Birthday Celebrations — October 22

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

James A. Bland

Born October 22, 1854 — died May 5, 1911

Composer, singer, and banjo player.

Bland wrote songs that circulated widely in nineteenth-century American entertainment, including Oh! Dem Golden Slippers and Carry Me Back to Old Virginny. He performed in minstrel companies and achieved success abroad. His music belongs in an account of Black professional artistry that also explains minstrelsy’s racial stereotypes and the restrictions surrounding commercial opportunities for Black performers.

Bobby Seale

Full name: Robert George Seale

Born October 22, 1936

Political organizer, author, and Black Panther Party cofounder.

Seale and Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther Party in Oakland in 1966. As its first chairman, Seale helped shape an organization known both for challenging police violence and for community programs such as free breakfasts for children. His autobiography Seize the Time documents the party’s early development and his account of Black political organizing.

Rosalyn Terborg-Penn

Full name: Rosalyn Marian Terborg-Penn

Born October 22, 1941 — died December 25, 2018

Historian of African American women.

Terborg-Penn helped place Black women at the center of historical scholarship. A longtime Morgan State University professor, she investigated women’s political organizing and challenged accounts of suffrage that marginalized African American participants. Her book African American Women in the Struggle for the Vote, 1850–1920 remains an important contribution to understanding both racial exclusion and women’s organizing.

Tritobia Hayes Benjamin

Born October 22, 1944 — died June 21, 2014

Art historian, curator, and educator.

Benjamin worked at Howard University as an art historian, gallery director, and academic leader. Her scholarship helped document African American artists, including painter Lois Mailou Jones. Through exhibitions, research, and teaching, she contributed to the institutions that preserve Black visual art and prepare later generations to interpret its history and importance.

Julie Dash

Born October 22, 1952

Film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Dash’s Daughters of the Dust explored Gullah family life, memory, and migration through an influential visual and narrative style. With its 1992 theatrical release, it became the first feature directed by an African American woman to receive wide commercial theatrical distribution in the United States. Her work also belongs to the filmmaking movement associated with UCLA’s L.A. Rebellion.

Michael R. Hollis

Born October 22, 1953 — died June 18, 2012

Attorney and airline entrepreneur.

Hollis founded Air Atlanta, a Black-owned airline that operated during the 1980s. His effort to establish the company placed a Black entrepreneur in a capital-intensive industry with substantial barriers to entry. He also practiced law.

Otis Smith

Full name: Otis Smith III

Born October 22, 1965

Professional football cornerback.

Smith played cornerback in the National Football League for several teams, including the Eagles, Jets, Patriots, and Lions. He was part of New England’s first Super Bowl championship team.

Shaggy

Full name: Orville Richard Burrell

Born October 22, 1968

Jamaican American dancehall and reggae recording artist.

Shaggy carried Jamaican dancehall and reggae into international pop through recordings including Boombastic, It Wasn’t Me, and Angel. His recognizable voice and collaborations helped sustain a long recording career, including a Grammy-winning album with Sting. His work provides a Caribbean diaspora perspective on the movement of musical styles between Jamaica, the United States, and global audiences.

Tracey Lee

Born October 22, 1970

Hip-hop recording artist.

Lee reached a broad audience with The Theme (It’s Party Time) and his album Many Facez during the 1990s. His recordings combined party-oriented singles with more varied lyrical material.

Deontay Wilder

Full name: Deontay Leshun Wilder

Born October 22, 1985

Olympic medalist and heavyweight boxer.

Wilder won a bronze medal for the United States at the 2008 Olympics and later held the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship from 2015 to 2020. Known for his punching power, he became a prominent figure in a renewed period of heavyweight competition. His Alabama background and rise from amateur boxing provide a clear sports-centered birthday narrative.

Corey Hawkins

Full name: Corey Antonio Hawkins

Born October 22, 1988

Stage, film, and television actor.

Hawkins portrayed Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton and took a leading role in the television series 24: Legacy. His theater work includes Broadway productions of Six Degrees of Separation and Topdog/Underdog. A Juilliard-trained performer, he offers a contemporary example of an actor building a career across demanding stage roles and widely distributed screen productions.

21 Savage

Full name: Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph

Born October 22, 1992

Rapper and recording artist.

21 Savage emerged through Atlanta’s hip-hop scene and gained recognition through Savage Mode, his collaboration with producer Metro Boomin. Later albums expanded his audience and established his restrained delivery as a recognizable style. Born in Britain and raised largely in the Atlanta area, he offers a contemporary music example that also connects migration with regional cultural identity.