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Lieutenant Governor Joseph Bernard Rogers (July 8, 1964 - October 7, 2013) was a Republican politician who served as the 45th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. He was born in Omaha to Joe Louis and Lola Marie Rogers. He graduated from Colorado State University with a BA in Business Administration. He was initiated into the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Omicron Tau chapter, and served as the President of the Congress of Afro-American Students. He was the first African American to be elected Homecoming King at Colorado State.

He graduated from Arizona State University Law School. He first worked as a Contract Associate with the firm Harris & Palumbo. He worked for the firm Snell and Wilmer and later served as an extern for the US District Court for Arizona. He provided pro bono legal services to low-income families in southeast Colorado as part of the Colorado Bar Association’s Lend-A-Lawyer program.

He worked with one of Colorado’s most prestigious law firms, David, Graham & Stubbs. He married Juanita Hardy (1992). The couple had three children. He moved to DC and served as legal counsel to former Senator Hank Brown of Colorado for two years.

He became the first African American candidate to run for Congress in Colorado, for the First Congressional District seat. In 1998, he ran for Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, alongside Bill Owens, the GOP candidate for Governor, and won by nearly 60% of the vote. In 1999, he was sworn in as the youngest Lt. Governor in the nation at age 35, and the second African American in Colorado to hold the position, and the fourth in the US.

Roscoe “Rocky” Fulton Carroll (July 8, 1963) is an actor and director. He is known for his roles as Joey Emerson on Roc, as Dr. Keith Wilkes on Chicago Hope, and as NCIS Director Leon Vance on NCIS and its spinoffs Los Angeles and New Orleans. He played a supporting role in the thriller film Crimson Tide.

He graduated from the famed School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. He attended the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, where he graduated with a BFA. He would receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. He decided to test the waters by moving to New York City, the heart of the theater community. He introduced many young children to the works of William Shakespeare by participating in Joe Papp’s “Shakespeare on Broadway” series.

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His acting career is rooted in the theater. He graduated from the famed School for Creative and Performing Arts. Determined to further his knowledge of acting, he attended The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in St. Louis, where he graduated with a BFA. He received an honorary degree from his alma mater. He decided to test the waters by moving to New York City, the heart of the theater community. There, he introduced many young children to the works of William Shakespeare by participating in Joe Papp’s “Shakespeare on Broadway” series.

Fredia “The Cheetah” Gibbs (July 8, 1963) is a former professional martial artist, kickboxer, and boxer who competed (1975-2005). She held ISKA, WKA, and WKF World Titles. She was an All-American in basketball and track.

She made history as the first African American woman to become ISKA World Kickboxing Champion. She earned the name “The Most Dangerous Woman in the World” after an upset in 1994 in her fight against the World Champion in the “Battle of the Masters” Pay Per View Event. She became one of the most dominant champions of all time and remains a significant historical figure in the light and super lightweight kickboxing divisions. She competed (1991-97), amassing a record of 16 wins, 0 losses, 15 KOs, and three world titles. She competed as a top contender in women’s professional boxing (1997-2005) with a record of 9 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw.

She wrote The Fredia Gibbs Story about her life in 2016.

She was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. She was given the nickname “The Cheetah” at school due to her performance in track. Chester High School named their track team “Chester’s Cheetahs” after the cheetah.

She attended Temple University, where she received two athletic scholarships in basketball and track. She attended Cabrini University on a basketball scholarship and majored in marketing. She was invited to the US Olympic Training Center to try out for the women’s national basketball team but was cut during the second tryouts. She was selected Kodak All-American for three consecutive years for basketball at Cabrini University. She played professional basketball in Germany, averaging nearly 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists per game.

Her fight gear is displayed at the Sports Legend of Delaware County Museum. She is an author, celebrity trainer, philanthropist, motivational speaker, and radio host. She was honored and participated in the Orange County Heritage Black History Parade and was nominated to attend the United States of Women summit hosted by the White House.

Valarie Pettiford (July 8, 1960) is a stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the Broadway production Fosse. She is known for her role as “Big Dee Dee” Thorne on Half & Half.

She began her career as a dancer and choreographer in Bob Fosse’s productions on Broadway.

She played in The Naked Truth and starred as Julie in a touring production of Show Boat.

She received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for her role in the Broadway production Fosse. She left Fosse to appear in Chicago in the West End.

She won the Backstage Bistro Award for her cabaret debut at the Metropolitan Room in New York City and won an NAACP Theatre Award for her lead role in The Wild Party. She starred in a solo show, Valarie Pettiford - Thankful, which played in New York City and Los Angeles. She starred in the solo show Valarie Pettiford - The Concert in New York City.

She enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts and did her first-ever movie work as part of the large ensemble in The Wiz. She starred in the film Glitter and had a role in Stomp the Yard, Jumping the Broom, and The Family Business.

Melvin Lindsey (July 8, 1955 – March 26, 1992) was a radio and television personality in the DC area. He is known for originating the “Quiet Storm” late-night music programming format.

He was a native of DC and attended Woodrow Wilson High School. He began his broadcast career as an intern at Howard University radio station WHUR-FM. In 1976, he brought the “Quiet Storm” to the station’s late-night lineup, titled after a romantic hit single by tenor crooner Smokey Robinson. The show’s soulfully melodic and moody musical fare made it a phenomenal success, and the ‘love song’-heavy format was quickly replicated at stations across the country that served an urban, African American adult demographic. Lindsey’s show also gave rise to a music category of the same name.

After a nine-year run on WHUR, he took his format to another local radio station, WKYS-FM, for five more years, and he hosted Screen Scene for BET. He worked for DC television stations WTTG-TV, WFTY-TV, and WJZ-TV in Baltimore.

Ruby Nell Sales (July 8, 1948) was born in Jemison, Alabama. She is a social justice activist, scholar, and public theologian. She has been described as a “legendary civil rights activist” by the PBS program Religion and Ethics Weekly. She is one of 50 civil rights leaders showcased by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC.

She has degrees from Tuskegee Institute, Manhattanville College, and Princeton University. She received an MDiv from the Episcopal Divinity School. She is the founder and director of the Spirit House Project, and regularly speaks throughout the country about race, class, and reconciliation.

She attended local segregated schools, including Carver High School, and was educated in the community during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

After graduating from high school, she attended Tuskegee Institute, where she became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She marched in the Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1965.

She attended Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. She has worked as a human rights advocate in DC and across the South.

Stanley “Stan” Lathan (July 8, 1945) is an accomplished producer and one of Hollywood’s most prolific directors of television and film.

He directed Real Husbands of Hollywood, The Soul Man, Amen, Martin, Moesha, The Parkers, and The Steve Harvey Show.

He launched HBO’s groundbreaking Def Comedy Jam with partner Russell Simmons. Lathan produced and directed the Tony Award-winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. He directed the hip-hop classic film Beat Street.

He executive-produced and directed Dave Chappelle’s comedy specials Killin’ Them Softly and For What It’s Worth, as well as Cedric the Entertainer’s Taking You Higher.

He directed dance specials with Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and dramas for such distinguished series as Great Performances, American Playhouse, and The American Short Story. He was also an original director for Sesame Street.

He executive-produced and directed The Real Husbands of Hollywood for BET. He directed The Soul Man.

He received the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors. He has received six NAACP Image Awards and was recently honored by the Directors Guild of America for his distinguished directing career.

He won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for Dave Chappelle: Equanimity.

Faye Wattleton (Alyce Faye Wattleton; July 8, 1943) is an abortion rights activist who was the first African American and the youngest president ever elected by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She is known for her contributions to family planning and reproductive health, as well as the pro-choice movement.

She attended Ohio State University at the age of 16. She earned a BS in nursing and later taught at a nursing school in Dayton for 2 years. She worked at the Children’s Hospital in Columbus. There she cared for children who were abused, neglected, and sick with diseases.

She was accepted to both the Catholic University and Columbia University. She chose to attend Columbia University in New York. Due to her fascination with children born with drug addictions inherited from their using mothers, she did her master’s thesis on phototoelectrophoresis. Phototoelectrophoresis is a medical term referring to the test used to screen pregnant mothers for drug use so that a baby can be treated for withdrawal immediately. She graduated with an MS in maternal and infant care and certification as a nurse-midwife from Columbia University. She went to Columbia on a full scholarship.

Dr. Hamilton Earl Holmes (July 8, 1941 - October 25, 1995) was one of the duo who desegregated the University of Georgia in 1961. He was born in Atlanta, the son of businessman Alfred Holmes and schoolteacher Isabella Holmes. He graduated from Henry McNeal Turner High School as senior class president, class valedictorian, and co-captain of the football team.

He persuaded Turner High graduate Charlayne Hunter and civil rights activist Jesse Hill to attend the University of Georgia. The fight to allow African Americans to enroll at UGA had been won through the judicial process, and he and Hunter enrolled in classes on January 9, 1961. They were greeted with jeers, racial slurs, and threats of violence from boisterous crowds of white onlookers. White students burned crosses and hung a Black effigy they called “Hamilton Holmes” at the entrance to the campus; 600 white students rioted outside Hunter’s dormitory, forcing university officials to transport the pair back to Atlanta with an armed state patrol escort, where they stayed two days before returning.

He earned membership in both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. He graduated from UGA in 1963, establishing another civil rights milestone as the first African American admitted to the Emory University School of Medicine. Awarded his MD at Emory, he began his residency at Detroit General Hospital. This was interrupted by military service as an Army Ranger. He returned to Emory to finish his residency and was hired as an assistant professor of orthopedics. He became chief of orthopedics at Atlanta’s Veterans Administration hospital; started a private practice; was medical director and chairman of orthopedic surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and a faculty member and associate dean at Emory’s medical school.

Congresswoman Julia May Carson (July 8, 1938 – December 15, 2007) born Julia May Porter, was a member of the House of Representatives for Indiana’s 7th congressional district. She was the first woman and first African American to represent Indianapolis in Congress. She was the second African American woman elected to Congress from Indiana, and her grandson, André Carson, succeeded her in the seat.

She was born in Louisville and raised in Indianapolis. She worked part-time, waiting tables, delivering newspapers, and harvesting crops, among other jobs, to support her family before graduating from Crispus Attucks High School, and while attending Martin University in Indianapolis and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.

She was a member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. She was named the Indianapolis Star Woman of the Year in 1974 and 1991 and was inducted into the Indiana Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2006. A commemorative bust honoring her was unveiled in the Indiana statehouse in 2014, and she was remembered during Indiana’s celebration of Women’s History Month in 2015. Indianapolis named its local government center in her honor in 1997 and its transit center in 2016. Ivy Tech Community College named its new library and community space in Indianapolis in her honor in 2011. Her papers are held in the library of Indiana University in Indianapolis. Indianapolis wanted to award landmark status to her former home.

Ambassador Dr. Leonard Hall O’Connell Spearman (July 8, 1929 - January 16, 2008) was the Ambassador to Rwanda and Lesotho. He graduated from FAMU with a BS in biological sciences. He obtained his MA in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan. He remained at the University of Michigan and completed his Ph.D.

He was an educator during the first two decades of his career, working at various colleges and universities. He was a psychology professor at FAMU, Southern University, Texas Southern University, Coppin State University, Queens College, and Rutgers University.

He worked at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. His highest position with the department was as Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary within the Office of Postsecondary Education. He oversaw the Federal Government’s Trio Programs, which assisted lower-income people seeking to attend college. He expanded the programs to assist more college and university students. He served as president of Texas Southern University.

President George H.W. Bush nominated him as Ambassador to Rwanda. Following Senate confirmation, he served at the Embassy in Kigali. President Bush selected him to become the Ambassador to Lesotho.

Buffalo Soldier William Harrison “Bones” Dillard (July 8, 1923 – November 15, 2019) was a track and field athlete, who is the only male in the history of the Olympic Games to win gold in both the 100 meters (sprints) and the 110-meter hurdles, making him the “World’s Fastest Man” in 1948 and the “World’s Fastest Hurdler” in 1952.

He was born in Cleveland and attended East Technical High School. He entered Baldwin-Wallace College, joined Pi Lambda Phi International Fraternity, and was drafted into the US Army, where he served in the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers. He returned to college and resumed his athletic career, inspired by Jesse Owens. He won the NCAA and AAU 120-yard and 220-yard hurdles, and he tied world records in both events with a 22.3 in the 220 and a 13.6 in the 120.

At the trials for the 1948 Summer Olympics, he failed to qualify for the 110 m hurdles event but qualified for the 100 m after finishing third.

He reached the final, which seemed to end in a dead heat between Dillard and another American, Barney Ewell. The finished photo showed Dillard had won, equalling the World record as well. This was the first use of a photo finish at the Olympic Games. As a member of the 4 × 100 m relay team, he won another gold medal at the London Games.

William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was a jazz and pop singer and bandleader during the swing era. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. His recording of “I Apologize” (MGM, 1948) was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. The New York Times described him as an “influential band leader” whose “suave bass-baritone” and “full-throated, sugary approach to popular songs inspired singers like Joe Williams, Arthur Prysock, and Lou Rawls.”

Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as “the King of the Jukebox”, he earned his highest profile towards the end of the swing era. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Specializing in the alto sax, he played all forms of the saxophone, as well as piano and clarinet. He was a talented singer with great comedic flair and fronted his band for more than twenty years. He duetted with some of the biggest solo singing stars of his time.

He was an actor. He appeared in 14 three-minute Soundies filmed for “movie jukeboxes” of the 1940s. He worked as a specialty act in the Hollywood theatrical features Follow the Boys and Swing Parade of 1946. His musical short Caldonia prompted three more feature films, Beware; Reet, Petite and Gone; and Look-Out Sister.

He began his career in big-band swing jazz in the 1930s, and he became known as an innovative popularizer of jump blues, a swinging, up-tempo, dance-oriented hybrid of jazz, blues, and boogie-woogie.

He mapped out the main parameters of the classic R&B, urban blues, and early rock-and-roll genres with a series of highly influential 78-rpm discs. These recordings presaged many of the styles of Black popular music of the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and exerted a strong influence on many leading performers in these genres.

He ranks fifth on the list of the most successful African American recording artists, according to Billboard magazine’s R&B chart, and was the most popular rhythm and blues artist for his “jump blues” recordings. He had at least four million-selling hits during his career. He topped the R&B “race” charts, achieving the #1 slot eighteen times, with 113 weeks in that spot over the years. He was one of the first Black recording artists to achieve significant crossover.

François “Féral” Eugène Benga (July 8, 1906 – September 13, 1957) was a dancer and became a sought-after model of the Harlem Renaissance; Carl Van Vechten, Richmond Barthé, and George Platt Lynes, among others, took his portraits and sculptures.

He was the grandchild of one of Dakar’s wealthiest property owners. He moved to Paris, and his father disinherited him.

He starred in The Blood of a Poet. He was a Folies Bergère star.

Richmond Barthé went on a tour to Paris. This trip exposed Barthé to classical art and performers such as he and Josephine Baker. He was enchanted by him, which led Barthé to create a sculpture of him in 1935.

His partner, Geoffrey Gorer, wrote Africa Dances, dedicated to him. It was the result of a trip they made to Africa in 1933 to study the native dances. He opened a nightclub in Paris.

James A. Porter, in Soldat Senegalese, painted him.

Back in Manhattan, he was a gay icon. He moved in the circles of the Harlem Renaissance. Pavel Tchelitchew painted him, and the painting, Deposition, was owned by Lincoln Kirstein.

Gwendolyn Bennetta Bennett (July 8, 1902 - May 30, 1981) was a poet, author, educator, journalist, and graphic artist who was born in Giddings, Texas, to Joshua and Maime Bennett. Her parents worked as teachers in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her family moved to DC in 1906. Soon after, her mother divorced her father and took custody of her. Joshua kidnapped her, and they settled in with her stepmother in Brooklyn.

She attended Brooklyn’s Girls High, where she became the first African American to join the Drama and Literary societies and where she was awarded first place in a school-wide art contest. She graduated from Columbia University and Pratt Institute in fine arts.

She began writing poetry in college, and in November 1923, her poem “Nocturne” was published in The Crisis, the journal of the NAACP. Another poem, “Heritage,” appeared in Opportunity, the magazine of the National Urban League. She became an Assistant Professor in the Art Department at Howard University. She attended the Académie Julian and the École de Pantin in Paris.

She became the assistant editor of Opportunity magazine. She became active in the Harlem Renaissance and regularly wrote a column called “The Ebony Flute” in Opportunity about literary and fine arts. Her column reported the various literary activities of Harlem Renaissance artists. She wrote short stories such as “Wedding Day,” which first appeared in the Harlem Renaissance anthology, Fire.

She married Alfred Jackson (1927). Financial pressures constantly threatened their marriage. They lost their home in Florida during the Great Depression, and soon afterward he passed away.

Lieutenant Lucien Victor Alexis, Sr. (July 8, 1887 - December 18, 1981) was born in New Orleans. He worked as a railway mail clerk, saving up for his ultimate dream: to attend Harvard University, a phenomenally daunting challenge for a Black man at that time. He accumulated sufficient funds, and he was accepted, though the university asked him to attend Phillips Exeter Academy for one year first. He discovered his talent (and love) for foreign languages and excelled in all his classes, graduating cum laude from Harvard a full year early so as not to exhaust the offset from his tuition savings.

During WWI, he was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the famed 366th Infantry. He returned to New Orleans and married Rita Holt, with whom he had one son, Lucien Jr. (who would himself one day attend Harvard). After working as a teacher at several elementary schools, he secured an appointment as principal of McDonough High School. He brought some of his Army discipline to his principalship and his German and Latin classes, quietly enforcing strict dress and behavior codes. McDonough was situated in a poor neighborhood and was the only public high school available to Black students in New Orleans. It endured a bad reputation, but under his leadership over the next 30 years, the school not only succeeded but also flourished.