June 25, 2009 Michael Joseph Jackson, the “King of Pop,” died. Jackson was born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He made his professional debut in 1964 as a member of the Jackson 5. In 1968, they signed with Motown Records and their first four singles, “I Want You Back” (1969), “ABC” (1970), “The Love […]
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Ira Tucker, Sr. – June 24th in African American History
June 24, 2008 Ira Tucker, Sr., lead singer for the Dixie Hummingbirds, died. Tucker was born May 17, 1925 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He joined the Hummingbirds in 1938 at the age of 13. In addition to his vocal skills, Tucker introduced energetic showmanship, including running through the aisles, jumping off the stage, and falling […]
Fred Anderson – June 24th in African American History
June 24, 2010 Fred Anderson, jazz tenor saxophonist, died. Anderson was born March 22, 1929 in Monroe, Louisiana. He taught himself to play the saxophone as a teenager and moved with his family to Evanston, Illinois in the 1940s. In 1965, he was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative […]
Betty Shabazz – June 23rd in African American History
June 23, 1997 Betty Shabazz, educator and widow of Malcolm X, died. Shabazz was born Betty Dean Sanders on May 28, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan. After high school, she entered Tuskegee Institute and while in Alabama first encountered racism. As a result, Shabazz moved to New York City and enrolled at the Brooklyn State Hospital […]
Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. – June 23rd in African American History
June 23, 2003 Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., the first African American mayor of Atlanta, died. Jackson was born March 23, 1938 in Dallas, Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history from Morehouse College in 1956, at the age of 18. After working several jobs, Jackson earned his law degree […]
Elizabeth Louise “Betty” Allen – June 22nd in African American History
June 22, 2009 Elizabeth Louise “Betty” Allen, operatic mezzo-soprano, died. Allen was born March 17, 1927 in Campbell, Ohio. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Hartford School of Music in vocal performance and her first major performance came in 1951 as the soprano soloist in “Jeremiah Symphony” with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Octavia Estelle Butler – June 22nd in African American History
June 22, 1947 Octavia Estelle Butler, award-winning science fiction writer, was born in Pasadena, California. Butler began writing at the age of 10 and at 12 began a lifelong interest in science fiction. In 1968, she earned an associate’s degree from Pasadena City College and then participated in a number of writing workshops. Her first […]