Category Archives: Birthday Celebrations

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on July 20 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Freeman Bosley Jr. Full name: Freeman Robertson Bosley Jr. Born July 20, 1954 Lawyer, politician, civic leader, and first African American mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. Bosley made history in […]

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on July 18 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Birth name: Jalacy J. Hawkins Born July 18, 1929 — died February 12, 2000 R&B singer, songwriter, musician, actor, boxer, and theatrical rock-and-roll pioneer. Hawkins turned blues […]

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on July 17 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Diahann Carroll Birth name: Carol Diann Johnson Born July 17, 1935 — died October 4, 2019 Actress, singer, model, Broadway performer, television pioneer, and civil rights-era screen trailblazer. Carroll broke […]

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on July 16 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Ida B. Wells Full name: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett Born July 16, 1862 — died March 25, 1931 Investigative journalist, anti-lynching activist, suffragist, educator, and civil rights pioneer. Wells was born […]

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on July 15 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Maggie Lena Walker Born July 15, 1864 — died December 15, 1934 Businesswoman, banker, newspaper publisher, civil rights advocate, and community leader. Walker rose from post-Civil War Richmond to become […]

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on July 14 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Rosey Grier Birth name: Roosevelt Grier Born July 14, 1932 NFL defensive lineman, actor, singer, minister, author, and activist. Grier became known as a powerful NFL player with the New […]

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on July 13 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Albert Ayler Born July 13, 1936 — died November 25, 1970 Avant-garde jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and free jazz innovator. Ayler pushed jazz into more spiritual, experimental, and emotionally intense […]