Birthday Celebrations — May 8

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on May 8 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Phillis Wheatley Peters

Born c. May 8, 1753 — Died December 5, 1784

Field: Literature / Poetry / Enslavement / Black Women Writers

Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the earliest published Black poets in the Atlantic world and the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. Born in West Africa and sold into slavery as a child, she became known in colonial Boston for her literary brilliance.

Why it matters: Wheatley’s life forced white colonial readers to confront Black intellect, imagination, and literary power while slavery was still legal. Her work belongs at the foundation of Black American literature.

Mary Lou Williams

Born May 8, 1910 — Died May 28, 1981

Field: Jazz / Piano / Composition / Arrangement / Music Education

Mary Lou Williams was a pianist, composer, arranger, and mentor whose career stretched across swing, bebop, sacred jazz, and modern composition.

Why it matters: Williams was not just performing jazz; she was shaping its language. Her career reminds us that Black women were central to jazz innovation, not just the vocal tradition.

Turkey Stearnes

Born May 8, 1901 — Died September 4, 1979

Field: Negro Leagues / Baseball / Black Sports History

Norman “Turkey” Stearnes was one of the greatest power hitters in Negro Leagues history.

Why it matters: Stearnes helps correct the mainstream baseball story by showing that Black greatness existed at the highest level long before Major League Baseball integration.

Sonny Liston

Born May 8, 1932 — Died December 30, 1970

Field: Boxing / Sports History / Black Masculinity / Public Image

Sonny Liston was a heavyweight boxing champion whose life and public image were shaped by poverty, incarceration, boxing brilliance, and hostile media coverage.

Why it matters: Liston’s story shows how Black athletes were often judged through fear, stereotype, and suspicion, even when their talent was undeniable.

Ahmaud Arbery

Born May 8, 1994 — Died February 23, 2020

Field: Racial Violence / Modern Civil Rights Memory / Criminal Justice

Ahmaud Arbery was a young Black man killed while running in Brunswick, Georgia.

Why it matters: If used in a birthday script, this must be framed as remembrance, not celebration. His life and death belong in the ongoing history of racial violence, public pressure, and accountability.