Honoring those we lost on July 20 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Roy Hamilton Birth name: Rodothas Hamilton Born April 16, 1929 — died July 20, 1969 Singer, R&B vocalist, pop interpreter, and gospel-influenced soul pioneer. Hamilton brought a powerful, semi-classical vocal style into R&B and popular song. […]
Honoring those we lost on July 19 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Sheila Jackson Lee Birth name: Sheila Jackson Born January 12, 1950 — died July 19, 2024 Lawyer, U.S. congresswoman, civil rights advocate, and longtime Houston political leader. Jackson Lee represented Texas’s 18th Congressional District for nearly […]
Honoring those we lost on July 18 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Willa Brown Chappell Birth name: Willa Beatrice Brown Born January 22, 1906 — died July 18, 1992 Aviator, educator, civil rights advocate, Civil Air Patrol officer, and Black aviation pioneer. Brown became the first African American […]
Honoring those we lost on July 17 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Cudjo Lewis Birth name: Oluale Kossola Born about 1841 — died July 17, 1935 Clotilda survivor, storyteller, Africatown resident, and witness to the last known slave ship to the United States. Lewis was among the Africans […]
Honoring those we lost on July 16 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Bernice Johnson Reagon Birth name: Bernice Johnson Born October 4, 1942 — died July 16, 2024 Singer, composer, scholar, civil rights activist, SNCC Freedom Singer, and founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock. Reagon used music […]
Honoring those we lost on July 15 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Gloria Richardson Full name: Gloria St. Clair Hayes Richardson Born May 6, 1922 — died July 15, 2021 Civil rights activist, Cambridge Movement leader, organizer, and Black freedom struggle strategist. Richardson became one of the few […]
Honoring those we lost on July 14 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Alice Coachman Full name: Alice Marie Coachman Davis Born November 9, 1923 — died July 14, 2014 Olympic high jumper, educator, track-and-field champion, and first Black woman to win Olympic gold. Coachman made history at the […]
Honoring those we lost on July 13 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Lesley Riddle Also known as: Esley Riddle Born June 13, 1905 — died July 13, 1979 Musician, guitarist, singer, song collector, and overlooked Black influence on early country music. Riddle helped shape the sound of the […]
Honoring those we lost on July 12 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Rose McClendon Born August 27, 1884 — died July 12, 1936 Actress, theater organizer, Harlem Renaissance stage figure, and Black theater pioneer. McClendon became one of the leading Black stage actresses of her generation and helped […]
Honoring those we lost on July 11 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Mifflin Wistar Gibbs Born April 17, 1823 — died July 11, 1915 Businessman, newspaper publisher, lawyer, judge, diplomat, banker, and Black political pioneer. Gibbs moved through many fields during the 19th century, from abolitionist circles and […]