Birthday Celebrations — November 4

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

Bob Douglas

Full name: Robert L. Douglas

Born November 4, 1882 — died July 16, 1979

Founder of the Harlem Rens, first Black inductee of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bob Douglas founded the New York Renaissance in 1923, an all-Black, fully professional basketball team that won 88 straight games in 1932-33 and the first World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1939. Known as the ‘Father of Black Professional Basketball,’ he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1972, the first African American so enshrined; the Rens were enshrined as a team in 1963. He emigrated from St. Kitts to New York in 1901.

Alton Adams

Full name: Alton Augustus Adams Sr.

Born November 4, 1889 — died November 23, 1987

First Black bandmaster in the United States Navy.

Alton Adams organized a juvenile band in St. Thomas that was inducted into the U.S. Navy in 1917 after the United States bought the Virgin Islands, making him the Navy’s first Black bandmaster. He composed the ‘Virgin Islands March,’ the territory’s official anthem, and wrote for music journals. He later ran a guesthouse and was active in St. Thomas civic life.

Conrad Lynn

Full name: Conrad Joseph Lynn

Born November 4, 1908 — died November 16, 1995

Civil rights lawyer who defended unpopular causes for six decades.

Conrad Lynn was a civil rights lawyer who took part in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, the first Freedom Ride, and was arrested in Virginia. During World War II he represented his brother Winfred Lynn in a challenge to the segregated Army draft; later he defended the boys in North Carolina’s 1958 ‘Kissing Case,’ Puerto Rican nationalists, H. Rap Brown and Vietnam-era draft resisters. His memoir ‘There Is a Fountain’ was published in 1979.

Aishah Rahman

Full name: Aishah Rahman (born Virginia Hughes)

Born November 4, 1936 — died December 29, 2014

Black Arts Movement playwright and Brown University professor.

Aishah Rahman wrote ‘Unfinished Women Cry in No Man’s Land While a Bird Dies in a Gilded Cage,’ a jazz-structured play set on the day Charlie Parker died, and ‘The Mojo and the Sayso.’ She taught literary arts at Brown University, where she was professor emerita. Her memoir ‘Chewed Water’ (2001) recounts her Harlem foster-care childhood.

Patricia Bath

Full name: Patricia Era Bath

Born November 4, 1942 — died May 30, 2019

Ophthalmologist who invented the Laserphaco cataract probe.

Patricia Bath was the first Black woman physician to receive a medical patent, granted in 1988 for the Laserphaco Probe, a cataract-removal device she began developing in 1981. She co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in 1976 and in 1983 became the first woman to chair an ophthalmology residency program in the United States, at Drew-UCLA. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022.

Scherrie Payne

Full name: Scherrie Ann Payne

Born November 4, 1944

Co-lead singer of the Supremes 1973-1977.

Scherrie Payne joined the Supremes in 1973 and shared lead vocals on the group’s final albums, including the disco hit ‘I’m Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking.’ She is the younger sister of ‘Band of Gold’ singer Freda Payne and later toured as part of the Former Ladies of the Supremes. She began her career with the Detroit group Glass House.

Jacquelyn Barrett

Full name: Jacquelyn Harrison Barrett

Born November 4, 1950

First Black woman elected sheriff in the United States.

Jacquelyn Barrett was elected sheriff of Fulton County, Georgia, in 1992, becoming the first African American woman elected sheriff in the United States. Before her election she directed the Fulton County Public Safety Training Center. She served three terms; in 2004, after $7.2 million in county funds was lost in a fraudulent investment scheme, Governor Sonny Perdue suspended her for the rest of her term.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Full name: Sean John Combs

Born November 4, 1969

Bad Boy Records founder, producer and rapper.

Sean Combs founded Bad Boy Records in 1993 and shaped 1990s hip-hop and R&B through artists including the Notorious B.I.G.; earlier, at Uptown Records, he executive-produced Mary J. Blige’s debut album. His own ‘No Way Out’ won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1998. He built a business spanning fashion, spirits and media. In 2016 a hotel security camera recorded him attacking his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura; CNN published the video in 2024, and Combs publicly apologized for his actions. In July 2025 a federal jury acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering but convicted him on two Mann Act prostitution-related counts; in October 2025 he was sentenced to 50 months in prison.

Gregory Porter

Born November 4, 1971

Two-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist.

Gregory Porter won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for ‘Liquid Spirit’ (2014) and ‘Take Me to the Alley’ (2017). A former college football player sidelined by injury, he began singing professionally in his 30s and became one of the best-selling jazz singers of the 2010s. He grew up in Bakersfield, California.

Orlando Pace

Full name: Orlando Lamar Pace

Born November 4, 1975

Hall of Fame offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams.

Orlando Pace was the first overall pick of the 1997 NFL draft after winning two Lombardi Awards at Ohio State, where the term ‘pancake block’ was popularized to describe him. He protected the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ Rams, winning Super Bowl XXXIV, and made seven Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

Devin Hester

Full name: Devin Devorris Hester Sr.

Born November 4, 1982

Greatest return specialist in NFL history; Hall of Famer.

Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown and set the NFL record for return touchdowns. He was a three-time first-team All-Pro with the Chicago Bears after starring at the University of Miami. In 2024 he became the first primary return specialist inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dez Bryant

Full name: Desmond Demond Bryant

Born November 4, 1988

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and three-time Pro Bowler.

Dez Bryant was a first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2010 and led the NFL with 16 receiving touchdowns in 2014. He made three Pro Bowls and set the Cowboys’ career record for receiving touchdowns. He played college football at Oklahoma State, where he was a consensus All-American.

Tyrese Maxey

Born November 4, 2000

Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard and 2024 Most Improved Player.

Tyrese Maxey was drafted 21st overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020 after one season at Kentucky. He won the NBA Most Improved Player award and made his first All-Star team in 2024. He played high school basketball at South Garland in Texas.