U.S. Army Air Force World War II veteran Joseph Dubois Elsberry was the first Black fighter pilot to shoot down three German aircraft in a single mission. Elsberry was born on April 25, 1921, in Langston, Oklahoma. His father was Joseph Dean Elsberry, and his … Read MoreJoseph Elsberry (1921-1985)
U.S. Army Air Force World War II veteran Edward Lucien Toppins was a fighter pilot credited with shooting down four German enemy fighter aircraft during aerial combat, a distinction shared with two other Tuskegee Airmen. Toppins was born in Mississippi on June 12, 1915. His … Read MoreEdward Toppins (1915-1946)
Tuskegee Airman Edward Creston Gleed, World War II combat fighter pilot, was born on November 5, 1916, in Lawrence, Kansas, to Herbert Joseph Gleed Sr. and Carrie Syphax Joseph Gleed, a professor at Tuskegee Institute (now University). Their other son was Herbert Joseph Gleed, Jr., … Read MoreEdward Creston Gleed (1916-1990)
Healthcare management executive, strategic planner, and project manager Malika Evans was born Malika Romona Barker in 1983 and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She received the Thomas J. and Marie W. Burke Scholarship, an annual academic scholarship for African Americans or any student of … Read MoreMalika Evans (1983- )
Louis Cameron Gossett Jr., one of the most commanding American actors in television and film, as well as a producer, director, and social activist, was born on May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, the only child to Louis Cameron Gossett Sr. and Hellen Rebecca … Read MoreLouis Gossett Jr. (1936-2024)
The University of Los Angeles (UCLA) shootout between the Southern California chapter of the Black Panther Party (BBP) and the US Organization occurred on January 17, 1969. The shooting happened during a meeting of the Black Student Union at UCLA’s Campbell Hall, where the founder … Read MoreUCLA Shootout between the Panthers and US (1969)
Cheryl White is the nation’s first black female horse jockey. White was born on October 29, 1953, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Raymond White, was an African American horse trainer, and her mother, Doris, was a Polish American racehorse owner. The family owned 80 acres … Read MoreCheryl White (1958-2019)
Economist, academic scholar, and bank executive Emmett John Rice was born on December 21, 1919, in Florence, South Carolina to Ulysses Simpson Rice, a Methodist minister, and Sue Suber Pearl, a schoolteacher. However, when he was 13, the Rices moved to Harlem, New York City. … Read MoreEmmett John Rice (1919-2011)
Gary Dwayne Payton II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. Payton II was born on December 1, 1992, to parents NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton and Monique James in Seattle, Washington. As a junior … Read MoreGary Payton II (1992- )
Victoria Ann Shorey was one of the first African American female whalers in San Francisco, California. Shorey was born on August 1, 1898, in California, one of six children born to William Thomas Shorey, California’s only African American whaling captain, and Julia Ann (Shelton) Shorey, … Read MoreVictoria Ann Shorey Francis (1898-1971)
