July 19, 1923 Dale Raymond Wright, award winning and barrier-breaking journalist, was born in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. Wright served in the Marine Corps in the Pacific theater during World War II, where he attained the rank of staff sergeant. After the war, he earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University and then graduated with honors from […]
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July 19th in African American History – Teresa Edwards
July 19, 1964 Teresa Edwards, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Cairo, Georgia. Edwards played high school basketball and in 1982 was the Georgia High School Player of the Year. She played college basketball at the University of Georgia where she was a two-time All-American. After earning her degree in 1990, she played […]
July 18th in African American History – Martha Rose Reeves
July 18, 1941 Martha Rose Reeves, R&B singer and former politician, was born in Eufaula, Alabama but raised in Detroit, Michigan. In 1957, Reeves formed a vocal group called the Del-Phis with three other female teenagers and they recorded one single, “I’ll Let You Know”, in 1961. In 1962, the group, minus one member, signed […]
July 18th in African American History – Willa Beatrice Brown Chappell
July 18, 1992 Willa Beatrice Brown Chappell, pioneering aviator, died. Chappell was born January 22, 1906 in Glasgow, Kentucky. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana Teachers College in 1927. Chappell started to take flying lessons in 1934 and earned her pilot’s license in 1937, making her the first African American woman licensed […]
July 17th in African American History – Harold Robert Perry
July 17, 1991 Harold Robert Perry, the first African American to serve as a Catholic bishop in the 20th century, died. Perry was born October 9, 1916 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. At the age of 13, he entered the seminary of the Society of the Divine Word and in 1938 he took his vows as […]
July 17th in African American History – John William Coltrane
July 17, 1967 John William Coltrane, jazz saxophonist and composer, died. Coltrane was born September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. In 1945, he enlisted in the United States Navy and played in the Navy jazz band. After returning to civilian life, Coltrane began freelancing around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From October, 1955 to April, 1957, Coltrane […]
July 16th in African American History – Barry David Sanders
July 16, 1968 Barry David Sanders, hall of fame football player, was born in Wichita, Kansas. Sanders played college football at Oklahoma State University from 1986 to 1988. In 1988, in what many consider the greatest season in college football history, Sanders led the nation by averaging 7.6 yards per carry and over 200 yards […]