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- )
The Ohio Players who first called themselves the Ohio Untouchables, was a pioneering vocal and instrumental funk ensemble out of Dayton, Ohio. Established in 1959, the group comprised its organizer, pianist/principal vocalist Walter Morrison, trumpeters Bruce Napier and Marvin Pierce, vocalist/bass player Marshall Jones, saxophonist/guitarist … Read MoreThe Ohio Players (1959-1980)
The O’Jays, an R&B ensemble from Canton, Ohio, was formed in 1958 by childhood friends Eddie Levert, who was born in Bessemer, Alabama in 1942 and moved to Canton at the age of 8, and Walter Williams, Sr. born in Canton in 1942. They became … Read MoreThe O’Jays (1958 – 2019)
Meredith C. Gourdine was an American engineer, athlete, and inventor. He primarily focused on electrogasdynamics systems which refer to generating energy from the motion of gas molecules that have been electrically charged under pressure. He is considered a pioneer in the field and specialized in … Read MoreMeredith C. Gourdine (1929-1998)
Joseph L. Graves Jr. is a renowned geneticist and the first African American evolutionary biologist. Currently an Associate Dean for research and a professor of biological sciences at North Carolina A&T University, Graves’ professional work is rooted in the evolutionary genetics of aging and untangling genetic … Read MoreJoseph L. Graves, Jr. (1955- )
Motivational speaker Dennis Paul Kimbro was born December 29, 1950, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Donald Kimbro, a World War II Veteran from Bellaire, Ohio, and Mary Elizabeth Anderson Kimbro, a housekeeper from Baltimore, Maryland. He was reared in East Orange and Teaneck, New … Read MoreDennis Paul Kimbro (1950- )
Diplomat, Historian, Poet, Frenise Avedis Logan, Sr. was born September 30, 1920, in Albany, Georgia but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Both of his parents were educators and he had one brother. In 1938, Logan enrolled in Fisk University and participated in basketball, tennis, track … Read MoreFrenise Avedis Logan, Sr. (1920-1995)
Sloane Stephens is an American tennis player, born in Plantation, Florida on March 20, 1993. Her father John played for the New England Patriots, and her mother Sybil (Smith) was the first woman to be named a first team All-American swimmer in Division one history. … Read MoreSloane Stephens (1993- )
