Birthday Celebrations — October 27

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on October 27 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Newt Joseph

Full name: Walter Lee Joseph

Born October 27, 1896 — died January 18, 1953

Negro Leagues infielder and manager.

Joseph spent much of his baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs and participated in their 1924 championship season. He played third base and contributed as a manager, working within one of the best-known organizations in Black baseball.

Henry Townsend

Full name: Henry Jesse James Townsend

Born October 27, 1909 — died September 24, 2006

Blues singer, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter.

Townsend became a central figure in St. Louis blues, recording and performing over an unusually long career. He played both guitar and piano and composed songs drawn from observation and personal experience. His recognition as a 1985 National Heritage Fellow acknowledged a musician who carried early blues traditions forward while continuing to create new material.

Oliver Tambo

Full name: Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo

Born October 27, 1917 — died April 24, 1993

South African anti-apartheid leader and attorney.

Tambo helped lead the African National Congress during decades of exile, building international support for the struggle against apartheid. Earlier, he worked with Nelson Mandela in a Black law practice serving people affected by discriminatory laws. His diplomatic and organizational work was crucial to maintaining the movement abroad while activists inside South Africa faced repression.

Ruby Dee

Full name: Ruby Ann Wallace

Born October 27, 1922 — died June 11, 2014

Actress, writer, and civil-rights activist.

Dee combined a distinguished stage and screen career with sustained civil-rights activism. Her work included A Raisin in the Sun, The Jackie Robinson Story, Do the Right Thing, and American Gangster. Alongside Ossie Davis, she used her public position to support social change, showing how artistic work and political commitment could reinforce one another over a lifetime.

Alma Powell

Full name: Alma Vivian Johnson Powell

Born October 27, 1937 — died July 28, 2024

Audiologist, civic leader, and children’s advocate.

Powell trained in speech pathology and audiology and later became an influential advocate for children and young people. Her work with America’s Promise Alliance focused on the relationships and resources needed for young people to thrive.

Weldon Irvine

Full name: Weldon Jonathan Irvine Jr.

Born October 27, 1943 — died April 9, 2002

Composer, keyboardist, and musical mentor.

Irvine worked across jazz, funk, and other styles and wrote the lyrics to To Be Young, Gifted and Black, associated with Nina Simone. He also mentored younger musicians, including members of New York’s hip-hop community. His career links the artistic expression of Black pride with the exchange of musical knowledge between generations.

Jayne Kennedy

Full name: Jayne Harrison

Born October 27, 1951

Sports broadcaster, actress, and model.

Kennedy became the first Black woman to win Miss Ohio USA and later entered national sports broadcasting through The NFL Today. Her work challenged assumptions about who could occupy highly visible roles in pageants, entertainment, and sports coverage. Her birthday offers a strong media-history subject centered on professional opportunity and representation.

Andrew Bynum

Born October 27, 1987

Professional basketball center.

Bynum entered the NBA directly from high school and developed as a center with the Los Angeles Lakers. He contributed to championship teams and became an All-Star before injuries interrupted his career.

Lonzo Ball

Full name: Lonzo Anderson Ball

Born October 27, 1997

Professional basketball guard.

Ball gained national recognition at UCLA before being selected second in the 2017 NBA draft. His playmaking and passing made him a prominent young point guard, and his professional career included several NBA franchises.