Birthday Celebrations — October 4

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

C. DeLores Tucker

Full name: Cynthia DeLores Nottage Tucker

Born October 4, 1927 — died October 12, 2005

Civil-rights activist and politician.

Civil-rights activist and politician who became Pennsylvania’s first Black woman Secretary of State.

Lee P. Brown

Full name: Lee Patrick Brown

Born October 4, 1937

Criminologist, police executive and public official.

Criminologist, police executive and public official who became Houston’s first African American mayor.

Bernice Johnson Reagon

Born October 4, 1942 — died July 16, 2024

Singer, composer, scholar and civil-rights activist.

Singer, composer, scholar and civil-rights activist; member of the SNCC Freedom Singers and founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Jamil Al-Amin

Full name: Hubert Gerold Brown / Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin

Born October 4, 1943 — died November 23, 2025

Civil-rights activist formerly known as H. Rap Brown.

Civil-rights activist formerly known as H. Rap Brown; served as chairman of SNCC and later as justice minister of the Black Panther Party.

Clifton Davis

Full name: Clifton Duncan Davis

Born October 4, 1945

Actor, singer, songwriter, minister, and author.

Davis wrote the Jackson 5 hit ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ and built a wide-ranging career on Broadway and television, including That’s My Mama and Amen. His work bridges Black popular music, theater, television comedy, and ministry.

Anita DeFrantz

Born October 4, 1952

Olympic medalist, sports executive and longtime International Olympic Committee member.

Olympic medalist, sports executive and longtime International Olympic Committee member who became a leading voice for women in sport.

Russell Simmons

Full name: Russell Wendell Simmons

Born October 4, 1957

Entrepreneur and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, a label central to hip-hop’s commercial expansion.

Jovita Moore

Born October 4, 1967 — died October 28, 2021

Television journalist and longtime Atlanta news anchor.

Moore became one of Atlanta’s most trusted local broadcasters during more than two decades at WSB-TV. Her career and community service made her an important model of Black leadership in local television news.

Vicky Bullett

Born October 4, 1967

Olympic gold medalist, WNBA player and coach whose career helped advance women’s basketball.

Derrick Rose

Full name: Derrick Martell Rose

Born October 4, 1988

Former NBA point guard, league MVP, and Rookie of the Year.

Rose rose from Chicago’s South Side to become the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. In 2011, at age 22, he became the youngest player in league history to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award.