A Day In The Life Of Two Talented Black Women Working Behind The Scenes In Hollywood

Janet Jackson Born

Janet Jackson, of the famous Jackson family was born on this day in Gary, Indiana. Ms. Jackson will star in television shows such as Good Times, Different Strokes, and Fame. She will also become a celebrated songstress recording such albums as Rhythm Nation:1814, Janet, and the widely criticized

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Source: Blackfacts.com

May

16

1966

Paul Robeson and Japanese Americans, 1942-1949

One hero and friend of Japanese Americans, both individuals and the community generally, was Paul Robeson. Robeson was (after Joe Louis) the most popular and visible African American of the 1930s and 1940s. He was a celebrated stage actor and movie star, an internationally famous folk

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Source: Black Past

Ossie Davis

Ossie Davis was a twentieth century renowned African-American film and television artist and Broadway actor. Besides that, he was also known for his work as a playwright, poet and author. Being an actor and author, Davis had a sensitive side which made him conscious of social problems faced by his

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Source: Black History Resources

Feb

9

2005

(1901) William Hannibal Thomas on the American Negro

Nineteenth Century black conservative William Hannibal Thomas was a Civil War veteran, Reconstruction era South Carolina politician, and U.S. counsel to Portuguese Southwest Africa (Angola). He is most famous however as the author of the 1901 book, The American Negro: What He Was, What He Is, and

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Source: Black Past

Damon Wayans

Damon Wayans is an African American actor and comedian who is famous for his role on the popular sitcom “In Living Color”. He was born in New York City to a social worker named Elvira Wayans and a supermarket manager named Howell Wayans. The family were strict Jehovah’s Witnesses and

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Source: Black History Resources

Ashanti

Name at birth: Ashanti Douglas

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Bernie Mac

Bernard Jeffrey “Bernie” McCullough, or Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor, born on October 5, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. After losing his mother at the age of 16, Mac would set up stand-up comedy shows for neighborhood kids and spent most of his 20s serving various

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Source: Black History Resources

Aug

9

2008

African American and Black History Blog

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Source: Black History Resources

(1865) James Lynch, “Colored Men Standing in the Way of their Own Race”

When James Lynch gave the speech that appears below, his great achievements lay in the future. Born in Baltimore in 1839, Lynch at the age of 24 went to South Carolina as one of the first A.M.E. missionaries to the freedmen and women. From 1866 to 1867, Lynch was editor of the Christian Recorder in

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Source: Black Past

May

13

1865

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is a 1985 graduate of Princeton University. Her brother, Craig Robinson, class of 1983, was a basketball star there and has been head coach at Brown University and Oregon State University… Although she’s younger than Barack Obama, Michelle graduated from Harvard Law School first, in

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Owens, Jesse

Owens, Jesse, 1913–80, U.S. track star, b. Alabama. He was also called John Cleveland Owens, although his original name was said to be simply J. C. Owens. After his family moved to Cleveland he excelled at track and field events in high school. He won the broad-jump titles at the outdoor

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Usher

American singer Usher is a teen sensation turned R&B icon who has several bestselling albums, numerous awards and his own recording label. He was born Usher Terry Raymond IV on October 14, 1978 in Tennessee. His father abandoned the family when Usher was only a year old. As a child, he

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Source: Black History Resources

Fred Williamson

Best Known

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Waters, Ethel

Waters, Ethel, 1896?–1977, African-American singer and actress, b. Chester, Pa. As a singer, she is noted for her sultry, sophisticated, and dramatic version of the blues, evinced in her interpretations of Am I Blue, Dinah, Heat Wave, Stormy Weather, and other songs. After beginning in

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Rhue, Sylvia (1947- )

Sylvia Rhue is a distinguished writer, religious scholar, documentarian, and public speaker. She has engaged in significant work in religious communities around lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) rights and sexuality as well as co-produced an award-winning

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Source: Black Past

O.J. Simpson

Name at birth: Orenthal James Simpson

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Bessie Smith

Born into poverty and orphaned at an early age, Bessie Smith became the greatest blues singer of her era, recording more than 160 songs between 1923 and 1933. Her early career was influenced by Ma Rainey, and Smith performed on stage throughout the southern U.S. before making records. She recorded

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He was born on July 30, 1961 in Augusta, Georgia to Hattie Bell and Laurence John Fishburne, Jr. His parents divorced when he was very young and he moved to Brooklyn, New York with his mother while visiting his father once

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Source: Black History Resources

Jul

30

1961

Malin Akerman

Malin Akerman is a Canadian actress who plays Miss Jupiter (Silk Spectre II) in the 2009 film version of Alan Moores graphic novel, Watchmen (also starring Billy Crudup). Born in Sweden, Akerman was raised in Canada and started her career in front of the camera as a model. She moved to California

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Egyptian Mythology Glossary

Aaru: Abode of the blessed

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Fred Williamson

Born on March 5, 1938, in Gary, Indiana, Fred Williamson has remained under the spotlight in various fields for a long time. Former Football player and actor, Williamson has produced and directed various movies along with being a black belt in Kenpo, Shotokan Karate and

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Source: Black History Resources

Mar

5

1938

Arthur Allen Fletcher, “The Father of Affirmative Action”

Arthur Allen Fletcher is known to many as the father of affirmative action. In the following account historian David Hamilton Golland describes the career of Fletcher, a Republican civil rights activist during the last half of the 20th

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Source: Black Past

Poitier, Sidney (1927 - )

After two years in the Army, Poitier decided on an impulse to audition at the American Negro Theatre. Although he was initially rejected, Poitier was now determined to become an actor. He worked on getting rid of his Bahamian accent and improving his theatre performance for six months. On his

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Source: Black Past

Mos Def

The renowned actor and rapper, Mos Def is widely known for his hip hop songs that depict a social themes and consciousness. Fans also identify his memorable performances in Hollywood flicks such as Guide to the Galaxy, The Italian Job and

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Source: Black History Resources

Dec

11

1973

Ruby Dee

Name at birth: Ruby Ann Wallace

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Brueggergosman, Measha (1977- )

Measha Brueggergosman, Canada’s most recognizable young opera star, is working hard to bring classical music to a popular audience. The Canadian soprano has emerged as one of the most magnificent performers and vibrant personalities of the day. She is critically acclaimed by the international

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Source: Black Past

Jun

28

1977

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American basketball superstar who currently plays for the National Basketball Association (NBA) team “Cleveland Cavaliers”. He is six feet, eight inches tall and weighs 250 pounds. He was born to a 16 year old single mother named Gloria Marie James on December

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Source: Black History Resources

Howell, Abner Leonard (1877-1966)

Abner Leonard Howell was a star athlete in Utah whose accomplishments went largely ignored during the peak of his football career because of his

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Source: Black Past

Aug

9

1877

Walt Frazier

Walter Frazier is a retired professional NBA player who played for the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was born on March 29, 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia and was the eldest of nine children. An exceptional athlete since childhood, Frazier was the star of the football, baseball and

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Source: Black History Resources

Mar

29

1945

Ludacris

Name at birth: Christopher Bridges

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

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