June 20, 1949 Lionel Brockman Richie, singer, songwriter and record producer, was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. Richie went to Tuskegee Institute on a tennis scholarship and graduated in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 1968, he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores who became popular with albums such as “Natural High” […]
Archive | June, 2011
June 19th in African American History – Manute Bol
June 19, 2010 Manute Bol, former basketball player and human rights activist, died. Bol was born October 16, 1962 in Sudan. He started playing basketball in 1978 and was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 1985 NBA Draft. Bol was one of the tallest players to play in the NBA and over his ten […]
June 19th in African American History – Phylicia Ayers-Allen (Phylicia Rashad)
June 19, 1948 Phylicia Ayers-Allen (Phylicia Rashad), stage, television and screen actress and singer, was born in Houston, Texas. Rashad earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Howard University in the early 1970s. She initially gained recognition on the stage with a string of Broadway credits. From 1981 to 1983, she […]
June 18th in African American History – Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki
June 18, 1942 Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, the second President of post-apartheid South Africa, was born in Idutywa, South Africa. Both of Mbeki’s parents were teachers and activist and Mbeki describes himself as “born into the struggle.” In 1959, he was expelled from school for his involvement in student strikes and in 1961 he was elected […]
June 18th in African American History – Bruce Bernard Smith
June 18, 1963 Bruce Bernard Smith, hall of fame football player, was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Smith played college football at Virginia Tech where he was All-American in 1983 and 1984 and won the Outland Trophy in 1984 as the nation’s top college lineman. Smith finished his college career as the most honored player in […]
June 17th in African American History – Grace Towns Hamilton
June 17, 1992 Grace Towns Hamilton, the first African American woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly, died. Hamilton was born February 10, 1907 in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1927 from Atlanta University and her master’s degree in psychology from Ohio State University in 1929. In 1943, Hamilton was […]
June 17th in African American History – Venus Ebony Starr Williams
June 17, 1980 Venus Ebony Starr Williams, professional tennis player, was born in Lynwood, California. Williams began her professional tennis career in 1994 and won her first World Tennis Association singles title in 1998. Over her career, she has won 43 WTA singles titles, more than any other active player on the WTA tour. She […]