Bessie Regina Norris  (December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020), [1]  better known by her stage name  Betty Wright [2] , was an American  soul and  R&B  singer, songwriter and background vocalist, who rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as " Clean Up Woman " and "Tonight is the Night". She was also prominent in regard to the use of  whistle register .

Richard Wayne Penniman  (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), better known as  Little Richard , was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An influential figure in  popular music , Richard's most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his dynamic music and charismatic showmanship laid the foundation for  rock and roll , leading him to be given the nickname " The Innovator, The Originator, and The Architect of Rock and Roll ". Characterized by his frenetic piano playing and raspy singing voice, Richard's music also played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including  soul and  funk . He influenced numerous singers and musicians across musical genres from  rock  to  hip hop , and his music helped shape  rhythm and blues  for generations to come.

Fred The Godson  aka  Fredrick Thomas  was born on January 1, 1985, and from South Bronx, New York, United States. He was a South Bronx rapper who passed away at the age of 35 due to COVID-19 Virus, his death was confirmed by his friend named DJ Self. He wrote on Instagram, he wrote: “Was loved by many never heard one bad thing about you RIP @fredthegodsonmusic Sleep Well my brother.” On April 23rd he was on Ventilator and was in the intensive care, according to the source his fever was peaked at 105 degrees and bad news was his kidney function has not been working. Unfortunately, he lost the battle against the COVID-19 virus, while he was admitted to the hospital in early April and even posted his picture after admitted to the Hospital, on April 7th he shared his photo and wrote “I’m in here wit this Corvus 19 shit! Please keep me in y’all prayers!!!!.”

Reed starred in the 1970 TV series  Barefoot in the Park  and played Virginia Tyndall in the 1979 TV miniseries  Women in White . Her most memorable film roles include  No Way Back (1976),  Car Wash  (1976),  A Piece of the Action (1977),  ...All the Marbles  (1981) and  Running Scared  (1986). She was also a  blackout gag player in the TV series  Love, American Style (1969–70, 1972–74).

William Horace Marshall  (August 19, 1924 – June 11, 2003) was an American actor, director and opera singer. He played the title role in the 1972  blaxploitation  classic  Blacula and its sequel  Scream Blacula Scream  (1973), and appeared as the King of Cartoons on the 1980s television show  Pee-wee's Playhouse and as Dr.  Richard Daystrom  on the  Star Trek television series. He was 6‘5” (1.96 m) tall and was known for his  bass  voice.

William Harrison Withers Jr.  (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. [1]  He recorded several major hits, including " Ain't No Sunshine " (1971), " Grandma's Hands " (1971), " Use Me " (1972), " Lean on Me " (1972), " Lovely Day " (1977), and " Just the Two of Us " (1980). Withers won three  Grammy Awards  and was nominated for four more. His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary film  Still Bill . [1]  He was inducted into the  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame  in 2015. [2] [3]

Bill Bailey  (December 8, 1912 – December 12, 1978) was an  African-American   tap dancer . He was the brother of  Pearl Bailey . Bill was the first person to be recorded doing the  Moonwalk , although he referred to it as the "Backslide", in the film  Cabin in the Sky  (1943), starring  Ethel Waters ,  Eddie "Rochester" Anderson  and  Lena Horne . He was trained briefly by  Bill "Bojangles" Robinson . He was married to Pernell Bailey, and had nine children and many grandchildren.

Fred "Curly" Neal (May 19, 1942 - March 26, 2020) was an American basketball player who played with the Harlem Globetrotters. Following in the footsteps of Marques Haynes, Neal became the Trotters' featured ballhandler, a key role in the team's exhibition act. Curly Neal Harlem Globetrotters Life and career Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Neal attended Greensboro-Dudley High School. He went to Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. At Smith, he averaged 23.1 points a game and was named All-CIAA guard. Neal played for 22 seasons (1963–85) with the Globetrotters, appearing in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries. His shaved head earned him his nickname, a reference to the Three Stooges' Curly Howard, and made him one of the most recognizable Globetrotters. In the 1970s, an animated version of Neal starred with various other Globetrotters in the Hanna-Barbera animated cartoon Harlem Globetrotters as well as its spinoff,

The enigmatic Ball was a former American slave born in South Carolina in 1765.  Following the end of the American Revolution, the free man relocated to Canada. Ball went on to own property on Oak Island and reportedly went into farming. In 1795, Samuel Ball married his wife, Mary, and the couple had three children, Andrew, Samuel and Mary. Ball’s will at the time of his death in 1846 indicates that he eventually remarried. His second wife was Catherine. At the time of his death, Ball owned over 100 acres both on Oak Island as well as on a nearby isle. His wealth has led many to believe that in addition to farming, Ball actually discovered riches on Oak Island.

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A'Lelia Walker  (June 6, 1885 – August 17, 1931) was an  American   businesswoman  and patron of the arts. She was the only surviving child of  Madam C.J. Walker , popularly credited as being the first self-made woman millionaire in the United States and one of the first African American millionaires. Early life A'Lelia Walker was born Lelia McWilliams in  Vicksburg, Mississippi , in 1885, the daughter of Moses McWilliams and the woman later known as Madam C. J. Walker. Her father died when she was 2. Her mother later married Charles Joseph Walker, a newspaper advertising salesman, and became an independent hairdresser and retailer of cosmetic creams. A'Lelia grew up in  St. Louis, Missouri  and attended  Knoxville College  in Tennessee before entering the family business. [1]

The Colored American Magazine  was the first  American  monthly publication that covered African-American culture. The magazine ran from May 1900 to November 1909. It was initially published out of  Boston  by the Colored Co-Operative Publishing Company, and from 1904, forward, by Moore Publishing and Printing Company of New York.  Pauline Hopkins , its most prolific writer from the beginning, sat on the board as a shareholder, was editor from 1902 to 1904, though her name was not on the  masthead  until 1903. Hopkins  was a journalist, playwright, historian, and literary. In 1904,  Booker T. Washington , in a hostile takeover, purchased the magazine and replaced  Hopkins  with Fred Randolph Moore (1857–1943) as editor. [1]

ANTOINE CLARK FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER OF LEGENDARY FED'S MAGAZINE HE CREATED ONE OF THE REALEST MAGAZINE'S THAT HELPED SO MANY ESPECIALLY INMATES TO KEEP THEM IN TOUCH WITH WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE STREETS ESPECIALLY WHEN HE STARTED ADDED ALL THEM SEXY MODEL'S. 

History Club Harlem was founded in 1935 by Leroy "Pop" Williams on the site of a dance hall called Fitzgerald's Auditorium.[a] Williams was a medical student at University of Pennsylvania when he managed to acquire enough money to buy Fitzgerald's; he left college after becoming the owner of the nightclub.[2] Williams gave the new nightclub the name of the Manhattan neighborhood because "a lot of black people live there".[3][4] The district, known as "Kentucky Avenue and the Curb", had become the home for African Americans in the racially segregated city since the end of World War I.[5] The new nightspot joined other popular black entertainment venues in the district such as Grace's Little Belmont, the Wintergarten, and the Paradise Club.[5] Along with Harlem's Cotton Club, it was a place for the moneyed set to enjoy an evening of African-American entertainment.[6] When the club opened in 1935, there were slot machines along

Katherine Johnson  -- the mathematician portrayed by  Taraji P. Henson  in the Oscar-nominated film "Hidden Figures" -- has died. NASA announced the pioneering figure died Monday. It was her groundbreaking math work that helped calculate the trajectories for  Alan Shepard 's history-making journey in space. She was also the one who gave the go-ahead for  John Glenn 's mission into orbit

Priscilla Taylor, an African American woman truck driver serving in the Women's Army Corps. 

Robert Francis Flemming Jr.  (July 1839 [1]  – February 23, 1919) was an American inventor [5]  and  Union  sailor in the  American Civil War . [7] [8]  He was the first crew member aboard the  USS  Housatonic  to spot the  H.L. Hunley  before it sank the USS  Housatonic . The  sinking of USS  Housatonic  is renowned as the first sinking of an enemy ship in combat by a  submarine . [6]

The Sylvers , (known as  The Little Angels  in their early years), were an American R&B/Soul family vocal group from  Watts, Los Angeles ,  California . The Sylvers were one of the most popular acts during the 1970s, recording the hit singles "Fool's Paradise", " Boogie Fever " and " Hot Line ". Prior to becoming the Sylvers, the four eldest members (Olympia, Leon, Charmaine, and James) recorded as the Little Angels, appearing on shows such as  Make Room for Daddy  and  You Bet Your Life , and opening for such acts as  Johnny Mathis  and  Ray Charles . During this time, two singles were released: "Santa Claus Parade" b/w "I'll Be a Little Angel" on  Warwick Records (United States)  and "Says You" b/w "Olympia" on  Capitol Records .

Esther Denise Scott  (April 13, 1953 – February 14, 2020) was an American actress. Scott began her career as voice actress on  Star Wars: Ewoks , before appearing on television shows including  Beverly Hills, 90210 ,  Full House ,  Party of Five ,  Ellen ,  The Steve Harvey Show , and  Sister, Sister

Early life Sarah Rector was born in 1902 near the all-black town of  Taft , located in the eastern portion of  Oklahoma , [2]  in what was then  Indian Territory . She had five siblings. Her parents, Joseph Rector and his wife, Rose McQueen (both born 1881) [3]  were African descendants of the Creek Nation  Creek Indians  before the  Civil war  and which became part of the Creek Nation after the  Treaty of 1866 . As such, they and their descendants were listed as  freedmen  on the  Dawes Rolls , by which they were entitled to land allotments under the  Treaty of 1866 made by the United States with the  Five Civilized Tribes . [4]  Consequently, nearly 600 black children, or Creek Freedmen minors as they were called, were granted 160 acres of land each. [ dubious   –  discuss ] [5]  This was a mandatory step in the process of integration of the Indian Territory with  Oklahoma Territory to form what is now the State of  Oklahoma . [6] [7] Sarah's father Joseph was the son

. Jeannette Dubois [1]  (August 5th, 1945 [2] [3]   ;  – February 18, 2020 [4] ) , known professionally as  Ja'Net DuBois ,  Ja'net DuBois , [3]  and  Ja'Net Du Bois , was an American actress, singer–songwriter and dancer. DuBois was best known for her portrayal of  Willona Woods , the neighborhood gossip maven and a friend of the Evans family on the sitcom  Good Times , which originally aired from 1974 to 1979. DuBois additionally co–wrote and sang the theme song "Movin' on Up" for  The Jeffersons , which originally aired from 1975 until 1985. [8]

Frederick McKinley Jones  (May 17, 1893 – February 21, 1961) was an African-American inventor, entrepreneur, winner of the  National Medal of Technology , and an  inductee  of the  National Inventors Hall of Fame . [1]  His innovations in  refrigeration  brought great improvement to the long-haul transportation of perishable goods. [2]  He cofounded  Thermo King . [1]

Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr.  (March 4, 1877 – July 27, 1963) was an  African American inventor  and businessman as well as an influential political leader. His most notable inventions were the three position  traffic signal  and  smoke hood . Morgan also discovered and developed a chemical hair-processing and straightening solution. He created a successful company based on his hair product inventions along with a complete line of hair-care products.

Matthew A. Cherry, the  inventor  of the tricycle, was born on February 5, 1834 in  Washington, D.C . While not much is known about his early life, it is evident that he had a passion for revolutionizing transportation. He is known for his improvement on the velocipede, followed by his invention of both the tricycle and the streetcar fender. Cherry prefaced his inventions with a great improvement on the velocipede. A precursor to the modern-day bicycle, this vehicle consisted of a metal seat frame with wheels attached. The riders were able to transport themselves quickly by moving their feet along the ground to propel the frame. Before pedals, this was quite a fast way to travel around town. Cherry’s model of the velocipede was an improvement on past versions, and eventually his model evolved into the tricycle, which is still used today. In May 1888, Cherry received his patent for the tricycle. Even today, tricycles are the choice of transportation for many as opposed to bi

BG  Charles E. McGee  (born December 7, 1919) is a retired American  fighter pilot  and one of the last living members of the  Tuskegee Airmen . He was a career officer in the  United States Air Force  for more than 30 years and flew a three-war total of 409 combat missions in  World War II , the  Korean War , and the  Vietnam War , one of the highest combat totals and longest active-duty careers by any Air Force fighter pilot in history

Former student-athlete and longtime Commodore to lead Vanderbilt Athletics as first female athletic director Candice Storey Lee, a dedicated member of the Commodore family, will be the university’s first female athletic director and the first African American woman to head a Southeastern Conference athletics program

Rocky Johnson [4]  (born  Wayde Douglas Bowles ; [5]  August 24, 1944 – January 15, 2020) [1]  was a Canadian  professional wrestler . During his wrestling career, he became a  National Wrestling Alliance  (NWA) Georgia Champion and a NWA Southern Heavyweight Memphis Champion, as well as winning many other championships. Along with his partner  Tony Atlas , Johnson was part of the first  black  tag team to win the  World Tag Team championship  in the  World Wrestling Federation  (WWF). [6]

Nancy Green  (March 4, 1834 – August 30, 1923 [1] [2] ) was a storyteller, cook, activist, and the first of several  African-American  models hired to promote a corporate trademark as " Aunt Jemima ". [3] Biography Green was born into  slavery  on March 4, 1834, near  Mount Sterling  in  Montgomery County, Kentucky . [4]  She was hired in 1890 [5]  by the R.T. Davis Milling Company in  St. Joseph, Missouri , to represent "Aunt Jemima", an advertising character named after a song from a  minstrel show . [3]  Davis Milling had recently acquired the formula to a ready-mixed, self-rising pancake flour from  St. Joseph Gazette  editor  Chris L. Rutt  and Charles Underwood and were looking to employ an African-American woman as a  Mammy archetype  to promote their new product. [6]  In 1893 Green was introduced as Aunt Jemima at the  World's Columbian Exposition  held in  Chicago , where it was her job to operate a pancake-cooking display. Her amicable pers

three sculptures representing two rappers and a DJ who made a major impact on the hip-hop scene called "A Cypher in Queens."  The works feature busts atop renditions of stacked speaker boxes. Three dearly departed masters of hip-hop are living on at the Queens Public Library. artist Sherwin Banfield‘s trio of sculptures called "A Cypher in Queens" will take up residence at the Central Library in Jamaica. The 9-foot-tall sculptures offer markers for fans and the Queens community to recognize, honor and celebrate three late examples of borough’s talent. DJ Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. was killed in 2002, Phife Dawg of A Tribe Call Quest died in 2016 from complications from diabetes, and Prodigy of Mobb Deep died after battling sickle cell anemia in 2017 .

Best known for his role as Willie Jones for the  Friday  series, [1]  Witherspoon also starred in films such as  Hollywood Shuffle  (1987),  Boomerang  (1992),  The Five Heartbeats (1991), and  Vampire in Brooklyn  (1995). [1]  He has also made appearances on television shows such as  The Wayans Bros.  (1995–99),  The Tracy Morgan Show  (2003),  Barnaby Jones (1973),  The Boondocks  (2005–2014), and  Black Jesus  (2014). [1] [2]  He wrote a film,  From the Old School , in which he played an elderly working man who tries to prevent a neighborhood convenience store from being developed into a  strip club . Early life Edit John Weatherspoon was born on January 27, 1942, in  Detroit ,  Michigan . [3] [4]  He later changed his last name to "Witherspoon". [5] Witherspoon was one of 11 siblings. [6]  His elder brother,  William , became a songwriter for  Motown , with whom he penned the lyrics of the 1966 hit single " What Becomes of the Brokenhearted ". [6]  A