Birthday Celebrations — November 3

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on November 3 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

John Baxter Taylor Jr.

Born November 3, 1882 — died December 2, 1908

First African American Olympic gold medalist (1908 medley relay).

John Taylor won gold as a member of the U.S. medley relay team at the 1908 London Olympics, the first Black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. A University of Pennsylvania graduate in veterinary medicine, he won three intercollegiate 440-yard titles. He died of typhoid fever in December 1908, at age 26.

Frederica Chase Dodd

Born November 3, 1893 — died January 21, 1972

Educator and one of the 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta.

Frederica Chase Dodd was one of the 22 Howard University students who founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1913 and marched in the 1913 women’s suffrage parade in Washington. She returned to Dallas, where she taught, worked as a social worker and helped organize the city’s Black YWCA branch. The Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta named a scholarship and a community center for her.

Lois Mailou Jones

Full name: Loïs Mailou Jones

Born November 3, 1905 — died June 9, 1998

Painter of the Harlem Renaissance era and longtime Howard University professor.

Lois Mailou Jones taught art at Howard University from 1930 to 1977 while building a career as a painter that spanned Harlem Renaissance portraiture, Parisian landscapes and later Haitian and African-inspired abstraction. Her painting ‘Les Fétiches’ is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She was honored by President Carter in 1980.

Tidye Pickett

Full name: Theodora Ann ‘Tidye’ Pickett Phillips

Born November 3, 1914 — died November 17, 1986

First African American woman to compete in the Olympic Games.

Tidye Pickett was selected for the 1932 U.S. Olympic team but was kept off the relay in Los Angeles; in 1936 at Berlin she ran the 80-meter hurdles, becoming the first Black American woman to compete in the Olympics. She later became a school principal in Illinois. The Ford Heights, Illinois, elementary school she led for 23 years was renamed for her.

Hal Jackson

Full name: Harold Baron Jackson

Born November 3, 1915 — died May 23, 2012

Radio pioneer and co-founder of Inner City Broadcasting.

Hal Jackson became the first Black radio sports announcer in Washington, D.C., in 1939 and later the first to host a network show. In 1971 he co-founded Inner City Broadcasting, which bought WLIB and WBLS in New York, among the first Black-owned stations in the city. He was the first African American in the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, in 1990, and entered the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

Mable John

Born November 3, 1930 — died August 25, 2022

First woman signed to Motown’s Tamla label; Stax hitmaker.

Mable John was the first female artist Berry Gordy signed to Tamla in 1959, and later recorded for Stax, where ‘Your Good Thing (Is About to End)’ became a hit in 1966. She was a Raelette with Ray Charles for many years and later became a minister and novelist. She was the older sister of singer Little Willie John.

Louis W. Sullivan

Full name: Louis Wade Sullivan

Born November 3, 1933

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and Morehouse School of Medicine founder.

Louis Sullivan, a hematologist, became the founding dean of Morehouse College’s new medical education program in Atlanta in 1975, which grew into the Morehouse School of Medicine. He served as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, the only Black member of that cabinet. He returned to lead Morehouse School of Medicine until 2002 and remains an advocate for diversity in medicine.

Mildred McDaniel

Full name: Mildred Louise McDaniel Singleton

Born November 3, 1933 — died September 30, 2004

1956 Olympic high jump champion and world-record setter.

Mildred McDaniel won the gold medal in the high jump at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics with a world-record leap of 1.76 meters, the only American woman to win an individual track and field gold at those Games. She competed for Tuskegee Institute and won the 1955 Pan American Games title. She later taught physical education in California.

Harry T. Edwards [Q]

Full name: Harry Thomas Edwards

Born November 3, 1940

Federal appeals judge and former chief judge of the D.C. Circuit.

Harry Edwards was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by President Carter in 1980 and served as its chief judge from 1994 to 2001. He was previously a law professor at Michigan and Harvard and chairman of Amtrak. He co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences committee behind a landmark 2009 report on forensic science.

Larry Holmes

Born November 3, 1949

World heavyweight champion 1978-1985, ‘The Easton Assassin’.

Larry Holmes won the WBC heavyweight title from Ken Norton in 1978 and made 20 successful defenses over seven years, including wins over Muhammad Ali and Gerry Cooney. He retired with a record of 69-6 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he became a businessman after boxing.

Mike Evans

Full name: Michael Jonas Evans

Born November 3, 1949 — died December 14, 2006

Actor who played Lionel Jefferson and co-created ‘Good Times’.

Mike Evans originated Lionel Jefferson on ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’ With Eric Monte he co-created ‘Good Times,’ one of the first television comedies with a primarily Black cast. He died of throat cancer in 2006.

Melvin G. Williams Jr. [Q]

Full name: Melvin Gene Williams Jr.

Born November 3, 1955

Vice admiral and commander of the U.S. Second Fleet.

Melvin Williams Jr. is a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and submariner who commanded the U.S. Second Fleet before retiring in 2010. His father, Melvin Williams Sr., was a master chief, and the two co-wrote a memoir. He later served as Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy.

Jeanette Epps [Q]

Full name: Jeanette Jo Epps

Born November 3, 1970

NASA astronaut who spent 235 days in space on SpaceX Crew-8 in 2024.

Jeanette Epps, an aerospace engineer and former CIA technical intelligence officer, was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009. After being removed from a 2018 Soyuz flight, she flew on SpaceX Crew-8 in March 2024, spending 235 days in space, 232 of them on the International Space Station. She retired from NASA in 2025. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.

Danielle Allen [Q]

Full name: Danielle Susan Allen

Born November 3, 1971

Harvard political theorist, MacArthur Fellow and author of ‘Our Declaration’.

Danielle Allen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard and directs its Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation. Her books include ‘Talking to Strangers,’ ‘Our Declaration’ and ‘Cuz,’ and she won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2001. She sought the Democratic nomination for governor of Massachusetts before withdrawing in 2022, and writes a column for The Washington Post.

Sticky Fingaz [Q]

Full name: Kirk Jones

Born November 3, 1973

Rapper and actor, member of Onyx.

Sticky Fingaz is a member of the Queens hardcore rap group Onyx, whose 1993 debut ‘Bacdafucup’ went platinum on the strength of ‘Slam.’ As an actor he starred as the title character in the Spike TV series ‘Blade: The Series’ and appeared in ‘Next Friday.’ He has released several solo albums.

Colin Kaepernick

Full name: Colin Rand Kaepernick

Born November 3, 1987

NFL quarterback whose anthem protest sparked a national movement.

Colin Kaepernick led the San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII in the 2012 season. In 2016 he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police violence and racial injustice, igniting a national debate; he has not played in the NFL since that season and settled a collusion grievance with the league in 2019. He received Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award and founded the Know Your Rights Camp.

Flau’jae Johnson [Q]

Full name: Flau’jae Monae Johnson

Born November 3, 2003

LSU national champion guard, WNBA player and rapper.

Flau’jae Johnson won the 2023 NCAA championship with LSU and was a first-team All-SEC guard before being drafted eighth overall in 2026 and traded to the Seattle Storm. She is also a recording artist signed to Roc Nation who appeared on ‘America’s Got Talent’ as a teenager. Her father, the rapper Camoflauge, was killed before she was born.