Birthday Celebrations — October 14

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on October 14 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Cal Johnson

Full name: Calvin Fackler Johnson

Born October 14, 1844 — died April 7, 1925

Businessman and philanthropist in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Born enslaved, Johnson became a successful saloon owner, racetrack operator, and real-estate investor after emancipation. His State Street warehouse remains associated with his name. His career provides a local history example of Black wealth building and civic influence despite the constraints imposed by segregation and unequal access to capital.

Clarence Muse

Born October 14, 1889 — died October 13, 1979

Actor, singer, composer, and theatre artist.

Muse worked across theatre and film during decades when Black actors faced sharply limited screen opportunities. His film career included Hearts in Dixie and many later character roles. His long professional life and induction into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame provide a starting point for discussing early Black Hollywood.

Oscar Charleston

Full name: Oscar McKinley Charleston

Born October 14, 1896 — died October 5, 1954

Negro Leagues baseball player and manager.

Charleston combined power, speed, and defensive skill in a career that made him one of the Negro Leagues’ most highly regarded players. He also managed, including during the era of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. His Hall of Fame recognition helps restore the importance of players excluded from the white major leagues.

Joyce Bryant

Born October 14, 1927 — died November 20, 2022

Singer, nightclub performer, and civil rights advocate.

Bryant became a striking nightclub presence in the 1940s and 1950s, known for a powerful voice and silver hair. She later stepped away from commercial entertainment for religious work before returning to singing. Her career illuminates the pressures placed on Black women performers, including discrimination and tightly controlled public images.

Robert Parker

Full name: Robert Parker Jr.

Born October 14, 1930 — died January 19, 2020

New Orleans R&B singer and saxophonist.

Parker became best known for Barefootin’, a 1966 dance record that carried New Orleans R&B to a broad audience. Before that success he worked as a saxophonist in the city’s music scene. His career connects the work of supporting instrumentalists with the sudden visibility that a successful solo record can bring.

Karyn White

Full name: Karyn Layvonne White

Born October 14, 1965

R&B singer.

White became a major late-1980s R&B voice with recordings including Superwoman and later reached the top of the pop chart with Romantic. Her music combined forceful vocal performances with contemporary studio production. Her catalog provides material for discussing women’s self-definition and relationship narratives in popular R&B.

Stephen A. Smith

Full name: Stephen Anthony Smith

Born October 14, 1967

Sports journalist, columnist, and broadcaster.

Smith worked in newspaper sports journalism before becoming a prominent ESPN television commentator. His career connects reporting, opinion writing, and the debate-centered format of modern sports television. His education at Winston-Salem State also places him within the long contribution of HBCUs to professional media and public communication.

P. J. Brown

Full name: Collier Brown Jr.

Born October 14, 1969

Former professional basketball forward and center.

Brown built a long NBA career around defense, rebounding, and reliable team play. He earned three All-Defensive selections and finished his career as a member of Boston’s 2008 championship team. His example highlights forms of basketball contribution that are not fully represented by scoring totals.

Usher

Full name: Usher Raymond IV

Born October 14, 1978

R&B singer, dancer, and performer.

Usher reached a wide audience with My Way and became a central figure in 2000s R&B through Confessions. His work combines vocal performance with demanding choreography, continuing a tradition of Black entertainers whose live stagecraft is central to their appeal. He also founded the New Look youth organization in 1999.

Wesley Matthews

Full name: Wesley Joel Matthews Jr.

Born October 14, 1986

Professional basketball guard.

Matthews entered the NBA without being drafted after playing at Marquette and built a long career as a perimeter defender and outside shooter. His professional path included extended periods with Portland and Dallas.

Jay Pharoah

Full name: Jared Antonio Farrow

Born October 14, 1987

Comedian, impressionist, and actor.

Pharoah became known for celebrity impressions and sketch work on Saturday Night Live, where he appeared from 2010 to 2016. His later projects included the series White Famous and voice acting. His career represents a performance tradition in which close observation of speech and gesture becomes a form of comedy.

Mekai Curtis

Born October 14, 2000

Actor.

Curtis worked in children’s television and voice performance before taking the central role of young Kanan Stark in Power Book III: Raising Kanan. His earlier credits include Kirby Buckets and Milo Murphy’s Law.