*Emma Chambers Maitland was born on this date in 1893. She was a Black dancer, teacher, and boxer. Born Jane Chambers, she was from near Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Wyatt Chambers and Cora Chambers. Her parents were sharecroppers, and she had seven brothers. She was educated at a convent school in Rock Castle, Virginia, and […]
learn more*Carl ‘Luz’ Long was born on this date in 1913. He was a white German Olympic long jumper and soldier. Carl Ludwig ‘Luz’ Long was born in Leipzig, Stadtkreis Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. He studied law at the University of Leipzig, and as a 21-year-old, 1.84-meter-tall (6’½”), Long had finished third in the 1934 European Championships […]
learn more*Wilbanks K. Smith was born on this date in 1930. He was a white-American college football player from Mangum, Greer County, Oklahoma. In 1951, two brutal hits by Smith in a football game at Oklahoma A&M on Johnny Bright broke the Drake star running back’s jaw. Called the Johnny Bright Incident, the Des Moines Register captured the blows […]
learn more*Stephanie Ready was born on this date in 1975. She is a Black TV broadcaster and semi-professional basketball coach. Born in Takoma Park, Maryland, Ready attended National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., followed by Coppin State University in Baltimore, where she played basketball and volleyball for the Coppin State Eagles. She ranked in the top 10 on […]
learn more*Ken Griffey Jr. was born on this date in 1969. Nicknamed “Junior” and “the Kid,” he is a Black retired professional baseball outfielder and coach. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. was born in Donora, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where his father, Ken Griffey Sr., played for the Cincinnati Reds when Ken Jr. was […]
learn more*George Raveling was born on this date in 1937. He is a Black former college basketball player, author, and coach. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., George Henry Raveling played basketball in ninth grade. He attended St. Michael’s, a Catholic boarding school in Hoban Heights, Pennsylvania. His grandmother’s employer helped him enroll. Raveling’s father died […]
learn more*The Leland Giants baseball team is celebrated on this date in 1901. They were a Negro League baseball team that competed independently during the first decade of the 20th century. Originally the Chicago Union Giants, they were a merger of the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Giants. In 1905, the team had a record of 43 […]
learn more*The birth of Aaron Hewlett is celebrated on this date, c. 1820. He was a Black college instructor and administrator. Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett was born in New York City to Isaac and Rachel Hewlett. He lived in Brooklyn, worked as a Pullman porter, and taught boxing and wrestling. The New York Clipper, the leading New York […]
learn more*On this date in 2023, Super Bowl LVII marked the first time both teams started Black quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles played against Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. In 1988, Washington’s Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start — and win — a Super Bowl. Williams was the MVP of the game after […]
learn more*Renee Powell was born on born on this date in 1946. She is a Black professional golfer and Businesswoman. Renee Powell was born in East Canton, Ohio. She began playing golf at the age of three. Her father, Bill Powell, was the first Black person to create and build his golf course in America. He […]
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