Birthday Celebrations — October 7

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on October 7 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

William Still

Born October 7, 1821 — died July 14, 1902

Abolitionist, Underground Railroad organizer, writer, businessman, and historian.

Still led Philadelphia’s Vigilance Committee and assisted hundreds of freedom seekers. By carefully recording their names and stories, then publishing The Underground Rail Road in 1872, he preserved one of the most important firsthand archives of Black resistance to slavery.

Moses Fleetwood Walker

Born October 7, 1856 — died May 11, 1924

Professional baseball player.

Professional baseball player who played in the major leagues in the 1880s before the color line became entrenched.

Archibald John Motley Jr.

Born October 7, 1891 — died January 16, 1981

Painter associated with the Harlem Renaissance and Chicago Black Renaissance.

Painter associated with the Harlem Renaissance and Chicago Black Renaissance, known for vibrant depictions of Black urban life.

Elijah Muhammad

Full name: Elijah Robert Poole; religious name: Elijah Muhammad

Born October 7, 1897 — died February 25, 1975

Religious leader and longtime head of the Nation of Islam.

Muhammad built the Nation of Islam into a nationally influential movement emphasizing Black self-reliance, discipline, business ownership, and separation from white society. His leadership shaped major figures including Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Louis Farrakhan.

Charleszetta “Mother” Waddles

Full name: Charleszetta Lena Campbell; known as Mother Waddles

Born October 7, 1912 — died July 12, 2001

Pentecostal minister, social worker, and founder of the Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission.

Waddles built a Detroit mission that provided food, clothing, medical care, job counseling, and emergency help without sacrificing the dignity of the people it served. Her grassroots model made mutual aid and faith-based service a lasting civic institution.

Gilbert Rutledge Mason Sr.

Born October 7, 1928 — died July 8, 2006

Physician and civil-rights activist.

Physician and civil-rights activist who led the Biloxi “wade-in” protests challenging segregation on Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu

Born October 7, 1931 — died December 26, 2021

South African Anglican archbishop, anti-apartheid leader, human rights advocate, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Tutu used the moral authority of the church to challenge apartheid, advocate international pressure, and defend human dignity. After democratic rule arrived, he chaired South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and became a global voice for justice and reconciliation.

Amiri Baraka

Full name: Everett LeRoi Jones

Born October 7, 1934 — died January 9, 2014

Poet, playwright, critic and activist.

Poet, playwright, critic and activist who became a major figure in the Black Arts Movement.

Toni Braxton

Full name: Toni Michele Braxton

Born October 7, 1967

Singer, songwriter, actress, producer, and seven-time Grammy winner.

Braxton’s deep contralto and emotionally controlled delivery helped define 1990s R&B. Her recordings ‘Breathe Again,’ ‘You’re Makin’ Me High,’ and ‘Un-Break My Heart’ made her one of the era’s leading ballad singers, while her Broadway work widened her artistic reach.

Nicole Ari Parker

Full name: Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe

Born October 7, 1970

Actress and model.

Parker has built a career across independent film, studio movies, television, and theater. Her role as Teri Joseph in Soul Food became an important early representation of an accomplished, complicated Black professional woman in cable drama.

Omar Benson Miller

Born October 7, 1978

Actor.

Actor known for CSI: Miami, Ballers, The Unicorn and film roles including Sinners.

Flying Lotus

Full name: Steven D. Bingley-Ellison “Flying Lotus”

Born October 7, 1983

Producer, electronic musician, rapper and filmmaker whose experimental work bridges hip-hop, jazz and electronic music.

Producer, electronic musician, rapper and filmmaker whose experimental work bridges hip-hop, jazz and electronic music.

Mookie Betts

Full name: Markus Lynn Betts

Born October 7, 1992

Major League Baseball outfielder, infielder, league MVP, and World Series champion.

Betts developed into one of baseball’s most complete modern players, combining power, speed, defense, and positional versatility. He won the 2018 American League MVP award and has been a championship leader for both Boston and Los Angeles.