People, Locations, Episodes

Louis Farrakhan, Nation Of Islam Leader born

On this date in 1933, Louis Farrakhan was born. He is an African American religious leader in the Muslim community.

Born in New York City, he was an outstanding student at Boston English High School and then attended Winston-Salem Teacher’s College. Farrakhan was an excellent musician; he played the violin and was a calypso singer. It was as a singer that he earned his livelihood before converting to Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam in the 1950s. He quickly worked his way up to a leadership position, becoming the minister of the Boston mosque.

Rev. Samuel Kyles, Minister, and Activist born

*The Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles was born on this date in 1934. He is an African American minister and Civil Rights activist.

James Patterson Jr., Lawyer, and Minister born

*On this date in 1935 James Patterson, Jr. was born. He was an African American lawyer and minister.

James Oglethorpe “J. O.” Patterson, Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the son of J.O. Patterson, Sr. and Mrs. Deborah M. Patterson. He was the grandson of the COGIC founder, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Fisk University in 1958, his Jurist Doctor degree from DePaul University in 1963, and his Master of Religion degree from the Memphis Theological Seminary in 1985.

O. C. Smith, Entertainer, and Minister born

O. C. Smith, an African American singer and minister, was born on this date in 1936.

Charles Sherrod, Minister, and Educator born

*This date in 1937 is celebrated as the birth date of Charles Sherrod, a Black activist, educator, and minister.    Charles Sherrod was born in Surry, Virginia, and was raised by his Baptist grandmother. As a young boy, he sang in a choir and attended Sunday school at church. When he was older, he became a […]

Wings Over Jordan, Choir is Formed

*On this date from 1937, we celebrate the founding of Wings Over Jordan Choir. This group was organized by the Rev Glen T. Settles in Cleveland, Ohio and was perhaps the most beautiful sounding of all Gospel choirs.

Their otherworldly and almost ghostly sound was heard on over 50 recordings. In the days before television, when families would sit around the radio together, Wings Over Jordan was a popular family radio program that featured this talented African American choir. Beginning in the late 1930s, the show was broadcast out of Cleveland on the CBS network.

Shirley Caesar, Gospel Singer, and Minister born

*Shirley Caesar was born on this date in 1938. She is an African American gospel singer and pastor.

Caesar was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, her father died when she was eight years old. During that time she took on the responsibility of caring for a semi-invalid mother. Caesar began singing as a young girl in church. She remained determined, and continued with her education while developing her remarkable musical talent. She eventually graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Shaw University.

Al Sampson, Minister born

Albert “Al” Sampson was born on this date in 1938. He is an African American activist and minister.

Jimmie Lee Jackson, Activist, and Minister born

*On this date in1938, Jimmie Lee Jackson was born. He was an African American minister and civil right activist.

Ben Ami Ben-Israel, Spiritual Leader born

*Ben Ami Ben-Israel was born on this date in 1939. He was a Black immigrant to Israel and the founder and spiritual leader of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem. Ben Carter was born in a Baptist family in Chicago, Illinois. After dropping out of high school, Carter served three years in the United States Army, where […]

James Zwerg, Minister and Activist born

*James Zwerg was born on this date in 1939.  He is a white-American retired minister and activist.   James Zwerg was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, with his parents and older brother, Charles. His father was a dentist who provided free dental care to the poor one day per month. He was involved in school and participated […]

Jeremiah Wright, Minister and Activist born

*Jeremiah Wright was born on this date in1941. He is an African American minister, educator and activist.

Jeremiah Alvesta Wright, Jr was born and raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Jeremiah Wright, Sr., a Baptist minister and Mary Elizabeth Henderson Wright, a schoolteacher and education administrator. Wright graduated from the Central High School of Philadelphia in 1959. From 1959 to 1961, Wright attended Virginia Union University and is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Zeta chapter.

Henry Lyons, Minister born

*Henry Lyons was born on this date in 1942. He is a Black minister and former president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. Henry J. Lyons was from Tampa, Florida, and was raised by his grandfather, a Deacon named Booker T. Lyons. His father, who was only 16 when Henry was born, played a […]

Andraé Crouch, Gospel Musician born

*Andraé Crouch was born on this date in 1942. He was an African American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, recording artist, record producer, and pastor.

Born in San Francisco, California, Andraé Edward Crouch along with his twin sister, Sandra were children to Benjamin and Catherine (neé Hodnett) Crouch. When he was young, Crouch’s parents owned and operated Crouch Cleaners, a dry-cleaning business, a restaurant, a street ministry, and hospital and prison ministry in Los Angeles, California.

Lola Falana, Entertainer and Minister born

*On this date in 1942, Lola Falana was born. She was an American singer, dancer, model, actress, and minister. Loleta Elayne Falana was Born in Camden, New Jersey; she was the third of six children born to Bennett, a welder, and Cleo Falana, a seamstress. Her father, an Afro Cuban, left his homeland of Cuba to […]