July 25, 1984 Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, R&B singer and songwriter, died. Thornton was born December 11, 1926 in Ariton, Alabama and began to sing at an early age. At the age of 14, she joined the Hot Harlem Revue and performed with them for 7 years. Thornton began her recording career in 1951 […]
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July 25th in African American History – Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid
July 25, 1955 Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid, super model, actress and entrepreneur, was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. Iman attended high school in Egypt and later lived in Kenya where she studied political science at Nairobi University. She is fluent in five languages, Somali, Arabic, Italian, French, and English. Iman moved to the United States in 1975 […]
July 24th in African American History – Karl Anthony Malone
July 24, 1963 Karl Anthony Malone, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Summerfield, Louisiana. Malone played college basketball at Louisiana Tech University where he earned the nickname “The Mailman” because he always delivered. Malone was selected by the Utah Jazz in the 1985 NBA Draft. Over his 19 season career, Malone was NBA […]
July 24th in African American History – Mary Church Terrell
July 24, 1954 Mary Church Terrell, civil and suffrage rights activist, died. Terrell was born September 23, 1863 in Memphis, Tennessee. Terrell earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884 and her Master of Arts degree in 1888 from Oberlin College, making her one of the first African American women to earn a college degree. […]
July 23rd in African American History – Everette “E.” Lynn Harris
July 23, 2009 Everette “E.” Lynn Harris, author, died. Harris was born June 20, 1955 in Flint, Michigan, but grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1977, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas. His first book, “Invisible Life,” was self-published in 1991. After that, Harris authored ten […]
July 23rd in African American History – Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson
July 23, 1962 Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson became the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Robinson was born January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he was a star athlete, from 1939 to 1941 and served in the United States […]
April 2nd in African American History – Charles “Honi” Coles
April 2, 1911 Charles “Honi” Coles, tap dancer and actor, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Coles developed his high-speed rhythm tapping on the streets of his hometown. In 1940, while dancing with the Cab Calloway band, he teamed with Charles “Cholly” Atkins to form Coles & Atkins. Their partnership lasted 19 years. Coles made his […]