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Jacoby Rashi’d Jones (July 11, 1984 – July 14, 2024) was a football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the NFL. Selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Texans, he played with the Ravens, Chargers, and Steelers before playing with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League.

He played college football for the Lane College Dragons. He played for the Ravens and was selected for the Pro Bowl. He was known for two of the most memorable plays in the 2012 NFL playoffs as a member of the Ravens: catching a 70-yard game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Broncos, which led the Ravens to double overtime victory; and a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers, the longest play in Super Bowl history.

He grew up in New Orleans East. He attended St. Augustine High School and Marion Abramson High School. His godfather, Abramson’s assistant principal, advised him to transfer to that school. He was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In basketball, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection. In track, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection, with a personal best of 10.28 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.3 seconds in the 200 meters.

He enrolled on a track scholarship at Southeastern Louisiana University but transferred to Lane College. He became a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons as well as a punt/kick returner. He was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

He signed a one-day contract with the Ravens to retire as a member of the team.

He returned to his alma mater when he was named wide receivers coach. Calvert Hall College High School appointed him to a similar capacity. He coached the tight ends at Morgan State University. He joined the coaching staff at Alabama State University.

He was the first star announced for Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars. He partnered with Karina Smirnoff, and they placed third. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #omegapsiphi

Jacoby Rashi’d Jones (July 11, 1984 – July 14, 2024) was a football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the NFL. Selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Texans, he played with the Ravens, Chargers, and Steelers before playing with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League.

He played college football for the Lane College Dragons. He played for the Ravens and was selected for the Pro Bowl. He was known for two of the most memorable plays in the 2012 NFL playoffs as a member of the Ravens: catching a 70-yard game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Broncos, which led the Ravens to double overtime victory; and a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers, the longest play in Super Bowl history.

He grew up in New Orleans East. He attended St. Augustine High School and Marion Abramson High School. His godfather, Abramson’s assistant principal, advised him to transfer to that school. He was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In basketball, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection. In track, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection, with a personal best of 10.28 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.3 seconds in the 200 meters.

He enrolled on a track scholarship at Southeastern Louisiana University but transferred to Lane College. He became a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons as well as a punt/kick returner. He was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

He signed a one-day contract with the Ravens to retire as a member of the team.

He returned to his alma mater when he was named wide receivers coach. Calvert Hall College High School appointed him to a similar capacity. He coached the tight ends at Morgan State University. He joined the coaching staff at Alabama State University.

Her father, Douglas Mohlabane, was an exiled political activist who struggled against the Apartheid System. Her mother, Noa, had been attending protests since the age of 12. She and her older brother DJ Namane Mohlabane were raised in a South African exile community in California.

She attended the Berkeley Arts Magnet School, where she led a pre-teen peer-support group. She became involved in various groups and organizations that combated racism and sexism.

She has a daughter.

She returned to Oakland after her time at Berklee College of Music, where she focused on songwriting and recording. She self-released her debut album, Closer, which sold 5,000 copies. “Closer” peaked at #63 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

She performed at rallies, demonstrations, and various political events around the world from Cuba to South Africa. The California-based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights honored her with its first-ever Human Rights Cultural Hero Award during the center’s 10th-anniversary celebration, which was titled “Tribute to a Dream.” #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

Goapele Keleboga Mohlabane (July 11, 1977) is a soul and R&B singer-songwriter. Her name means to move forward in Setswana, a Southern African language.

Her father, Douglas Mohlabane, was an exiled political activist who struggled against the Apartheid System. Her mother, Noa, had been attending protests since the age of 12. She and her older brother DJ Namane Mohlabane were raised in a South African exile community in California.

She attended the Berkeley Arts Magnet School, where she led a pre-teen peer-support group. She became involved in various groups and organizations that combated racism and sexism.

She has a daughter.

She returned to Oakland after her time at Berklee College of Music, where she focused on songwriting and recording. She self-released her debut album, Closer, which sold 5,000 copies. “Closer” peaked at #63 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Kimberly Denise Jones (July 11, 1974) known as Lil’ Kim, is a rapper. She was born and raised in New York City. She would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. She was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, produced two top-20 singles in the US and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Her debut studio album Hard Core (1996) was certified double platinum in March 2001. It has sold more than six million copies worldwide and spawned three successful singles: “No Time,” “Not Tonight (Ladies Night),” and “Crush on You.” Hard Core had the highest debut in the US for a female rap album at the time. Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia (2003), were certified platinum. She reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the single “Lady Marmalade”. Other notable singles from this period include “The Jump Off” and “Magic Stick,” the latter of which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her 2nd-highest-charting single as a lead artist.

She served a one-year prison sentence for lying to a jury about her friends’ involvement in a shooting. During her incarceration, her fourth album, The Naked Truth, was released to positive reviews. A reality series covering her sentence, Lil’ Kim: Countdown to Lockdown, premiered on BET. She released her first mixtape, Ms. G.O.A.T. (2008), and appeared on Dancing with the Stars. She continued to release music and perform. Her fifth studio album, 9, was released in 2019.

Dr. Marimba Ani (Dona Richards) (July 11, 1964) is an anthropologist and African Studies scholar known for her work Yurugu, a comprehensive critique of European thought and culture, and for coining the term “Maafa” for the African holocaust.

She completed her BA at the University of Chicago and holds an MA and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research. In 1964, during Freedom Summer, she served as an SNCC field secretary and married civil-rights activist Bob Moses (1964-66). She has taught as a Professor of African Studies in the Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. She is credited with introducing the term Maafa to describe the African holocaust.

Her work, Yurugu: An Afrikan-Centered Critique of European Cultural Thought and Behavior, examined, from an African perspective, the influence of European culture on the formation of modern institutional frameworks through colonialism and imperialism.

Examining the causes of global white supremacy, she argued that European thought implicitly believes in its superiority, stating: “European culture is unique in the assertion of political interest”.

In Yurugu, she proposed a tripartite conceptualization of culture, based on the concepts of Asili, the central seed or “germinating matrix” of a culture,

Utamawazo, “culturally structured thought” or worldview, “the way in which the thought of members of a culture must be patterned if the asili is to be fulfilled”, and

Utamaroho is a culture’s “vital force” or “energy source”, which “gives it its emotional tone and motivates the collective behavior of its members”.

Prime Minister Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (July 11, 1960) was born in Gandatu, Sudan. He was educated in local schools and joined the military as a young man. He rose through the ranks, and in the early 2000s, he was posted to Darfur as a senior commander, where he fought the rebels. He worked with the leader of a paramilitary group, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, to coordinate joint actions against Darfur fighters. He oversaw the Sudanese troops fighting in Yemen’s civil war on behalf of the Saudi-backed faction. He was appointed Chief of Staff of the Sudanese army.

On April 11, 2019, the Sudanese army acted. President Bashir was arrested and was chosen to head the transitional military council with Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo as vice-chair. Many protesters felt military and senior figures in his regime remained in control of the country. On June 2, 2019, security forces, along with Hemedti’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, attacked protesters in Khartoum who were demanding elections. Over 100 protesters were killed, and dozens of women were raped.

In August 2019, a Sovereign Council was established to appease the protestors. The council was composed of military and civilian leaders to jointly rule Sudan and prepare the country for a return to civilian rule and national elections in 2023. He was selected as the head of the council. A civilian, Abdallah Hamdok, was appointed Prime Minister on August 21.

Tensions between the civilian and military authorities reached a climax in October 2021. Hamdok was kidnapped, and the military took complete control of the government. International pressure on the Sudanese military and pro-democracy protests within Sudan led to the announcement that all political prisoners were to be freed and that Hamdok was reinstated in power. The military caused him to resign as Prime Minister on January 2, 2022.

Minister Kirk Whalum (July 11, 1958) is an R&B and smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured with Whitney Houston for more than seven years and soloed in her single “I Will Always Love You”. He was featured on many Luther Vandross albums, most often playing on the singer’s covers of older pop and R&B standards such as “Anyone Who Had a Heart”, “I (Who Have Nothing)”, and “Love Won’t Let Me Wait”.

His musical accomplishments have earned him 12 Grammy nominations. He won his first Grammy award in 2011 for Best Gospel Song (“It’s What I Do”).

He was born in Memphis. He attended Melrose High School and Texas Southern University, where he was a member of the renowned Ocean of Soul Marching Band. He sang in his father’s church choir, and he learned to love music from his grandmother and two uncles.

He performed at Rendez-Vous Houston and Rendez-Vous Lyon. He performed the track “Last Rendez-Vous,” known as “Ron’s Piece.” He recorded a duet with R&B singer Jevetta Steele called “Love is a Losing Game”. He has worked on several film scores, including for The Prince of Tides, Boyz n the Hood, The Bodyguard, Grand Canyon, and Cousins.

He recorded the Babyface Songbook with R&B icon Babyface’s best songs of the past 15 years, including “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “When Can I See You,” and others. He performed a cover of “Any Love” on the album Forever, For Always, For Luther. He contributed to the documentary film Miss HIV.

He was the inaugural Jazz Legend honoree of the National Museum of African American Music. He joined the faculty of Visible Music College. He received the coveted honor of a Brass Note on Historic Beale Street.

Tamu Blackwell (July 11, 1955) was born in Brooklyn and made a guest appearance as Betty Clark, the new maid the Jeffersons hired after Florence announced she was quitting to marry her boyfriend.

She is known for her role as Charlene, the teenage daughter of Claudine in Claudine, which starred Diahann Carroll in the title role, and James Earl Jones. She made appearances in The Super Cops (1974) and A Piece of the Action (1977).

She appeared in guest roles on numerous shows, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s, including Maude, Good Times, That’s My Mama, Mary Tyler Moore, and an episode of Sisters in 1993, where she served as an assistant director for several episodes. She had a bit role in “Come Back Sweet Charleston Blue”.

Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 - February 5, 2021) was a former boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision, in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. He was stripped of the WBC title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by unanimous decision.

He gained notoriety for the disaster that befell his career following the loss to Ali. He challenged once more for the WBC heavyweight title in 1981 and for the WBA cruiserweight title in 1986.

As an amateur, he won numerous medals in the light heavyweight division. The first was bronze at the inaugural 1974 World Championships, followed by silver at the 1975 Pan American Games, and gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics; the latter was alongside his brother Michael Spinks, who won middleweight gold. He served in the USMC.

He had a brief career as a professional wrestler, working for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and holding the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship.

Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 - February 5, 2021) was a former boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision, in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. He was stripped of the WBC title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by unanimous decision.

He gained notoriety for the disaster that befell his career following the loss to Ali. He challenged once more for the WBC heavyweight title in 1981 and for the WBA cruiserweight title in 1986.

As an amateur, he won numerous medals in the light heavyweight division. The first was bronze at the inaugural 1974 World Championships, followed by silver at the 1975 Pan American Games, and gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics; the latter was alongside his brother Michael Spinks, who won middleweight gold. He served in the USMC.

He had a brief career as a professional wrestler, working for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and holding the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship.

Patricia Eva “Bonnie” Pointer (July 11, 1950 – June 8, 2020) was a singer known as a member of the vocal group The Pointer Sisters. She scored several moderate solo hits after leaving the Pointers in 1977, including a disco cover of The Elgins’ “Heaven Must Have Sent You,” which became a US top 20 pop hit.

She and her youngest sister, June, began singing together at their father’s West Oakland Church of God. They formed The Pointers. After Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed their name to The Pointer Sisters and recorded several singles for Atlantic Records. They recruited the oldest sister, Ruth, and released their debut album, The Pointer Sisters. Their self-titled debut yielded the hit “Yes We Can Can”. The Pointers donned 1940s fashions and sang in a style reminiscent of The Andrews Sisters. Their music included R&B, funk, rock and roll, gospel, country, and soul.

Earnest Lee Holmes (July 11, 1948 – January 17, 2008) nicknamed “Fats”, was a football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. He played seven seasons (1972-78) and was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Steelers.

He was born in Jamestown, Texas, and was raised on his family’s farm, attending school in Wiergate. He played college football at Texas Southern University.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the eighth round of the 1971 NFL Draft. He was part of the legendary Steel Curtain defense along with fellow linemen Joe Greene, Dwight White, and L. C. Greenwood. While quarterback sacks were not an official NFL statistic until 1982, the Steelers credit him with a career total of 40, eighth on the franchise’s all-time list. This includes team-high totals of 11 in 1974 (a six-game stretch with a sack, tying him with Greene and Greg Lloyd for the longest such streak in team history) and 10.5 in 1975.

Beverly Todd (July 11, 1946) is an actress, producer, and writer. She is known for her roles in the films Brother John (1971), Moving (1988), Lean on Me (1989), and The Bucket List (2007).

She was born in Chicago, the daughter of Virena Todd. She began her acting career in the Off-Broadway production of Deep Are the Roots, and performed in the London productions of No Strings and Blues for Mr. Charlie.

She played the lead role in the Broadway comedy Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights, directed by Sidney Poitier. She appeared opposite Poitier, who was her mentor early in her career, in films such as The Lost Man (1969) and They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970), Brother John (1971). and A Piece of the Action (1977). She was a regular cast member on the daytime soap opera Love of Life from 1968 to 1970, and in 1977 on the educational show The Write Channel. She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her performance in Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976). She received her second NAACP Image Award nomination for her role in Roots.

She had the female lead roles in the films Moving (1988) opposite Richard Pryor and Lean on Me (1989) with Morgan Freeman. She was married to film producer-director Kris Keiser. She did not appear regularly on the screen during the 1990s and returned to acting in 2002, with a recurring role in Six Feet Under. In 2004, she appeared as Don Cheadle’s character’s mother in Crash. She had supporting roles in the independent films The Lena Baker Story (2008) and I Will Follow (2011). She appeared in the Barnaby Jones episode titled “The Bounty Hunter” (12/16/1976). She guest-starred on House, The Closer, and Grey’s Anatomy, and, in 2012, had the recurring role in Days of Our Lives as Celeste Perrault, the mother of Lexie Carver.

Beverly Todd (July 11, 1946) is an actress, producer, and writer. She is known for her roles in the films Brother John (1971), Moving (1988), Lean on Me (1989), and The Bucket List (2007).

She was born in Chicago, the daughter of Virena Todd. She began her acting career in the Off-Broadway production of Deep Are the Roots, and performed in the London productions of No Strings and Blues for Mr. Charlie.

She played the lead role in the Broadway comedy Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights, directed by Sidney Poitier. She appeared opposite Poitier, who was her mentor early in her career, in films such as The Lost Man (1969) and They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970), Brother John (1971). and A Piece of the Action (1977). She was a regular cast member on the daytime soap opera Love of Life from 1968 to 1970, and in 1977 on the educational show The Write Channel. She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her performance in Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976). She received her second NAACP Image Award nomination for her role in Roots.

She had the female lead roles in the films Moving (1988) opposite Richard Pryor and Lean on Me (1989) with Morgan Freeman. She was married to film producer-director Kris Keiser. She did not appear regularly on the screen during the 1990s and returned to acting in 2002, with a recurring role in Six Feet Under. In 2004, she appeared as Don Cheadle’s character’s mother in Crash. She had supporting roles in the independent films The Lena Baker Story (2008) and I Will Follow (2011). She appeared in the Barnaby Jones episode titled “The Bounty Hunter” (12/16/1976). She guest-starred on House, The Closer, and Grey’s Anatomy, and, in 2012, had the recurring role in Days of Our Lives as Celeste Perrault, the mother of Lexie Carver.

Edwina “Curlie” Justus (July 11, 1943) is an African American trailblazing engineer known as Union Pacific’s first Black Woman train engineer.

Her role as a change-maker began when she became the first African American girl to attend Brown Park School, and she was the only person of color in the entire school.

She applied for a job at Union Pacific. After her application was denied, she enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

When she applied to Union Pacific for the second time, her application was successful. She began her career at U.P. in 1973 as a clerk at one of its Omaha facilities. Edwina Justus was one of five Black women who worked in the Omaha office.

She applied for an engineer opening in North Platte, Neb. She got the job and became UP’s first Black Woman engineer. North Platte was a big operation. Union Pacific is the largest railroad in the US.

She endured racial slurs and the belief that she couldn’t do good work as a woman. But she was not deterred. She used her wit and performance to excel in her career.

She worked for 22 years before retiring in 1998. She hauled items such as livestock, automobiles, and airplane wings to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver, never taking for granted the beauty of a sunset or quiet night.

General Clara Adams-Ender (née Leach; July 11, 1939) is a retired Army officer who served as Chief of the Army Nurse Corps (1987-91). She was the first woman to receive her MS in Military Arts and Sciences from the US Army Command and General Staff College. She is the first African American nurse corps officer to graduate from the US Army War College. She retired (1993), serving as commanding officer of Fort Belvoir. She published a memoir, My Rise to the Stars: How a Sharecropper’s Daughter Became an Army General.

She was born in Willow Spring, North Carolina. She had nine siblings. Her mother was Caretha Bell (Sapp) Leach. Her father, Otha Leach, was a sharecropper, and the family lived in Wake County, North Carolina. She attended Fuquay Springs Consolidated High School and graduated at 16, second in her class. She attended North Carolina A&T State University. She was a participant in the Greensboro sit-ins.

She joined the Army to pay for her nursing school education. When she graduated, she was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army Nurse Corps.

Earlene Dennis Brown (July 11, 1935 - May 1, 1983) a three-time Olympian, was the first African American woman to win a medal in the shot put. She excelled in a variety of sports, gaining attention, recognition, and honors. She is the only shot-putter to compete in three consecutive Olympics (1956, 1960, 1964). She won Olympic bronze for Women’s shot put in 1960; was Amateur Athletic Union Champion in shot put (1956-62, 1964); won Amateur Athletic Union Championship, discus (1958-59, 1961); won gold medal in shot put, silver medal in discus, USA-USSR dual meet (1958); was shot put and discus champion, Pan-American Games (1959); and placed 12th in shot put, Tokyo Olympics (1964).

She was born in Latexo, Texas to Espenola Tillis Dennis, a domestic servant, and Willie Dennis, a semipro baseball player with the Negro Leagues. When her parents separated in 1938, she remained with her mother, and they moved to Los Angeles. She attended Jordan High School in South Central, where she excelled in track and field. Before competing in shot put and discus, she anchored the relay team.

She attended Compton Junior College and completed a machinist training program. She joined the Amateur Athletic Union. She married Henry Brown, a brick mason. The couple had a son.

In 1956, she finished in the top ten in the shot put and the discus. In 1958, she earned the #1 world ranking and became the first American to break the 50-foot barrier. She won gold medals in the shot put and discus at the 1959 Pan American Games. At the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, she placed 12th in the shot put.

She retired from the shot put competition in 1965. She took up roller derby. Her career in skating began as a blocker for the New York Bombers.

Dr. Norward Roussell (July 11, 1934 - October 13, 2014) was born in New Orleans. He and his identical twin brother, Norman, were the youngest of seven children. Their father, Edward, who had been a baseball player in the Negro leagues, owned a fruit-cart business and never went to school. His wife, Rosa, taught him to read and write his name. He died when the twins were 8.

After their high school graduation, the twins awoke to find their mother standing over their beds with sack lunches. They got jobs digging ditches. A week of that was enough, and they both quit and found employment at a nearby laundry. They joined the Air Force and went to Korea, where they were assigned to administrative work.

Their brothers and sisters contributed savings to send the twins to Dillard University in New Orleans, where they both majored in biology. They earned an MS in chemistry from Fisk University and a Ph.D. in education from Wayne State University, before going on to careers in teaching and educational administration.

He worked in New Orleans schools and became area superintendent, supervising 30 schools and 28,000 students. Selma hired him.

He accepted an invitation to be the first Black in Selma’s Rotary Club but did not pursue membership in the country club.

He was superintendent of the Macon County schools, which ran into financial trouble and were taken over by the state during his tenure. He returned to New Orleans to become an executive at his alma mater, Dillard. He finished his career as the interim superintendent of the New Orleans public schools. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home in New Orleans, he moved back to Selma.