Birthday Celebrations — September 2

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 2 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

James Forten

Born September 2, 1766 — died March 4, 1842

Abolitionist, inventor, entrepreneur, and Revolutionary War veteran.

Born free in Philadelphia, Forten built one of the city’s most successful sail lofts and became one of the wealthiest Black men in early America, using his fortune to fund The Liberator and organize Black political resistance for decades.

Romare Bearden

Birth name: Fred Romare Harry Bearden (commonly given as Romare Howard Bearden)

Born September 2, 1911 — died March 12, 1988

Artist, writer, and cultural organizer.

Bearden transformed collage into a powerful language for Black memory — Harlem, the rural South, jazz, and migration — reshaping how American art told the nation’s story.

Horace Silver

Full name: Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver

Born September 2, 1928 — died June 18, 2014

Jazz pianist, composer, and hard-bop pioneer.

Silver cofounded the Jazz Messengers and wrote standards including "Song for My Father," blending bebop with gospel, blues, and his family’s Cape Verdean music.

John Thompson Jr.

Full name: John Robert Thompson Jr.

Born September 2, 1941 — died August 30, 2020

Hall of Fame basketball coach and champion of Black student-athletes.

Thompson became the first Black head coach to win the NCAA men’s basketball title, leading Georgetown to the 1984 championship while fiercely protecting and demanding excellence from his players.

Billy Preston

Full name: William Everett Preston

Born September 2, 1946 — died June 6, 2006

Keyboardist, singer, and songwriter.

The only musician ever credited alongside the Beatles on a single ("Get Back"), Preston scored his own hits with "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from Nothing" and co-wrote "You Are So Beautiful."

Nate Archibald

Full name: Nathaniel Archibald

Born September 2, 1948

Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA champion.

"Tiny" Archibald remains the only player to lead the NBA in scoring and assists in the same season, rising from the Bronx playgrounds to a championship with the 1981 Celtics.

Eric Dickerson

Full name: Eric Demetric Dickerson

Born September 2, 1960

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back.

Dickerson’s gliding style produced 2,105 rushing yards in 1984 — still the NFL single-season record.

Lennox Lewis

Full name: Lennox Claudius Lewis

Born September 2, 1965

Olympic gold medalist and undisputed heavyweight champion.

Born in London to Jamaican parents, Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson to become the last undisputed heavyweight champion of his era.

K-Ci

Full name: Cedric Renard Hailey

Born September 2, 1969

Singer and member of Jodeci and K-Ci & JoJo.

K-Ci’s raw gospel fire drove Jodeci’s "Forever My Lady" era, and with his brother JoJo he reached the world with "All My Life."

Katt Williams

Full name: Micah Sierra Williams

Born September 2, 1971

Comedian and actor.

Williams became one of Black comedy’s sharpest voices through The Pimp Chronicles, his role as Money Mike in Friday After Next, and an Emmy-winning turn on Atlanta.

Syleena Johnson

Birth name: Syleena Thompson

Born September 2, 1976

R&B and soul singer-songwriter.

Daughter of soul great Syl Johnson, she built the acclaimed Chapter album series and sang the unforgettable hook on Kanye West’s "All Falls Down."

Damson Idris

Full name: Damson Alade-Bo Idris

Born September 2, 1991

British-Nigerian actor.

Idris carried six seasons of Snowfall as Franklin Saint, then went global co-starring opposite Brad Pitt in F1.