January 13, 2010 Theodore DeReese “Teddy” Pendergrass, singer and songwriter, died. Pendergrass was born March 26, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began his career as a drummer with The Cadillacs, who soon merged with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. With Pendergrass singing lead vocals, the group had such hits as “If You Don’t Know […]
Archive | January, 2012
January 12th in African American History – Jacques Dominique Wilkins
January 12, 1960 Jacques Dominique Wilkins, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Paris, France where his father was stationed in the United States Air Force. Wilkins led his high school basketball team to consecutive Class 3-A State Championships and entered the University of Georgia in 1979. He was named the SEC Men’s Basketball […]
January 12th in African American History – Lorraine Hansberry
January 12, 1965 Lorraine Hansberry, African-American playwright and author, died. Hansberry was born May 19, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to New York City in 1950 to pursue a career as a writer. In 1959, her play, “A Raisin in the Sun” debuted on Broadway. It was the first play written by an African […]
January 11th in African American History – Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr.
January 11, 1966 Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr., civil rights leader, died from injuries received the prior day when his home was firebombed. Dahmer was born March 10, 1908 in Forrest County, Mississippi. A successful businessman, Dahmer owned a store, a sawmill, and a 200 acre farm. He served several terms as president of the Forrest […]
January 11th in African American History – Mary Jane Blige
January 11, 1971 Mary Jane Blige, singer, record producer and “Queen of Hip Hop Soul,” was born in The Bronx, New York. Blige spent her early years in Savannah, Georgia where she sang in a church choir. In 1989, she was signed by Uptown Records, becoming the label’s youngest and first female artist. In 1991, […]
January 10th in African American History – Chandra Danette Cheeseborough
January 10, 1959 Chandra Danette Cheeseborough, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Jacksonville, Florida. Cheeseborough broke onto the international track scene at the age of 16 by winning two Gold medals at the 1975 Pan American Games. In 1976, she set the American junior record in the 100-meter race.
January 10th in African American History – James Forman
January 10, 2005 James Forman, civil rights leader, died. Foreman was born October 4, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the United States Air Force in Okinawa during the Korean War and was discharged in 1952. Forman earned his undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University in 1957 and spent most of the late 1950s working […]