September 11, 1977 Christopher Brian Bridges (Ludacris), rapper, songwriter and actor, was born in Champaign, Illinois. Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia at a young age and wrote his first rap song at the age of 9. He recorded his debut album, “Back for the First Time”, in 2000. This was followed by seven other albums, […]
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September 10th in African American History – Robert Jerry Lanier, Jr.
September 10, 1948 Robert Jerry Lanier, Jr., hall of fame basketball player, was born in Buffalo, New York. Lanier played college basketball at St. Bonaventure University and was a three-time All-American. He graduated from St. Bonaventure with a B. A. degree in Business Administration in 1970. Lanier was selected number one overall by the Detroit […]
September 10th in African American History – Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown
September 10, 2005 Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, blues musician, died. Brown was born April 18, 1924 in Vinton, Louisiana. He began his professional career in 1945 and had his recording debut in 1949 with “Mary is Fine” and “My Time is Expensive”. During the 1960s, Brown made several appearances on the television show “Hee Haw” and […]
September 9th in African American History – Warith Deen Mohammed
September 9, 2008 Warith Deen Mohammed, Muslim leader and author, died. Mohammed was born Wallace Delaney Muhammad on October 30, 1933 in Hamtramck, Michigan. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mohammed served as a minister under his father, Elijah Muhammad, in Philadelphia before being excommunicated for denying the divinity of Wallace Ford Muhammad. In […]
September 9th in African American History – Elvin Ray Jones
September 9, 1927 Elvin Ray Jones, jazz drummer, was born in Pontiac, Michigan. By the age of two, Jones had a fascination with drums and in high school he joined the marching band. Jones served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1949 and after his discharge began his professional career. Jones moved to […]
Dorothy Jean Dandridge – September 8th in African American History
September 8, 1965 Dorothy Jean Dandridge, singer and actress, was found dead from an overdose of antidepressants. Dandridge was born November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio. As a young child, she and he sister rarely attended school and toured the South with an act called The Wonder Children. Dandridge first appeared on screen in 1935 […]
Roy Wilkins – September 8th in African American History
September 8, 1981 Roy Wilkins, prominent civil rights activist from the 1930s to the 1970s, died. Wilkins was born August 30, 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in 1923. In 1931, he became Assistant Secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored […]