CHADWICK BOSEMAN
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: 29TH NOVEMBER 1976
DIED: 28TH AUGUST 2020
CAREER:
CHADWICK AARON BOSEMAN WAS AN AMERICAN ACTOR
HE MADE FILM HISTORY PORTRAYING MANY OF AMERICA’S HISTORY MAKERS—FROM MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GREAT
JACKIE ROBINSON TO SOUL SINGER JAMES BROWN. BUT HE FOUND STARDOM WITH HIS ROLE AS T’CHALLA IN MARVEL’S “BLACK PANTHER” ADDING IMPORTANT REPRESENTATION TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE AND THE SUPERHERO FILM GENRE.
OTHER FACTS:
HE DID A GREAT DEAL OF WORK WITH ST JUDE'S, DONATED $10,000 TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, AND HELPED GET BLACK SCHOOL CHILDREN INTO THEATERS TO SEE BLACK PANTHER HE ALSO DONATED TO HELP UNDERSERVED MINORITY COMMUNITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
HE ADVOCATED FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND GAVE AN ICONIC HOWARD UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT SPEECH.
SIMONE BILES BORN:
BEST KNOWN FOR:
14TH MARCH 1999
CAREER:
SIMONE ARIANNE BILES OWENS IS AN AMERICAN ARTISTIC GYMNAST.
SIMONE BILES IS THE MOST DECORATED AMERICAN GYMNAST IN HISTORY, WITH 25 MEDALS (19 OF THEM GOLD) FROM THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND SEVEN MEDALS (FOUR GOLD) FROM THE OLYMPICS SHE IS ALSO THE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN TO WIN SEVEN NATIONAL ALL-AROUND TITLES AND FIRST FEMALE GYMNAST TO EARN THREE CONSECUTIVE WORLD ALL-AROUND TITLES.
“I'M NOT THE NEXT USAIN BOLT OR MICHAEL PHELPS. I'M THE FIRST SIMONE BILES.”
OTHER FACTS:
SHE IS A THREE-TIME RECIPIENT OF THE LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARD FOR SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, ON JULY 7, 2022, PRESENTED THE NATION’S HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR, THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, TO 17 PEOPLE, INCLUDING GYMNAST SIMONE BILES AFTER GROWING UP IN FOSTER CARE HERSELF, THE WORLD’S MOST DECORATED GYMNAST IS NOW HELPING OTHER KIDS IN HER FORMER SHOES PURSUE THEIR DREAMS SHE’S NOW HELPING FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN EXPAND TO HER HOMETOWN OF HOUSTON FOUNDED IN PORTLAND, OREGON, IN 1993, FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN NURTURES LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH FOSTER YOUTH TO HELP THEM DISCOVER THEIR LIFE’S PURPOSE AND REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL
KATHERINE JOHNSON
BORN:
26TH AUGUST 1918 DIED:
24TH FEBURARY 2020
CAREER:
KATHERINE JOHNSON WAS AN AMERICAN MATHEMATICIAN WHOSE CALCULATIONS OF ORBITAL MECHANICS AS A NASA EMPLOYEE WERE CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST AND SUBSEQUENT U S CREWED SPACEFLIGHTS.
BEST KNOWN FOR:
KATHERINE STUDIED HOW TO USE GEOMETRY FOR SPACE TRAVEL. SHE FIGURED OUT THE PATHS FOR THE SPACECRAFT TO ORBIT EARTH AND TO LAND ON THE MOON. NASA USED KATHERINE’S MATH, AND IT WORKED! NASA SENT ASTRONAUTS INTO ORBIT AROUND EARTH. LATER, HER MATH HELPED SEND ASTRONAUTS TO THE MOON AND BACK. NASA COULD NOT HAVE DONE THESE THINGS WITHOUT KATHERINE JOHNSON AND HER LOVE FOR MATH!
OTHER FACTS:
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA PRESENTED HER WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, ONE OF 17 AMERICANS SO HONORED ON NOVEMBER 24, 2015. SHE WAS CITED AS A PIONEERING EXAMPLE OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN IN STEM THE FILM HIDDEN FIGURES, RELEASED IN DECEMBER 2016, WAS BASED ON THE NONFICTION BOOK OF THE SAME TITLE BY MARGOT LEE SHETTERLY, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED EARLIER THAT YEAR. IT FOLLOWS JOHNSON AND OTHER FEMALE AFRICANAMERICAN MATHEMATICIANS (MARY JACKSON AND DOROTHY VAUGHAN) WHO WORKED AT NASA
MADAM C. J. WALKER
BORN: 23RD DECEMBER 1867
DIED:
25TH MAY 1919
CAREER:
MADAM C. J. WALKER WAS AN AMERICAN ENTREPRENEUR, PHILANTHROPIST, AND POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST SHE IS RECORDED AS THE FIRST FEMALE SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE IN AMERICA IN THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS
BEST KNOWN FOR:
MADAM C J WALKER INVENTED A LINE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR PRODUCTS AFTER SUFFERING FROM A SCALP AILMENT THAT RESULTED IN HER OWN HAIR LOSS SHE PROMOTED HER PRODUCTS BY TRAVELING AROUND THE COUNTRY GIVING LECTUREDEMONSTRATIONS AND EVENTUALLY ESTABLISHED MADAME
C J WALKER LABORATORIES TO MANUFACTURE
COSMETICS AND TRAIN SALES BEAUTICIANS
OTHER FACTS:
DONATED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CAUSES PROMOTING RACIAL JUSTICE AND EQUALITY
IN 1927, THE WALKER BUILDING, AN ARTS CENTER THAT WALKER HAD BEGUN WORK ON BEFORE HER DEATH, WAS OPENED IN INDIANAPOLIS AN IMPORTANT AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER FOR DECADES, IT IS NOW A REGISTERED NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.. IN 1998, THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE ISSUED A STAMP OF WALKER AS PART OF ITS "BLACK HERITAGE" SERIES
BESSIE COLEMAN
BEST KNOWN FOR:
30TH APRIL 1926
BORN: 26TH JANUARY 1892 DIED: CAREER:
BESSIE COLEMAN WAS AN EARLY AMERICAN CIVIL AVIATOR
SHE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN AND FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN TO HOLD A PILOT LICENSE, AND IS THE EARLIEST KNOWN BLACK PERSON TO EARN AN INTERNATIONAL PILOT'S LICENSE
COLEMAN STAGED THE FIRST PUBLIC FLIGHT BY AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN IN AMERICA ON LABOR DAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1922. SHE BECAME A POPULAR FLIER AT AERIAL SHOWS, THOUGH SHE REFUSED TO PERFORM BEFORE SEGREGATED AUDIENCES IN THE SOUTH
OTHER FACTS:
ON APRIL 30, 1926, COLEMAN AND HER MECHANIC WENT UP FOR A PRACTICE FLIGHT BEFORE AN UPCOMING PERFORMANCE SOON TRAGEDY STRUCK CRUISING AT 3,500 FEET, THE BIPLANE ACCELERATED AND THEN SUDDENLY WENT INTO A NOSEDIVE, TAILSPIN AND FLIPPED OVER. COLEMAN WAS THROWN FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND PLUNGED TO HER DEATH WILLS CRASHED WITH THE PLANE AND WAS ALSO KILLED
SHE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN AND FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN TO HOLD A PILOT LICENSE, AND IS THE EARLIEST KNOWN BLACK PERSON TO EARN AN INTERNATIONAL PILOT'S LICENSE
BARACK OBAMA BORN:
4TH AUGUST 1961
CAREER:
BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA II IS AN AMERICAN POLITICIAN WHO SERVED AS THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FROM 2009 TO 2017.
BEST KNOWN FOR:
AS A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, HE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY. OBAMA PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS A U.S. SENATOR REPRESENTING ILLINOIS FROM 2005 TO 2008 AND AS AN ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR FROM 1997 TO 2004. OBAMA LEFT OFFICE AFTER TWO TERMS IN JANUARY 2017 WITH A 60 PERCENT APPROVAL RATING, HIGHER THAN MOST PRESIDENTS AT THE END OF THEIR PRESIDENCY
OTHER FACTS:
THE 2009 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WAS AWARDED TO UNITED STATES PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA FOR HIS "EXTRAORDINARY EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY AND COOPERATION BETWEEN PEOPLES".
BARAK OBAMA STARTED THE OBAMA FOUNDATION WITH THE AIM TO INSPIRE, EMPOWER, AND CONNECT PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR WORLD THEY SEEK TO BUILD AN ACTIVE DEMOCRATIC CULTURE WHERE PEOPLE ARE EQUIPPED AND MOTIVATED TO MAKE CHANGE, NOT JUST AT THE POLLS OR IN THE HALLS OF POWER, BUT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, IN THE PLACES WHERE THEY LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY
HARRIET TUBMAN
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: MARCH 1822
DIED: 10TH MARCH 1913
CAREER:
HARRIET TUBMAN WAS AN AMERICAN ABOLITIONIST AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST.
THE MIDDLE CHILD OF NINE ENSLAVED SIBLINGS, HARRIET TUBMAN WAS RAISED BY PARENTS WHO STRUGGLED AGAINST GREAT ODDS TO KEEP THEIR FAMILY TOGETHER. TUBMAN SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPED TO PHILADELPHIA IN 1849. ONCE FREE, SHE BECAME AN OPERATOR OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD A SECRET NETWORK OF PEOPLE, PLACES AND ROUTES THAT PROVIDED SHELTER AND ASSISTANCE TO ESCAPING SLAVES. SHE COURAGEOUSLY RETURNED TO MARYLAND AT LEAST 13 TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF A DECADE TO RESCUE HER PARENTS, BROTHERS, FAMILY MEMBERS, AND FRIENDS, GUIDING THEM SAFELY TO FREEDOM.
OTHER FACTS:
HARRIET TUBMAN RECEIVED NO AWARDS DURING HER LIFETIME SHE HAS, HOWEVER, BEEN HONORED IN NUMEROUS WAYS IN THE YEARS SINCE HER DEATH IN 1913. THE UNITED STATES MARITIME COMMISSION LAUNCHED THE SHIP, SS HARRIET TUBMAN, IN 1944, AND IN 2014, THE ASTEROID (241528) TUBMAN WAS NAMED AFTER HER
HARRIET TUBMAN CARRIED A SMALL PISTOL WITH HER ON HER RESCUE MISSIONS, MOSTLY FOR PROTECTION FROM SLAVE CATCHERS, BUT ALSO TO ENCOURAGE WEAKHEARTED RUNAWAYS FROM TURNING BACK AND RISKING THE SAFETY OF THE REST OF THE GROUP
MAYA ANGELOU
BORN: 4TH APRIL 1928
DIED: 28TH MAY 2014
CAREER:
MAYA ANGELOU WAS AN AMERICAN MEMOIRIST, POET, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST.
BEST KNOWN FOR:
A POET, SINGER, AUTOBIOGRAPHER, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, MAYA
ANGELOU INSPIRES US WITH BOTH THE BEAUTY AND THE CALL TO ACTION OF HER WORDS. HER MOST FAMOUS WORK IS I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY ABOUT HER CHILDHOOD THE BOOK IS A TESTAMENT TO THE NEED FOR RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF DISCRIMINATION.
“DO THE BEST YOU CAN UNTIL YOU KNOW BETTER THEN WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER ”
OTHER FACTS:
THROUGHOUT HER LIFE, ANGELOU DEFIED SOCIAL NORMS. AFTER BEING RAPED BY HER MOTHER'S BOYFRIEND, SHE WITHDREW AND WAS MUTE FOR FIVE YEARS. HOWEVER, ENCOURAGED BY HER GRANDMOTHER, WHO INTRODUCED HER TO LITERATURE, SHE GRADUALLY EMERGED AS A TALENTED ARTIST
WHILE THE LIST IS LIKELY FAR FROM COMPLETE, MAYA ANGELOU WON AT LEAST 54 MAJOR AWARDS AND HONORS DURING HER LIFETIME AND EVEN AFTER HER DEATH
BIG MAMA THORNTON
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: 11TH DECEMBER 1926
DIED:
25TH JULY 1984
CAREER:
WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON, WAS AN AMERICAN SINGER AND SONGWRITER OF BLUES AND R&B.
LARGER-THAN-LIFE, OPINIONATED, AND A VOCAL POWERHOUSE AND MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST WITH ROCK & ROLL SWAGGER, BIG MAMA THORNTON BRIDGED THE GAP BETWEEN THE BLUES AND ROCK & ROLL WITH HER BRILLIANT VOCAL PERFORMANCES ON SONGS LIKE “HOUND DOG” AND “BALL N' CHAIN.”
OTHER FACTS:
DURING HER 44-YEAR CAREER, THORNTON WAS NOMINATED FOR THE BLUES MUSIC AWARDS SIX TIMES, WROTE AND RECORDED MORE THAN 20 SONGS, AND IN 1984, THE YEAR OF HER DEATH, SHE WAS INDUCTED INTO TO THE BLUES HALL OF FAME.
OVERLOOKED BY WHITE AUDIENCES DURING HER LIFETIME, THORNTON'S WORK INSPIRED IMITATION BY ELVIS PRESLEY AND JANIS JOPLIN, WHO RECORDED POPULAR COVER VERSIONS OF THORNTON'S “HOUND DOG” AND “BALL AND CHAIN,” RESPECTIVELY.
DENZEL WASHINGTON
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: 28TH DECEMBER 1954
CAREER:
DENZEL HAYES
WASHINGTON JR. IS AN AMERICAN ACTOR, PRODUCER, AND DIRECTOR.
BEST KNOWN FOR HIS WORK IN “GLORY” (1989), “MALCOLM X” (1992), “TRAINING DAY” (2001) AND “FENCES” (2016). THROUGHOUT HIS FOUR-DECADE CAREER, WASHINGTON HAS EARNED TWO OSCARS AND A TONY AWARD, AND HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR TWO EMMYS AND A GRAMMY.
OTHER FACTS:
HE HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR RACIAL EQUALITY AND EDUCATION, USING HIS PLATFORM TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT IMPORTANT ISSUES WASHINGTON HAS SERVED AS THE NATIONAL SPOKESMAN FOR BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA, AN ORGANISATION THAT MENTOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND GIVE THEM QUALITY PROGRAMS TO HELP THEM SUCCEED, SINCE 1993 AND HAS APPEARED IN PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS FOR THE ORGANIZATION.
DOROTHY VAUGHAN
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: 20TH SEPTEMBER 1910
DIED:
10TH NOVEMBER 2008
CAREER:
DOROTHY JEAN JOHNSON VAUGHAN WAS AN AMERICAN MATHEMATICIAN AND HUMAN COMPUTER WHO WORKED FOR THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS, AND NASA, AT LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER IN HAMPTON, VIRGINIA.
THOSE WHO SPEAK OF NASA'S PIONEERS RARELY MENTION THE NAME DOROTHY VAUGHAN, BUT AS THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS' (NACA'S) SEGREGATED WEST AREA COMPUTING UNIT FROM 1949 UNTIL 1958, VAUGHAN WAS BOTH A RESPECTED MATHEMATICIAN AND NASA'S FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN MANAGER.
OTHER FACTS:
DOROTHY VAUGHAN SPECIALIZED IN CALCULATING FLIGHT PATHS TO DO THIS, IT WAS NECESSARY THAT SHE HAVE A GOOD OVERALL UNDERSTANDING OF MATHEMATICS, BUT ESPECIALLY TRIGONOMETRY, LINEAR ALGEBRA, AND MATHEMATICAL PROOFS
VAUGHAN RETIRED FROM NASA IN 1971, AT THE AGE OF 60. SHE LIVED
UNTIL NOVEMBER 10, 2008, AGED 98 VAUGHAN WAS A MEMBER OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN SORORITY.
MARY JACKSON
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: 9TH APRIL 1921
DIED: CAREER:
11TH FEBRUARY 2005
MARY JACKSON WAS AN AMERICAN MATHEMATICIAN AND AEROSPACE ENGINEER AT THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS, WHICH IN 1958 WAS SUCCEEDED BY THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
MARY W. JACKSON SUCCESSFULLY OVERCAME THE BARRIERS OF SEGREGATION AND GENDER BIAS TO BECOME NASA'S FIRST BLACK FEMALE ENGINEER IN 1958 AND A LEADER IN ENSURING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
“DOUBT
KILLS
MORE DREAMS THAN FAILURE EVER WILL..”
OTHER FACTS:
BY 1978, JACKSON CHANGED POSITIONS TO BE A HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR SHE SERVED AS BOTH THE FEDERAL WOMEN’S PROGRAM MANAGER IN THE OFFICE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS AND AS THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM MANAGER FROM THEN UNTIL HER RETIREMENT IN 1985, SHE HELPED OTHER WOMEN AND MINORITIES ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS, ADVISING THEM TO STUDY AND TAKE EXTRA COURSES TO INCREASE THEIR CHANCES FOR PROMOTION.
DAVID OLUSOGA
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: CAREER:
1970
DAVID ADETAYO OLUSOGA OBE IS A BRITISH HISTORIAN, WRITER, BROADCASTER, PRESENTER AND FILMMAKER.
PROFESSOR DAVID OLUSOGA OBE IS A FAMILIAR FACE TO MANY THROUGH ACCLAIMED HISTORY TV SERIES SUCH AS CIVILISATIONS, BLACK AND BRITISH: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY AND, MOST RECENTLY, A HOUSE THROUGH TIME. A BLACK HISTORY OF BRITAIN IS A RICH AND REVEALING EXPLORATION OF THE EXTRAORDINARILY LONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BRITISH ISLES AND THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA
OTHER FACTS: JANUARY
IN 2023 DAVID OLUSOGA OBE RECIEVED A BAFTA SPECIAL AWARD. THE BAFTA SPECIAL AWARD IS ONE OF BAFTA’S HIGHEST HONOURS RECOGNISING AN OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO FILM, GAMES OR TELEVISION
HE IS NOW A PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER.
AFUA HIRSCH
BORN:
AFUA HIRSCH IS A BRITISH WRITER AND BROADCASTER.
BEST KNOWN FOR: CAREER: OTHER FACTS: 12TH JUNE 1981
SHE HAS WORKED AS A JOURNALIST FOR THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER, AND WAS THE SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND EDUCATION EDITOR FOR SKY NEWS FROM 2014 UNTIL 2017. SHE IS THE AUTHOR OF THE 2018 BOOK BRIT: ON RACE, IDENTITY AND BELONGING, RECEIVING A JERWOOD AWARD WHILE WRITING IT SHE RECENTLY SET UP HER OWN PRODUCTION COMPANY, BORN IN ME.
BRIT(ISH): ON RACE, IDENTITY AND BELONGING PUBLISHED IN 2018 THE BOOK IS PART-MEMOIR AND DISCUSSES BLACK HISTORY, CULTURE AND POLITICS IN THE CONTEXT OF BRITAIN, SENEGAL AND GHANA
AFUA HIRSCH IS QUALIFIED AS A BARRISTER AT HUMAN RIGHTS CHAMBERS, DOUGHTY STREET CHAMBERS AFUA REPRESENTED PEOPLE WHOSE FEES WERE PAID BY LEGAL AID WHOSE CASES INCLUDED EVICTIONS, HOMELESSNESS, IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM, PRESS FREEDOM AND INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES
AKALA
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN:
1ST DECEMBER 1983
CAREER:
AKALA IS A BRITISH RAPPER, JOURNALIST, AUTHOR, ACTIVIST AND POET FROM KENTISH TOWN, LONDON.
AKALA IS ONE OF THE UK'S LEADING DIVERSITY ACTIVISTS, REGULARLY PERFORMING KEYNOTE SPEECHES AND LECTURES ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS INCLUDING RACE AND CLASS, BRITISH, AFRICAN AND CARIBBEAN HISTORY, THE ARTS, MUSIC AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT. HE HAS ALSO WRITTEN SEVERAL BEST-SELLING BOOKS INCLUDING NATIVES, VISIONS AND HIP AND HOP: YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.
OTHER FACTS:
HE CHOSE THE STAGE NAME AKALA, A BUDDHIST TERM FOR "IMMOVABLE”, AND STARTED RELEASING MUSIC IN 2003 FROM HIS OWN INDEPENDENT MUSIC LABEL, ILLA STATE RECORDS HE RELEASED HIS FIRST MIXTAPE, ENTITLED THE WAR MIXTAPE, IN 2004. IN 2006 HE RELEASED HIS FIRST ALBUM – IT'S NOT A RUMOUR
AKALA WAS VOTED AS THE BEST HIP HOP ACT AT THE MOBO AWARDS IN 2006 AND IS ALSO THE RECIPIENT OF A BAFTA
WALTER TULL
BEST KNOWN FOR:
28TH APRIL 1888 25TH MARCH 1918
BORN: DIED: CAREER:
WALTER DANIEL JOHN TULL WAS AN ENGLISH PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER AND BRITISH ARMY OFFICER OF AFRO-CARIBBEAN DESCENT
AFTER SCHOOL, WALTER PLAYED FOR AMATEUR TEAM CLAPTON FOOTBALL CLUB. EVENTUALLY HE JOINED TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR AND THEN MOVED TO NORTHAMPTON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB TULL IS ALSO WIDELY CONSIDERED THE FIRST AFRICAN-CARIBBEAN MIXED HERITAGE MAN TO BE COMMISSIONED AS AN INFANTRY OFFICER IN THE BRITISH ARMY. WALTER TULL DIED AGED 29 IN 1918 WHILE LEADING AN ATTACK ON THE WESTERN FRONT DURING THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE SOMME IN MARCH.
OTHER FACTS:
TULL WAS AWARDED THE 1914-15 STAR AND THE WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS.
WALTER CAME FROM A MIXED-RACE FAMILY. HIS MOTHER, ALICE, WAS A FOLKESTONE LOCAL. HIS FATHER, DANIEL, MOVED FROM BARBADOS TO ENGLAND HE MARRIED TWICE AND HAD SIX CHILDREN A ROAD LEADING TO NORTHAMPTON TOWN'S FOOTBALL STADIUM WAS NAMED AFTER WALTER BECAUSE OF HIS SUCCESS AND SERVICE TO THE TEAM
KERRY DAVIS
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN:
2ND AUGUST 1962
CAREER:
KERRY DAVIS IS AN ENGLISH FORMER INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FOOTBALLER.
WHEN SHE STEPPED OUT FOR ENGLAND AGAINST NORTHERN IRELAND AT CREWE'S GRESTY ROAD IN 1982, DAVIS BECAME THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO PLAY FOOTBALL FOR ENGLAND, PAVING THE WAY FOR THE LIKES OF HOPE POWELL, ALEX SCOTT AND LAUREN JAMES DAVIS WOULD GO ON TO REPRESENT ENGLAND A FURTHER 81 TIMES BETWEEN 1982 AND 1998, SCORING A THEN-RECORD 44 GOALS
OTHER FACTS:
IN RECENT MONTHS, RECOGNITION HAS FINALLY COME DAVIS' WAY IN MARCH, SHE RECEIVED THE KEITH ALEXANDER AWARD FROM THE FOOTBALL BLACK LIST IN RECOGNITION OF HER ACHIEVEMENTS AS A PIONEER AND JUST TWO MONTHS LATER WAS GIVEN A LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT THE 2024 WOMEN'S FOOTBALL AWARDS. DAVIES PLAYED FOR VARIOUS ENGLISH CLUBS INCLUDING: CREWE ALEXANDRA, KNOESLEY UNITED (LATER BECAME LIVERPOOL), AND CROYDON WOMEN.
OLAUDAH EQUIANO
BEST KNOWN FOR:
16TH OCTOBER 1745
BORN: DIED:
31ST MARCH 1797
CAREER:
OLAUDAH EQUIANO, KNOWN FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE AS GUSTAVUS VASSA, WAS A WRITER AND ABOLITIONIST.
ACCORDING TO HIS MEMOIR, HE WAS FROM THE VILLAGE OF ESSAKA IN MODERN SOUTHERN NIGERIA. ENSLAVED AS A CHILD IN WEST AFRICA, HE WAS SHIPPED TO THE CARIBBEAN AND SOLD TO A ROYAL NAVY OFFICER. HE SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE ENGLISH SLAVE TRADE HE WORKED TO RESETTLE FREED SLAVES BY 1789, THE YEAR HE PUBLISHED HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY, OLAUDAH EQUIANO WAS A WELL-KNOWN ABOLITIONIST.
OTHER FACTS:
EQUIANO HAD SEVERAL TIES TO CAMBRIDGE HE WORKED ALONGSIDE THE ABOLITIONISTS PETER PECKARD, VICE CHANCELLOR OF CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, AND CAMBRIDGE ALUMNI THOMAS CLARKSON AND WILLIAM WILBERFORCE, WHO BOTH HAVE STREETS NAMED AFTER THEM IN CAMBRIDGE. HE WAS MARRIED IN SOHAM, TO A CAMBRIDGESHIRE WOMAN CALLED SUSANNAH CULLEN
HIS CONTEMPORANEOUS ACCOUNT OF HOW TRAFFICKERS OPERATED CONTRIBUTED TO THE END OF THE BRITISH SLAVE TRADE.
MALCOM X
BEST KNOWN FOR:
19TH MAY 1925
21ST FEBURARY 1965
BORN: DIED: CAREER:
MALCOLM X WAS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY, MUSLIM MINISTER AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST.
MALCOLM X EMERGED AS THE PRINCIPAL SPOKESMAN OF THE NATION OF ISLAM DURING THE 1950S AND EARLY 1960S HE ORGANIZED TEMPLES; FOUNDED A NEWSPAPER; AND LED TEMPLE NO. 7 IN NEW YORK CITY'S HARLEM. IN FEBRUARY 1965, MALCOLM X WAS ASSASSINATED ONSTAGE DURING A SPEAKING EVENT AT THE AUDUBON BALLROOM IN MANHATTAN. HIS PHILOSOPHY LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR LATER BLACK PRIDE MOVEMENTS, INCLUDING THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY.
OTHER FACTS:
BORN MALCOLM LITTLE, HE EVENTUALLY DROPPED HIS LAST NAME. HE ADOPTED THE LETTER “X” TO SYMBOLIZE THE LOSS OF HIS FAMILY'S ORIGINAL AFRICAN NAME DURING THE DAYS OF SLAVERY WHILE IN PRISON FOR ROBBERY FROM 1946 TO 1952, HE UNDERWENT A CONVERSION THAT EVENTUALLY LED HIM TO JOIN THE NATION OF ISLAM, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT THAT COMBINED ELEMENTS OF ISLAM WITH BLACK NATIONALISM
OSCAR MICHEAUX
BEST KNOWN FOR:
2ND JANUARY 1884
BORN: DIED:
25TH MARCH 1951
CAREER:
OSCAR DEVEREAUX MICHEAUX WAS AN AMERICAN AUTHOR, FILM DIRECTOR AND INDEPENDENT PRODUCER
OSCAR MICHEAUX, THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO PRODUCE A FEATURE-LENGTH FILM (THE HOMESTEADER (1919)) AND A SOUND FEATURE-LENGTH FILM (THE EXILE (1931)). HE ALSO IS A PIONEER OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA. THOUGH THE END PRODUCTS OF HIS LABORS OFTEN WERE TECHNICALLY CRUDE DUE TO BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS, MICHEAUX THE FILMMAKER IS A SYMBOL OF THE ARTIST TRIUMPHING AGAINST GREAT ODDS TO BRING HIS VISION TO THE PUBLIC WHILE SERVING IN THE SOCIALLY IMPORTANT ROLE OF CRITICAL SPIRIT. "ONE OF THE GREATEST TASKS OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN TO TEACH THAT THE COLORED MAN CAN BE ANYTHING,"
OTHER FACTS:
DETERMINATION WAS THE QUALITY THAT DEFINED MICHEAUX THE FILMMAKER. HE PRODUCED MOST OF HIS FILMS ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET, THE PRODUCTION FUNDS OFTEN COMING FROM HIS OWN POCKET
OSCAR MICHEAUX DIRECTED AND PRODUCED 44 FILMS OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER.
N.K JEMISIN
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN:
19TH SEPTEMBER 1972
CAREER: NORA KEITA JEMISIN IS AN AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY WRITER.
N. K. JEMSIN OFTEN EXPLORES ISSUES SUCH AS RACISM, CULTURAL CONFLICT, AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN HER WORK IN 2016, JEMISIN BECAME THE FIRST BLACK WRITER TO WIN A HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL, FOR THE FIFTH SEASON (2015). SHE WENT ON TO WIN THE AWARD FOR THE NEXT TWO BOOKS IN THE TRILOGY, MAKING HER THE FIRST AUTHOR TO WIN THREE CONSECUTIVE HUGO AWARDS (2016–18) FOR BEST NOVEL
OTHER FACTS:
SHE WAS AN AVID READER FROM AN EARLY AGE, AND SHE BEGAN WRITING WHEN SHE WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD. JEMISIN'S DEBUT NOVEL, THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, THE FIRST VOLUME IN HER INHERITANCE TRILOGY, WAS PUBLISHED IN 2010. IT WAS NOMINATED FOR THE 2010 NEBULA AWARD AND SHORT-LISTED FOR THE JAMES TIPTREE JR. AWARD
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: CAREER:
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON IS AN AMERICAN ASTROPHYSICIST, AUTHOR, AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR.
DR TYSON'S PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH INTERESTS INCLUDE STAR FORMATION, EXPLODING STARS, DWARF GALAXIES, AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE MILKY WAY. LIKE HIS FRIEND CARL SAGAN, DR. TYSON HAS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN POPULARIZING ASTROPHYSICAL CONCEPTS AND DISCOVERIES. “WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN NEVER BECOME GREAT AT SOMETHING, YOU CAN ALWAYS BECOME BETTER AT IT DON'T EVER FORGET THAT! AND DON'T SAY “I'LL NEVER BE GOOD”. YOU CAN BECOME BETTER! AND ONE DAY YOU'LL WAKE UP AND YOU'LL FIND OUT HOW GOOD YOU ACTUALLY BECAME.”
OTHER FACTS: 5TH OCTOBER 1958
DR TYSON IS A RECIPIENT OF 23 HONORARY DOCTORATES, THE PUBLIC WELFARE MEDAL FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, AND THE DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL FROM NASA ASTEROID 13123 TYSON IS NAMED IN HIS HONOR.
TYSON HELPED IN THE RECLASSIFICATION OF PLUTO FROM PLANET TO DWARF PLANET.
TYSON REACHED OUT TO TITANIC DIRECTOR JAMES CAMERON TO NOTIFY HIM THAT THE NIGHT SKY IN THE MOVIE WAS INCORRECT
THANDIWE MURIU
BEST KNOWN FOR:
CAREER:
THANDIWE MURIU IS A KENYAN PHOTOGRAPHER CREATING SURREAL ILLUSIONS THAT ARE NOT DIGITAL MANIPULATIONS BUT RATHER PURE PHOTOGRAPHY
THANDIWE MURIU, BORN AND RAISED IN NAIROBI, KENYA, DISCOVERED PHOTOGRAPHY AT AGE FOURTEEN, EXPERIMENTING WITH HER FATHER'S OLD NIKON CAMERA SELFTAUGHT, SHE IMMERSED HERSELF IN BOOKS AND VIDEO TUTORIALS, LEARNING FROM EVERY RESOURCE SHE COULD FIND, AS KENYA DID NOT HAVE ANY FORMAL PHOTOGRAPHY SCHOOLS BY AGE SEVENTEEN, SHE WAS WORKING PROFESSIONALLY, AND BY TWENTY-THREE HAD SHOT HER FIRST SOLO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN. SHE HAS RECEIVED MULTIPLE COMMISSIONS FOR COLLABORATIONS WITH BRANDS SUCH AS APPLE, DIOR, AND LAVAZZA. MURIU HAS EXHIBITED HER WORK INTERNATIONALLY AND HAS BEEN FEATURED IN NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS AND ON TELEVISION.
OTHER FACTS: BORN: 1990
AS A FEMALE ARTIST OPERATING IN A PREVIOUSLY MALE-DOMINATED FIELD, SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT CELEBRATING AND EMPOWERING HER FELLOW WOMEN
THANDIWE SHOWCASES AFRICA’S UNIQUE MIX OF VIBRANT CULTURES, TEXTILES AND BEAUTY NORMS THROUGH HER WORK SHE CELEBRATES HER AFRICAN HERITAGE AND TACKLES IMPORTANT ISSUES SUCH AS IDENTITY AND SELF-PERCEPTION USING THE RICH COLOURS AND VIBRANCY THE CONTINENT IS SO WELL KNOW FOR.
TREVOR NOAH
BORN:
BEST KNOWN FOR:
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TREVOR NOAH IS A SOUTH AFRICAN COMEDIAN, WRITER, PRODUCER, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, ACTOR, AND TELEVISION HOST.
TREVOR NOAH IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMEDIANS IN THE WORLD AND WAS THE HOST OF THE EMMY® AWARD-WINNING “THE DAILY SHOW” ON COMEDY CENTRAL FOR SEVEN YEARS TREVOR IS ALSO THE AUTHOR OF THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “BORN A CRIME: STORIES FROM A SOUTH AFRICAN CHILDHOOD” AND ITS YOUNG READERS ADAPTATION, RELEASED IN 2019, “IT’S TREVOR NOAH: BORN A CRIME: STORIES FROM A SOUTH AFRICAN CHILDHOOD,” WHICH ALSO DEBUTED AS A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER TREVOR SERVED AS THE GRAMMY AWARDS HOST FOR THREE YEARS IN A ROW, WITH THE 2023 SHOW GARNERING THE HIGHEST VIEWERSHIP NUMBERS SINCE 2020
OTHER FACTS: 20TH FEBRUARY 1984
HE IS A POLYGLOT; HE SPEAKS ENGLISH, XHOSA, ZULU, SOTHO, TSWANA, TSONGA, AFRIKAANS AND SOME GERMAN HE BEGAN HIS CAREER IN COMEDY WHEN HE WAS OUT AT A BAR IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH HIS COUSIN AND A FRIEND. THEY WERE BOTH DRUNK AND BEGAN HECKLING A COMEDIAN. WHEN THE COMEDIAN CHALLENGED THEM TO COME ON STAGE...THEY SENT TREVOR TO PERFORM. HE WENT ON STAGE TO AVOID LOOKING LIKE A "SCAREDY CAT" AND DISCOVERED THAT WHEN HE SPOKE, PEOPLE LAUGHED.
IAN WRIGHT BORN:
3RD NOVEMBER 1963
CAREER:
IAN EDWARD WRIGHT OBE IS AN ENGLISH TELEVISION AND RADIO PERSONALITY AND FORMER PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER.
BEST KNOWN FOR:
WRIGHT ENJOYED SUCCESS WITH LONDON CLUBS CRYSTAL PALACE AND ARSENAL AS A FORWARD, SPENDING SIX YEARS WITH THE FORMER AND SEVEN YEARS WITH THE LATTER. WRIGHT SCORED 185 GOALS FROM 288 APPEARANCES (279 STARTS) FOR ARSENAL, AND SCORED ELEVEN HATTRICKS FOR THEM HE IS A PUNDIT FOR ITV SPORT AND HOST OF THE WRIGHTY'S HOUSE PODCAST, AS WELL AS APPEARING ON THE STICK TO FOOTBALL PODCAST AND WORKING FOR PREMIER LEAGUE PRODUCTIONS.
OTHER FACTS:
IAN WRIGHT HAS LONG BEEN A MALE ALLY FOR WOMEN'S SPORT, BUT IT WAS HIS OUTSPOKEN REMARKS ABOUT EQUALITY IN GIRLS' FOOTBALL, MADE ON THE BBC DURING LAST SUMMER'S WOMEN'S EUROS, THAT MAY HAVE HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT.
SHORTLY AFTER HIS RETIREMENT FROM PLAYING, WRIGHT WAS APPOINTED MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (MBE) IN THE 2000 NEW YEAR HONOURS FOR SERVICES TO FOOTBALL
NAWAL EL SAADAWI
BEST KNOWN FOR:
27TH OCTOBER 1931 21ST MARCH 2021
BORN: DIED: CAREER:
NAWAL ELSAADAWI WAS AN EGYPTIAN FEMINIST WRITER, ACTIVIST AND PHYSICIAN.
NAWAL EL SAADAWI WAS AN EGYPTIAN FEMINIST WRITER AND ACTIVIST BEST KNOWN FOR HER WORKS ABOUT WOMEN AND SEX IN THE ISLAMIC FAITH SHE WAS A PHYSICIAN, PSYCHIATRIST, AND AUTHOR, AS WELL AS AN ARDENT SUPPORTER OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS, OPENLY CRITICIZING THE PRACTICE OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN 1982 EL SAADAWI FOUNDED THE ARAB WOMEN’S SOLIDARITY ASSOCIATION. DUE TO HER OUTSPOKEN VIEWS, EL SAADAWI CONTINUED TO FACE FREQUENT LEGAL CHALLENGES FROM POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS OPPONENTS, INCLUDING ACCUSATIONS OF APOSTASY
OTHER FACTS:
ACCORDING TO SAADAWI, SADAT IMPRISONED HER BECAUSE OF HER CRITICISM OF HIS PURPORTED DEMOCRACY EVEN IN PRISON SHE STILL FOUND A WAY TO FIGHT AGAINST THE OPPRESSION OF WOMEN AS A CHILD, SHE TOLD HER GRANDMOTHER SHE HAD NO INTEREST IN GETTING MARRIED, AND AT THE AGE OF TEN, SHE ATE RAW AUBERGINE, A FRUIT SIMILAR TO EGGPLANT, TO DISCOLOR HER TEETH AND SABOTAGE AN ATTEMPTED ARRANGED MARRIAGE WHEN SHE WAS TEN YEARS OLD.
LUTHER VANDROSS
BEST KNOWN FOR:
20TH APRIL 1951
BORN: DIED: 1ST JULY 2005
CAREER:
LUTHER RONZONI VANDROSS JR. WAS AN AMERICAN SOUL AND R&B SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND RECORD PRODUCER.
LUTHUR VANDROSS WAS AN AMERICAN SOUL AND POP SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND PRODUCER WHOSE WIDESPREAD POPULARITY AND REPUTATION AS A CONSUMMATE STYLIST MADE HIM A LEADING RECORDING ARTIST BEGINNING IN THE EARLY 1980S IN 1981 VANDROSS’S FIRST ALBUM FOR THAT LABEL, NEVER TOO MUCH, SOLD MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES, AND ITS TITLE SONG WAS A NUMBER-ONE RHYTHM-AND-BLUES HIT. SO BEGAN A LONG STRING OF MILLION-SELLING ALBUMS THAT FEATURED VANDROSS’S DISTINCTIVE BARITONE, PRECISE PHRASING, AND UNABASHEDLY ROMANTIC SONGS, INCLUDING “HERE AND NOW,” FOR WHICH HE WON HIS FIRST GRAMMY AWARD IN 1990
OTHER FACTS:
LUTHER VANDROSS SUFFERED FROM DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION DURING HIS LIFETIME. IN APRIL 2003, HE HAD A SEVERE STROKE AT HIS HOME IN NEW YORK CITY, AND WAS IN A COMA FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS.
AS A FEATURED VOCALIST ON THE ALBUM THE GLOW OF LOVE (1980) BY THE DISCO GROUP CHANGE, VANDROSS CAME TO THE ATTENTION OF RECORD EXECUTIVES AND SIGNED WITH EPIC, WHICH ALLOWED HIM TO WRITE AND PRODUCE HIS OWN MATERIAL
RAKIM
BEST KNOWN FOR:
BORN: 28 1968 TH JANUARY
CAREER:
WILLIAM MICHAEL GRIFFIN JR., BETTER KNOWN BY HIS STAGE NAME RAKIM, IS AN AMERICAN RAPPER.
RAKIM IS CONSIDERED A TRANSFORMATIVE FIGURE IN HIP HOP FOR RAISING THE BAR FOR MC TECHNIQUE HIGHER THAN IT HAD EVER BEEN. RAKIM HELPED TO PIONEER THE USE OF INTERNAL RHYMES AND MULTISYLLABIC RHYMES, AND HE WAS AMONG THE FIRST TO DEMONSTRATE THE POSSIBILITIES OF SITTING DOWN TO WRITE INTRICATELY CRAFTED LYRICS PACKED WITH CLEVER WORD CHOICES AND METAPHORS RATHER THAN THE MORE IMPROVISATIONAL STYLES AND SIMPLER RHYME PATTERNS THAT PREDOMINATED BEFORE HIM RAKIM IS ALSO CREDITED WITH CREATING THE OVERALL SHIFT FROM THE MORE SIMPLISTIC OLD SCHOOL FLOWS TO MORE COMPLEX FLOWS
OTHER FACTS:
HE IS ONE HALF OF GOLDEN AGE HIP HOP DUO ERIC B & RAKIM, WITH WHOM HE RELEASED FOUR ALBUMS: PAID IN FULL (1987), FOLLOW THE LEADER (1988),
LET THE RHYTHM HIT 'EM (1990), AND DON'T SWEAT THE TECHNIQUE (1992) HE ALSO RELEASED FOUR SOLO ALBUMS: THE 18TH LETTER (1997), THE MASTER (1999), THE SEVENTH SEAL (2009), AND G O D 'S NETWORK: REB7RTH (2024) PAID IN FULL WAS NAMED THE GREATEST HIP HOP ALBUM OF ALL TIME BY MTV IN 2006, WHILE RAKIM HIMSELF WAS RANKED NO 4 ON MTV'S LIST OF THE GREATEST MCS OF ALL TIME
VIOLA DAVIS BORN:
11TH AUGUST 1965
CAREER:
VIOLA DAVIS IS AN AMERICAN ACTRESS AND FILM PRODUCER.
BEST KNOWN FOR:
VIOLA DAVIS IS AN AMERICAN ACTRESS KNOWN FOR HER PRECISE, CONTROLLED PERFORMANCES AND HER REGAL PRESENCE. SHE ACCOMPLISHED THE RARE FEAT OF WINNING THE FOUR MAJOR NORTH AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS (EGOT: EMMY, GRAMMY, OSCAR, AND TONY). IN 1996 DAVIS MADE HER BROADWAY DEBUT IN AUGUST WILSON’S SEVEN GUITARS, IN WHICH SHE PLAYED THE LONGSUFFERING PARAMOUR OF A MUSICIAN RECENTLY RELEASED FROM PRISON, A PERFORMANCE THAT EARNED HER A TONY AWARD NOMINATION SHE MADE HER FILM DEBUT THE SAME YEAR WITH A BIT PART IN THE DRAMA THE SUBSTANCE OF FIRE.
OTHER FACTS:
DAVIS IS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO WIN FIVE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS
SHE HOLDS THE DISTINCTION OF BECOMING THE FIRST ACTRESS OF COLOR TO WIN THE PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
SHE'S ALSO A SUPPORTER OF CHILDREN'S HUNGER ALLIANCE, CLOTHING AND SHOE DONATION NONPROFIT SOLES4SOULS AND WOMEN'S ADDICTION REHABILITATION ORGANIZATION FRIENDLY HOUSE
JESSICA HUNTLEY
BEST KNOWN FOR:
23RD FEBURARY 1927
13TH OCTOBER 2013
BORN: DIED: CAREER:
JESSICA ELLEISSE HUNTLEY WAS A GUYANESE-BRITISH POLITICAL REFORMER AND PROMINENT RACE EQUALITY CAMPAIGNER.
FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, SHE REMAINED AT THE FOREFRONT OF GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS CHAMPIONING RACIAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN BRITAIN THE HUNTLEY ARCHIVES, DEPOSITED AT THE LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES, OFFER A GLIMPSE INTO THE VAST EXPANSE OF HER CONCERNS FROM SUPPORTING PIVOTAL INITIATIVES LIKE THE BLACK PARENTS MOVEMENT, CONFRONTING POLICE BRUTALITY WITH THE NEW CROSS MASSACRE ACTION COMMITTEE, TO CELEBRATING CULTURAL IDENTITY WITH THE KESKIDEE CENTRE, HER CONTRIBUTIONS WERE VAST AND VARIED
OTHER FACTS:
IN 1948 JESSICA MET HER LIFE PARTNER IN ACTIVISM AND LOVE, ERIC HUNTLEY, A POSTAL WORKER WHO MATCHED HER FERVOR FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN 1982, SHE HELPED SET UP THE INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR OF RADICAL BLACK AND THIRD WORLD BOOKS WITH THE HUNTLEY’S CLOSE FRIEND AND POLITICAL COMRADE, JOHN LA ROSE, TO BRING TOGETHER BLACK PUBLISHERS, INTELLECTUALS AND EDUCATIONISTS THE ETHOS OF THE BOOK FAIR WAS "TO MARK THE NEW AND EXPANDING PHASE IN THE GROWTH OF RADICAL IDEAS AND CONCEPTS, AND THEIR EXPRESSION IN LITERATURE, POLITICS, MUSIC, ART AND SOCIAL LIFE "