Those We Lost — September 23

Honoring those we lost on September 23 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Carl Rowan

Full name: Carl Thomas Rowan

Born August 11, 1925 — died September 23, 2000

Columnist, author, and diplomat.

One of the Navy’s first Black officers in World War II, Rowan became a nationally syndicated columnist, ambassador to Finland, and director of the United States Information Agency — for four decades among the most influential Black voices in American media.

Charles Bradley

Born November 5, 1948 — died September 23, 2017

The Screaming Eagle of Soul.

Bradley spent decades as a cook and James Brown impersonator, at times homeless, before Daptone Records released his first album at sixty-two. He spent his final years touring the world, weeping with gratitude on stage, his voice carrying every year it took to be heard.

Gale Sayers

Full name: Gale Eugene Sayers

Born May 30, 1943 — died September 23, 2020

The Kansas Comet.

The most electrifying open-field runner in football history scored six touchdowns in one rookie game and entered the Hall of Fame at thirty-four, still the youngest ever. His love for dying teammate Brian Piccolo, told in Brian’s Song, made a nation cry.