Those We Lost — August 7

Honoring those we lost on August 7 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Ira Aldridge

Full name: Ira Frederick Aldridge

Born Jul 24, 1807 — died Aug 7, 1867

Actor, playwright, theater manager, abolitionist, and pioneering Black Shakespearean performer.

After racism restricted his opportunities in the United States, Aldridge built an acclaimed career across Britain and Europe performing Othello, King Lear, and other major roles. He became one of the first Black international stage stars and used performance to challenge slavery and racial prejudice.

Roger E. Mosley

Full name: Roger Earl Mosley

Born Dec 18, 1938 — died Aug 7, 2022

Actor, director, writer, and founder of the Watts Repertory Company.

Mosley built a wide-ranging career in film and television, portraying bluesman Lead Belly, boxer Sonny Liston, and helicopter pilot T.C. Calvin on Magnum, P.I. His work brought strength and complexity to Black characters while his theater company supported performance in the Watts community.

Mickey Leland

Birth name: George Thomas Leland III

Born Nov 27, 1944 — died Aug 7, 1989

U.S. congressman, Congressional Black Caucus chair, anti-hunger leader, and humanitarian.

Leland represented Houston in Congress and made hunger, poverty, and food access central parts of his public service. He died in a plane crash while traveling to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, leaving a legacy of Black political leadership tied to international humanitarian action.

Jonathan P. Jackson

Full name: Jonathan Peter Jackson

Born Jun 23, 1953 — died Aug 7, 1970

Black liberation activist and figure connected to the origins of Black August.

At 17, Jackson led an armed attempt at the Marin County courthouse to demand freedom for the Soledad Brothers, including his brother George Jackson. The resulting shootout killed Jackson, Judge Harold Haley, and two incarcerated men; the event later became part of Black August remembrance and debate over prisons, resistance, and state violence.

Deidre Davis Butler

Birth name: Deidre Ann Davis

Born Sep 26, 1955 — died Aug 7, 2020

Disability rights lawyer, federal official, accessibility advocate, and ADA pioneer.

Butler helped draft, implement, and enforce major disability-rights protections, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a Black woman with a disability, she pushed national policy to address race, access, employment, transportation, and the lived experience of people too often excluded from civil rights leadership.