Birthday Celebrations — September 4

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 4 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Lewis H. Latimer

Full name: Lewis Howard Latimer

Born September 4, 1848 — died December 11, 1928

Inventor, engineer, draftsman, and patent expert.

The son of parents who escaped slavery, Latimer patented the improved carbon filament that made electric light practical, drafted the patent drawings for Bell’s telephone, and stood as the sole Black member of Edison’s research pioneers.

Richard Wright

Full name: Richard Nathaniel Wright

Born September 4, 1908 — died November 28, 1960

Novelist, essayist, and short-story writer.

Wright’s Native Son and Black Boy confronted America with the psychological violence of racism, opening doors for Baldwin, Ellison, and generations of Black writers.

Sonny Charles

Birth name: Charles Hemphill

Born September 4, 1940

Singer and member of the Checkmates, Ltd.

Charles’s soaring lead carried the 1969 Phil Spector-produced hit "Black Pearl," a landmark soul tribute to Black womanhood.

Bubba Knight

Full name: Merald Woodlow Knight Jr.

Born September 4, 1942

Singer and member of Gladys Knight & the Pips.

Knight led the Pips’ polished harmonies and choreography beside his sister Gladys for four decades, earning induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs

Born September 4, 1953

Actor and singer.

From Cooley High to Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington on Welcome Back, Kotter to Joe Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream, Hilton-Jacobs became a fixture of Black screen history.

Khandi Alexander

Born September 4, 1957

Actress, dancer, and choreographer.

A choreographer for Whitney Houston’s world tours, Alexander became one of television’s most commanding actresses through NewsRadio, CSI: Miami, Treme, and Scandal.

Damon Wayans

Full name: Damon Kyle Wayans Sr.

Born September 4, 1960

Comedian, actor, writer, and producer.

Wayans helped change sketch television as a creator and star of In Living Color, then extended the family dynasty through Major Payne and My Wife and Kids.

Wingo

Full name: Richard Wingo

Born September 4, 1975

Singer and member of Jagged Edge.

Wingo joined the So So Def quartet whose "Let’s Get Married" and "Where the Party At" defined turn-of-the-millennium R&B.

Beyoncé

Birth name: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (now Beyoncé Knowles-Carter)

Born September 4, 1981

Singer, songwriter, producer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur.

From Destiny’s Child to Lemonade, Renaissance, and Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé became the most awarded artist in Grammy history and the measure of modern global stardom.