June 18, 1963 Bruce Bernard Smith, hall of fame football player, was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Smith played college football at Virginia Tech where he was All-American in 1983 and 1984 and won the Outland Trophy in 1984 as the nation’s top college lineman. Smith finished his college career as the most honored player in […]
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June 17th in African American History – Grace Towns Hamilton
June 17, 1992 Grace Towns Hamilton, the first African American woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly, died. Hamilton was born February 10, 1907 in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1927 from Atlanta University and her master’s degree in psychology from Ohio State University in 1929. In 1943, Hamilton was […]
June 17th in African American History – Venus Ebony Starr Williams
June 17, 1980 Venus Ebony Starr Williams, professional tennis player, was born in Lynwood, California. Williams began her professional tennis career in 1994 and won her first World Tennis Association singles title in 1998. Over her career, she has won 43 WTA singles titles, more than any other active player on the WTA tour. She […]
June 16th in African American History – Tupac Amaru Shakur
June 16, 1971 Tupac Amaru Shakur, hip hop rapper and actor, was born in New York City. Shakur was named after Tupac Amaru II, a Peruvian revolutionary who led an indigenous uprising against Spain and was subsequently executed. In 1986, his family moved to Baltimore where Shakur attended the Baltimore School for the Arts and […]
June 16th in African American History – The Soweto Children’s Uprising
June 16, 1976 The Soweto Children’s Uprising started in South Africa. On that day school children in Soweto protested the imposition of the Afrikanns language for instruction. Before they could disperse, police opened fire on the students. Before it was over, 23 people died. A news photograph of a dying Hector Pieterson, killed at the […]
June 15th in African American History – William Arthur Lewis
June 15, 1991 William Arthur Lewis, the first black person to win a Nobel Prize in a category other than peace, died. Lewis was born January 23, 1915 in Saint Lucia. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937 and Ph. D. in 1940 from the London School of Economics, he lectured at the […]
June 15th in African American History – Ella Jane Fitzgerald
June 15, 1996 Ella Jane Fitzgerald, jazz and pop vocalist also known as the “First Lady of Song,” died. Fitzgerald was born April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia. She made her singing debut at the age of 17 at the Apollo Theater and won the first prize of $25. In 1935, she began singing […]