Historian, thespian, activist Georgette M. Norman was born on January 27, 1946, in Montgomery, Alabama, to George Maggie Norman, a real estate broker from Hope Hull, Alabama, and Juliet Graham Norman, who taught at W.B. Paterson Elementary School and was from Montgomery. Georgette’s early education … Read MoreGeorgette M. Norman (1946- )
Choreographer, dancer, artistic director and LGBTQ community activist Alexander Emanuel Simon was born on November 27, 1980, in Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands, to Rufus Emanuel Simon from Basseterre which is part of the Caribbean Island federation of Nevis St. Kitts, and Martha Maria Santiago … Read MoreAlexander Emanuel Simon (1980- )
Quiet Fire, a reggae, Latin jazz, and R&B ensemble which emerged as one of the premier groups in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was founded by teenagers attending Croix Central High and St. Joseph’s Catholic high schools on St. Croix Island. They began as the Soul … Read MoreQuiet Fire (1967-2021)
The Honorable Robert Anthony Molloy, a member of the District of Columbia, Virginia State, and Virgin Islands Bars, was born on November 14, 1975, in Christiansted, United States, Virgin Islands, to Claude “Tappy” Molloy, Former V.I. Senator and President of the Legislature, and Frances Moore … Read MoreRobert Anthony Molloy (1975- )
Professional bare-knuckle boxer Peter Jackson, better known as the Black Prince and Peter the Great, was born on July 3, 1861, in Water Gut, Christiansted, Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands) to Peter Jackson Sr., a warehouseman from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Information regarding … Read MorePeter Jackson (1861-1901)
Established in 1966 as the Friends of Distinction, this California pop/soul sound R&B vocal quartet added a new dimension to the sound of African American contemporary music. They first thought to name the group, Distinctive Friends, but one of the members reversed the words. The … Read MoreFriends of Distinction (1966-1996)
Composer, librettist, and pianist Michael D. Raphael was born January 12, 1952, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Latham Hill, Sr., a factory worker, and Lillian Walton Hill, a trained social worker. His name at birth was Michael Hill. He grew up in the mostly Black town … Read MoreMichael Raphael (1952-2015)
Composer, conductor, and flutist Alton Augustus Adams, Sr., was born in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, the Danish West Indies, on November 4, 1889, to Jacob Henry Adams, a carpenter, and Petrina Evangeline Dinzey, a seamstress. They were handcrafters and encouraged their children to be entrepreneurs. … Read MoreAlton Augustus Adams, Sr. (1889-1987)
Robert George ‘Bob’ Stanton is a retired career civil-service employee of the National Park Service. On August 4, 1997, he was sworn in as the agency’s 15th director. He made history as the first African American director and the first director to go through the … Read MoreRobert G. Stanton (1940- )
Arnold Josiah Ford was a black nationalist, rabbi, and emigrationist. Ford was born on April 23, 1877 in Bridgetown, Barbados to Edward Ford, a policeman, and Elizabeth Augusta Braithwaite, a homemaker. Ford parents wanted him to become a musician and provided him with private tutors … Read MoreArnold Josiah Ford (1877-1935)
