Birthday Celebrations — May 22

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on May 22 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Sun Ra

Born May 22, 1914 — Died May 30, 1993

Field: Jazz / Afrofuturism / Experimental Music / Black Imagination

Sun Ra was a composer, bandleader, pianist, poet, philosopher, and founder of the Arkestra. His work blended jazz, electronics, mythology, Egyptology, space imagery, and Black futurist thought.

Why it matters: Sun Ra expanded the boundaries of Black music and Black imagination. His work helped create a lane where Black history, cosmic possibility, and self-invention could live together.

George Marion Johnson

Born May 22, 1900 — Died August 11, 1987

Field: Law / Education / Civil Rights / Black Legal Leadership

George Marion Johnson was a lawyer, educator, former dean of Howard University School of Law, civil rights advocate, tax attorney, and legal scholar.

Why it matters: Johnson belongs in the Black legal education archive because Howard Law became one of the most important training grounds for civil rights lawyers.