Birthday Celebrations — May 23

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on May 23 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Scatman Crothers

Born May 23, 1910 — Died November 22, 1986

Field: Acting / Music / Voice Performance / Television

Scatman Crothers was an actor, singer, dancer, drummer, and voice performer. His career crossed film, television, animation, and music.

Why it matters: Crothers represents the versatility Black performers often needed to survive and thrive in entertainment. His voice, humor, timing, and musicianship made him recognizable across generations.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler

Born May 23, 1954 — Died March 13, 2021

Field: Boxing / Middleweight Champion / Black Athletic Excellence

Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, known as Marvelous Marvin Hagler, was one of boxing’s greatest middleweight champions. He became the undisputed middleweight champion and was known for discipline, power, durability, and a fighting style that made him one of the defining boxers of the 1980s.

Why it matters: Hagler gives May 23 a major boxing legacy entry. His career represents toughness, focus, and the kind of Black athletic excellence that was earned through years of being underestimated before finally becoming undeniable.

Maxwell

Born May 23, 1973

Field: R&B / Neo-Soul / Black Popular Music

Maxwell is a singer-songwriter associated with the rise of neo-soul in the 1990s.

Why it matters: Maxwell gives May 23 a modern Black music entry connected to vulnerability, falsetto, romantic soul, and the neo-soul movement that helped reshape R&B after hip-hop’s rise.