer, producer, social media marketing manager, and forager. Born on March 27, 1992, in Columbus, Ohio, Nelson sang in the children’s choir at her father’s Baptist church at just three years old. At five years old, she began … Read MoreAlexis Nikole Nelson (1992- )
Dr. Chester Brown is a medical geneticist who currently serves as the St. Jude Chair of Excellence in Genetics, the Division Chief of Genetics at the University of Tennessee Health Center, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and is a professor of pediatrics, genetics, … Read MoreChester Brown (1963- )
On May 18, 2021, longtime University of Washington Professor Emeritus Thaddeus Spratlen died in Seattle, Washington at the age of 90. Few people knew his name, but his work transformed black economics in the United States. In the article below, Professor William Bradford, former Dean … Read MoreThaddeus H. Spratlen: Scholar and Philanthropist Generating Economic Change in Black America
The Essex, a doo-wop R&B American quintet vocal ensemble, was formed in 1962. The band was named after Essex County, New Jersey. They were unique among R&B groups at the time in that all the founding members were also U.S. Marines. The founding members were … Read MoreThe Essex (1962-1965)
Tireless adoption advocate and civil rights activist Mabel T. Grammer was born on December 23, 1913, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the granddaughter of slaves and one of the seven children of Pearl and Edward Treadwell. Her father, who worked as a bellhop, died when she … Read MoreMabel Treadwell Grammer (1913-2002)
Rhythm and Blues ensemble Ruby & the Romantics began in 1961 when the Supremes, an all-male quartet in Akron, Ohio, and Akronite, an all-female quartet, combined their musical talents. The group included lead singer Ruby Nash Garnett, born on June 15, 1934, to David Nash … Read MoreRuby & the Romantics (1961-1971)
Adrienne Kennedy has earned a place as one of contemporary America’s most renowned and admired African American authors, lecturers, and playwrights. Kennedy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 13, 1931 to Cornell Wallace and Etta (Haugabook) Hawkins. Kennedy spent her childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, … Read MoreAdrienne Kennedy (1931- )
