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“Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭7:2-3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Zion Lateef Williamson (July 6, 2000) is a basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans. He plays the power forward position. Following a freshman-year stint with the Duke Blue Devils, he was selected by the Pelicans with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020. In 2021, he became the fourth youngest NBA player to be selected for an All-Star Game.

Born in Salisbury, North Carolina to La’Teef Williamson and Sharonda Sampson. He attended Spartanburg Day School, where he was a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked among the top five players in the 2018 class. He led his team to three straight state championships and earned South Carolina Mr. Basketball recognition in his senior season. He left high school as a McDonald’s All-American, runner-up for Mr. Basketball USA, and USA Today All-USA first-team honoree. In high school, he drew national attention for his slam dunks.

In his freshman and only season with Duke, he was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year. He set the single-game school scoring record for first-year students, claimed ACC Rookie of the Week accolades five times, earned AP Player of the Year and Sporting News College Player of the Year recognition, and won the Wayman Tisdale Award.

He played soccer and quarterback in football. He competed in youth leagues with his mother, Sharonda Sampson, coaching and playing for the Sumter Falcons on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. He began working with his stepfather to improve his skills as a point guard.

Jeremy Steven Suarez (July 6, 1990) is an actor known for his role as Jordan Thomkins on The Bernie Mac Show and as Raymond Wilkes in Chicago Hope, and for his film roles as Tyson Tidwell in Jerry Maguire, Russel in Fat Albert, and his voice role as Koda in Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2.

He made his debut in Jerry Maguire as Rod Tidwell’s son Tyson. He voiced Koda in two Disney films, Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2. He played roles in many television shows, such as The Wayans Bros., Chicago Hope, King of the Hill, and Jordan, the nephew of Bernie Mac on The Bernie Mac Show.

He appeared on Larry King Live with his fellow cast to discuss Mac’s death. He voiced a puppet in Nike commercials during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. He voiced Kai in the animated feature film, Zambezia, and starred in Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie as “Cooper”. He married Maria Suarez (2017).

Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley (July 6, 1978) is an actress, television personality, producer, and former singer. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on Sister, Sister(opposite her twin sister Tia Mowry). She has starred in Twitches and its sequel, Twitches Too, and played Dr. Kayla Thornton on Strong Medicine.

She was born in Gelnhausen in then-West Germany to parents who were in the Army: Darlene Renee Mowry (née Flowers), who became her children’s manager, and Timothy John Mowry, who became a custody officer/jailer with the City of Glendale Police Department when the family moved to California. She is the older twin by two minutes. She has two younger brothers, actor Tahj Mowry and musician Tavior Mowry.

She next starred in a reality television series following her and her twin sister’s lives, titled Tia & Tamera. She was one of the co-hosts of The Real originally alongside Adrienne Bailon, Tamar Braxton, Loni Love, and Jeannie Mai. She was on Home & Family.

She and Tia started a project called Need Brand as they entered motherhood. Milky! and Stretchy! are two products that cater to motherhood. Milky! is a 2.5 oz. Bottle with all organic ingredients that can help mothers produce milk. Stretchy! is a stretch-mark cream for post-operative scars. Another sibling project of theirs was a four-book series called Twintuition: Double Vision and Twintuition: Double Trouble. She signed an overall deal with Crown Media in 2020.

Tia Dashon Mowry (July 6, 1978) is an actress. She first gained recognition for her starring role as Tia Landry in the sitcom Sister, Sister (1994–99) opposite her twin sister Tamera Mowry. The sisters then starred together in Twitches (2005) and its sequel, Twitches Too (2007). The two starred in the fantasy comedy film Seventeen Again (2000) and voiced the LaBelle sisters in Detention (1999–2000). They were featured in the reality series Tia & Tamera (2011-13).

She voiced Sasha in the animated series Bratz. She starred as Melanie Barnett in the comedy-drama series The Game, Stephanie Phillips in the sitcom Instant Mom, and Cocoa McKellan in the sitcom Family Reunion.

She had starring roles in the teen comedy film The Hot Chick, the musical comedy film The Mistle-Tones, the romantic comedy film Baggage Claim, and the drama film Indivisible.

She started a podcast on PodcastOne called Mostly Mom with Tia Mowry. She appeared on The Real with her twin sister, where she promoted her new book, Twintution. She has starred in Family Reunion.

She released her second cookbook, The Quick Fix Kitchen. She partnered to release an extensive homeware collection, Spice! by Tia Mowry. She launched a haircare line named 4u by Tia.

Kevin Darnell Hart (July 6, 1979) is a stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He began his career by winning several amateur comedy competitions at clubs throughout New England, culminating in his first real break when he was cast for a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared. The series lasted only one season, and he soon landed other roles in films such as Paper Soldiers, Scary Movie 3, Soul Plane, In the Mix, and Little Fockers.

He was born in Philadelphia to Nancy Hart and Henry Robert Witherspoon. He has an older brother. He aspired to become a basketball player. He was a participant at the La Salle basketball camp.

After graduating from George Washington High School, he attended the Community College of Philadelphia before moving to New York City. He spent some time working as a shoe salesman.

His comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album I’m a Grown Little Man. Performances in the films Think Like a Man, Grudge Match, Ride Along and sequel Ride Along 2, About Last Night, Get Hard, Central Intelligence, The Secret Life of Pets, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Night School, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Fatherhood.

He released four more comedy albums, Seriously Funny, Laugh at My Pain, Let Me Explain, and What Now?. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. He starred as a fictionalized version of himself in the lead role of Real Husbands of Hollywood.

He launched the Laugh Out Loud Network.

Curtis James Jackson III (July 6, 1975) known by his stage name 50 Cent, is a rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens, he began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. He began pursuing a musical career, and he produced Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records, but days before the planned release, he was shot, and the album was never released. After he released the compilation album Guess Who’s Back?, he was discovered by Eminem and signed to Shady Records, under the aegis of Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.

He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, 13 Billboard Music Awards, 6 World Music Awards, 3 American Music Awards, and 4 BET Awards. He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ the Iraq War film Home of the Brave, and Righteous Kill. He was ranked the sixth-best artist of the 2000s and the third-best rapper by Billboard. Rolling Stone ranked Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and “In da Club” in its lists of “100 Best Albums of the 2000s” and “100 Best Songs of the 2000s” at #37 and 13, respectively.

He is involved in artist and talent management, record, television, and film production, footwear, apparel, fragrances, liquor, video games, mobile apps, book publishing, headphones, health drinks, and dietary supplements. His broad business and investment portfolio spans a variety of sectors, including real estate, financial markets, mining, boxing promotion, vodka, fragrances, consumer electronics, and fashion.

He established his record label G-Unit Records. He signed a five-year deal with Reebok to distribute a G-Unit Sneakers line for his G-Unit Clothing Company.

Valerie Ann Brisco-Hooks (Valerie Ann Brisco; July 6, 1960) was born in Greenwood, Mississippi. She is an Olympian who won three gold medals in track and field at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, making her the first Olympian to win gold medals in both the 200- and 400-meter races at a single Olympics.

Her high school performance led her to compete in track and field at the collegiate level at California State University, Northridge. She continued to excel, winning the 200-meter title at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Championships and earning a spot on the US team for the 1979 Pan American Games, where she helped her 4 × 100-meter relay team win the gold medal.

Her 400-meter time of 48.83, set while winning the 1984 Olympics, was at the time the Olympic record and still ranks her as the tenth-fastest woman of all time. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m. She competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, running on the American 4x400-meter relay team, which finished second. To date, the American team holds the second-fastest 4x400 relay of all time. She coached with Bob Kersee’s group of athletes and at West Los Angeles College.

She married NFL player Alvin Hooks (1981). Their son is Alvin Hooks, Jr., and her nephew, Amar Brisco, was a cornerback at UNLV in the 1990s.

Captain Donnie Lee Cochran (July 6, 1954) is a former Navy naval aviator and was the first African American aviator to be selected to the Flight Demonstration Squadron Blue Angels in 1986. He assumed command of the Blue Angels in 1994. He is a 2022 inductee to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.

Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was a singer, songwriter, and actress. Some of her most notable songs were “You Know How to Love Me”, “Living All Alone”, and “Don’t Wanna Change the World”. She performed on Broadway in the musical Sophisticated Ladies, based on the music of Duke Ellington. The musical earned her a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.

Her music training started at a music school. She performed on a national tour with the group New Direction. After the group disbanded, she joined All the People and worked with another local group, The Hondo Beat. She appeared in the films School Daze and Lenny. She did a two-year stint leading a band called “Phyllis Hyman and the P/H Factor.”

Mary Alice Jervay Thatch (July 6, 1943 - December 28, 2021) was persistent, dedicated, and influential throughout her extensive career. She was a third-generation editor and publisher of The Wilmington Journal, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather.

In 1927, her grandfather, Mr. Robert S. Jervay, founded The Cape Fear Journal, which is now The Wilmington Journal. This Black-owned newspaper provides a place for Black voices and stories to be told. They have successfully done this over decades, reporting informative news to educate the public and all who read about actual events and issues about the Black community in Wilmington and eastern North Carolina.

She earned her BA in Business Education from Elizabeth City State University. She has an MA in Business Education from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

She made numerous innovations throughout her career as the publisher of The Wilmington Journal. Focusing on the importance of telling the truth about real stories in real time, she set the stage for significant milestones for The Wilmington Journal, including her demand that the Governor of North Carolina intervene in the 1971 Wilmington 10 trial.

She used The Wilmington Journal as a platform to rally support for the Wilmington 10 by thoroughly researching the facts of the case. Through her efforts, thousands of supporters of the Wilmington 10 across the US and around the world demanded their release. The Wilmington 10 were pardoned for their alleged crimes and were released from prison. The overwhelming pressure from The Wilmington Journal and other media outlets, as well as the local and national civil rights community, proved their innocence.

Attorney Randall Maurice Robinson (July 6, 1941 – March 24, 2023) was a lawyer, author, and activist, noted as the founder of TransAfrica. He was known for his impassioned opposition to apartheid and his advocacy on behalf of Haitian immigrants and Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Due to his frustration with American society, he emigrated to St. Kitts in 2001.

He was born in Richmond, Virginia to Maxie Cleveland Robinson and Doris Robinson Griffin, both teachers. The late News anchorman, Max Robinson, was his elder brother. He graduated from Virginia Union University and earned a JD from Harvard Law School.

He and his former wife had a daughter and a son. He was married to Hazel Ross-Robinson, and they have one daughter.

He was a civil rights attorney in Boston (1971–75) before working for Congressman Bill Clay (1975) and serving as an administrative assistant to Congressman Charles Diggs (1976). He was a Ford fellow.

He founded the TransAfrica Forum in 1977. He served as TransAfrica’s president until 2001. He gained visibility for his political activism, organizing sit-ins at the South African embassy to protest the Afrikaner government’s racial policy of discrimination against Black South Africans and a personal hunger strike aimed at pressuring the US government into restoring Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In 2001, he authored the book The Debt: What America Owes To Blacks. The book argues for the enactment of lineage-based reparation programs as restitution for the continued social and economic issues in the African American community, such as a high proportion of incarcerated African American citizens and the differential in cumulative wealth between whites and African Americans.

Bessie Amelia Head (July 6, 1937 - April 17, 1986) was born at Fort Napier Mental Institution in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Her mother, Fiona Emery, had a mental illness and was confined there at the time. Her father was an unidentified Black male. The birth itself was a criminal act; extramarital sexual intercourse between Blacks and whites was illegal. Her biracial identity would come to occupy much of her future writings.

Abandoned by her mother’s biological family, she was sent to live with a foster family, Nellie and George Heathcote. By 1950, she was declared a ward of the state and sent to St. Monica’s Home, an Anglican mission school serving Colored girls. She began attending Umbilo Road High School, where she trained for her teaching certification.

She worked as a primary school teacher but soon discovered that her passion was in writing. She moved to Cape Town and became the only female writer for the Cape Town newspaper, Golden City Post. She moved to Johannesburg, where she began to take an interest in South African politics and affiliated with groups like the Pan-Africanist Congress. She returned to Cape Town, where she began her Pan-Africanist newsletter, the Citizen.

She married Harold Head (1961-64), another journalist. They had one son. She worked for the journal New African. She wrote her novel The Cardinals, which was eventually published in 1993.

She and her son acquired one-way exit visas to Serowe in neighboring Botswana. She and her son were declared refugees in Botswana. After teaching for one year at the Tshekedi Memorial Primary School, she sought employment and shelter with the cooperative Bamangwato Development Association farm.

She acquired the collection of experiences that provided her with material for her first two published works: When Rain Clouds Gather and Maru. She returned to Serowe, partly because she began showing signs of mental illness.

Minister Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) known professionally as Della Reese, was a jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. Born in Detroit, he is known for her work as a blues and gospel singer, minister, and later as an actress.

She was born to Richard Thaddeus and Nellie Mitchelle Early. Nellie had children before her, but none of them lived with her; she was raised as an only child. At six, she began her career as a gospel singer, singing in church. At 13, she was hired to sing with Mahalia Jackson’s gospel group, with whom she toured while attending Cass Technical High School. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school, doing so at the age of 15.

She attended Wayne State University and formed her gospel group, the Meditation Singers. She shortened her name to Della Reese.

Her big break in music came when she won a contest that allowed her to sing at Detroit’s well-known Flame Show Bar. The prize for winning was a week-long engagement in the club, where she proved popular and sang there for eight weeks. She moved to New York City and became a vocalist with the Hawkins Orchestra. She signed a recording contract with Jubilee Records, with whom she recorded six albums. She was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.

She made her television acting debut on the police series The Mod Squad. She sometimes filled in for Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show, making her the first Black woman to host a national television variety talk show. She had her talk show, Della. She starred in movies and television, most notably in Harlem Nights and Touched by an Angel.

Dr. Arvarh E. Strickland (July 6, 1930 - April 30, 2013) was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

After graduating from Tougaloo, he served for several years as a teacher, principal, and supervisor in the segregated Mississippi school system, and for another year as a history instructor at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. He earned an MA from the University of Illinois and became one of the first African Americans to earn a Ph.D. from the university.

The Department of History at Columbia sought primarily to strengthen itself within the historical profession. He joined the faculty as a full professor with tenure.

He was active in and honored by local, state, and national historical organizations. His contributions reached well beyond history. He was an administrator, serving a term as chair of the history department, directing the Black Studies Program on two occasions, and holding posts in the central administration of the multi-campus university. He was a force for integration in the United Methodist Church and the city of Columbia, Missouri.

Bessie Griffin (née Arlette B. Broil; July 6, 1922 – April 10, 1989) was a gospel singer. From junior high through the late 1940s, she sang with the Southern Harps, known as the Southern Revivalists of New Orleans. She performed with The Caravans for a year and toured with W. Herbert Brewster Jr. She was mentored by Mahalia Jackson and moved to Chicago in the early 1950s. She relocated to Los Angeles at the end of the decade. She performed in theaters and nightclubs and appeared on popular television shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dinah Shore Show.

Tuskegee Airman Captain Fred Hutcherson Jr. (July 6, 1912 - July 6, 1962) was the first African American aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Born in Evanston, Illinois, he was the oldest son of Fred and Orain Hutcherson Sr. His father supported his early fascination with flight, and when his son turned 18, he brought him an airplane, the OX5 Travel Air open-cockpit biplane. He taught himself to fly, taking off from a dirt strip and practicing aerial maneuvers several miles west of Evanston.

At age 20, he was hired to manage Northwest Airport. He was the first Black airport manager in the US. He was employed as the manager of Sky Harbor Airport. By age 23, he was making charter flights out of Harlem Airport, but as WWII approached, he sought work in the US Ferry Command. He was not hired as that agency banned Black pilots. Married to Regina Laurent since he was a teenager, he and his wife and son relocated to Montreal, where he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

He attained the rank of captain in the RCAF and had begun instructing bomber pilots and navigators to assist the Allies. He transferred to the Royal Canadian Ferry Command, passed the highest qualifying exams, and, in his capacity as a ferry pilot, became the first person of African descent to fly a plane across the Atlantic Ocean.

Still desiring to fight in WWII as an American serviceman, he quit his job as a pilot for British West Indian Airways to answer the call for experienced Black aviators to assemble at Tuskegee Army Airfield. He joined the famed Tuskegee Airmen and served out the war with them although he was not stationed overseas.

He was a flight instructor at Ravenswood Airport, founded a pilot school in Haiti where he sought to establish the first Black-owned airline, sold Beechcraft civilian planes, and served as chief pilot for an airline in Colombia, South America. He started Lake Airways Charter Service, which operated until 1959, when he was obliged to take over the family business.