Those We Lost — August 30

Honoring those we lost on August 30 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Govan Mbeki

Full name: Govan Archibald Mvuyelwa Mbeki

Born Jul 9, 1910 — died Aug 30, 2001

South African anti-apartheid leader, journalist, intellectual, and African National Congress organizer.

Mbeki organized rural workers, wrote influential analyses of land and power, and endured 24 years on Robben Island after the Rivonia Trial. His life became part of the anti-apartheid struggle that Black American activists, churches, students, and artists supported as a shared fight against white supremacy.

Leo Lewis

Full name: Leo Everett Lewis Jr.

Born Feb 4, 1933 — died Aug 30, 2013

Hall of Fame football player, coach, HBCU legend, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers star.

Nicknamed the “Lincoln Locomotive,” Lewis set rushing records at Lincoln University of Missouri before becoming a four-time Grey Cup champion in Canada. His speed, durability, and versatility earned induction into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

John Thompson Jr.

Full name: John Robert Thompson Jr.

Born Sep 2, 1941 — died Aug 30, 2020

Basketball Hall of Fame coach, educator, advocate, and Georgetown program builder.

Thompson led Georgetown to the 1984 NCAA championship, becoming the first Black head coach to win a major men’s college basketball title. He built a nationally powerful program while defending player education, opportunity, and dignity, using his platform to challenge exploitation and racial double standards in college sports.

Fatman Scoop

Birth name: Isaac Freeman III

Born Aug 6, 1971 — died Aug 30, 2024

Rapper, DJ, radio personality, and one of hip-hop’s defining hype voices.

Scoop turned a booming call-and-response delivery into an instantly recognizable instrument on “Be Faithful” and collaborations with artists including Missy Elliott and Mariah Carey. His voice connected radio, clubs, concerts, and celebrations, making audience participation central to his performance style.