Maya Angelou has become the first Black woman ever to appear on a US quarter, after a coin featuring the late poet and activist’s image went into circulation on Monday. The quarter features an image of Angelou with her arms uplifted, a bird in flight and a rising sun behind her, with a portrait of George Washington on the “heads” side. The US Mint said the image of Angelou was “inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived” .

Shaun Shiller Fequiere (August 10, 1966 – December 18, 2021), known by his stage name Kangol Kid, was an American hip hop producer, songwriter, break dancer, and emcee. Kangol is best known as a member of the old school hip hop group UTFO. Kangol Kid was the first hip-hop artist to endorse a product through his official sponsorship with Kangol headwear. His signature hat has been inducted into the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.[

Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24, 1922  – June 12, 1998) was an American stage, film, and television actress and singer. She's known for her role in That's My Mama (1974-1975) and for her film roles in The Wiz (1978) and Billy Madison (1995). New York, New York, Born in Emporia, Virginia, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination,[1] and The Wiz, in which she replaced Mabel King as Evelline. She left The Wiz, citing the role's harmful effect on her voice. She then starred in the television sitcom That's My Mama.[ Merritt's other Broadway credits included Mule Bone (1991), Division Street (1980), Don't Play Us Cheap! (1972), The Crucible (1972), Trumpets of the Lord (1969), Golden Boy (1964), Tambourines to Glory (1963), and Carmen Jones (1943, 1945, 1947).She also toured with road companies of Funny Girl, Show B...

Filmmaker, author, and actor Melvin Van Peebles was born on August 21, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up during World War II, he spent his adolescence with his father, a tailor. Van Peebles graduated from Township High School in Phoenix, Illinois, in 1949 and spent a year at West Virginia State College before transferring to Ohio Wesleyan University where he earned his B.A. degree in English literature in 1953. During the late 1950s, Van Peebles served three and a half years as a flight navigator in the United States Air Force. After the military, he lived briefly in Mexico and San Francisco where he wrote his first book,  The Big Heart , which was about the life of San Francisco’s cable cars and their drivers. Moving to the Netherlands, he studied at the Dutch National Theatre before moving to France in the early 1960s. During this time, Van Peebles wrote several published novels in French, including  La Permission  in 1967. He filmed this story under th...

Born in  Compton, California , his father was a stuntman and a founder of the  Black Stuntmen's Association . Johnson began acting in his early twenties. In 1990 he landed a starring role as E.Z.E. in  House Party , after which he started doing  stand-up  in bars in  Los Angeles . He later appeared in  Lethal Weapon 3  as a drug dealer and in  Menace II Society . His biggest role was in the 1995 comedy  Friday , as Ezal, a crackhead and thief. He has also appeared in  Panther ,  The Players Club ,  B*A*P*S ,  I Got The Hook Up , [ Def Jam's How to Be a Player  and  Repos , and in rap videos: in Dr. Dre's " Dre Day " (1992), he played Sleazy-E, a parody of  Eazy-E , and he appeared again as Sleazy-E in the video for Eazy-E's " Real Muthaphuckkin G's " (1993), this time being assaulted.

Michael Kenneth Williams  (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He played  Omar Little  on the  HBO  drama series  The Wire [1] [2] [3]  and Albert "Chalky" White on the HBO series  Boardwalk Empire . He was also acclaimed for his role as Jack Gee, husband of  Bessie Smith , in the HBO  telefilm   biopic   Bessie . He acted in supporting roles in a number of films and television series, including  The Road ,  Inherent Vice ,  The Night Of ,  Gone Baby Gone ,  12 Years a Slave ,  When We Rise ,  When They See Us , and  Hap and Leonard

Tamyra Mariama Mensah-Stock  (born October 11, 1992, née Mensah) is an American wrestler who competes in women's  freestyle wrestling . She won the gold medal at the  Tokyo Olympics  on August 3, 2021, and is the first black woman to have done so. [1] [2] [3]

Marcel Theo Hall  (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), [1]  better known by his stage name  Biz Markie , was an American  rapper , singer, DJ, record producer, actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his 1989 single " Just a Friend ", which became a  Top 40  hit in several countries. In 2008, "Just a Friend" made No. 100 on  VH1 's list of the 100 greatest hip hop songs of all time. [2]

The 14-year-old eighth-grader from Harvey, Louisiana, correctly spelled "Murraya" — a genus of flowering plants — to clinch victory Thursday night during the bee's live finals at Walt Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Suzzanne Douglas  (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) was an American actress. [2]  She is best known for her role as matriarch Jerri Peterson on  The WB  sitcom  The Parent 'Hood , [2]  starring  Robert Townsend  which ran from 1995–1999. Douglas portrayed Amy Simms in the 1989 dance/drama film  Tap  alongside  Gregory Hines  and  Sammy Davis, Jr , for which she received an  NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture . In addition to Tap, Douglas has starred in several other motion pictures, among them  How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998),  Jason's Lyric  (1994),  The Inkwell (1994) as well as the 2003  Disney / ABC version of  Sounder  with  Carl Lumbly . Douglas is also best known for her portrayal as  Cissy Houston  in the  Lifetime  TV movie  Whitney  in 2015. In 2019, she appeared as the mother of one of...

Clarence Williams III  (August 21, 1939 – June 4, 2021) [2]  was an American actor, best known for playing the character "Linc Hayes" in the "hippie" cop show  The Mod Squad  from 1968 to 1973. He also appeared prominently in films such as  Purple Rain ,  52 Pick-Up ,  Tales from the Hood ,  Half Baked  and  Reindeer Games , and had a recurring role on Season 2 of  Twin Peaks .

Samuel Edward Wright  (November 20, 1948 – May 24, 2021) was an American actor and singer. He was best known as the voice of  Sebastian  in  Disney 's  The Little Mermaid , for which he provided the lead vocals to " Under the Sea ", [1]  which won the  Academy Award for Best Original Song . He played  Dizzy Gillespie in the  1988 biographical film  about  Charlie Parker . Wright also played the part of  Mufasa in the original cast of  The Lion King  on Broadway and voiced Kron the  Iguanodon  in Disney's 2000  CGI /live-action film  Dinosaur

Chi Modu  (born 1966) is an American documentary photographer of Nigerian descent, renowned for his photographs of hip-hop artists during the 1990’s, the defining years of the hip hop era.His subjects included Biggie, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg,Mobb Deep, LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige, the Notorious B.I.G. and Wu-Tang Clan.His photos are especially notable for the personal and intimate camera angles of the famous music artists.

Paul Gladney  (August 4, 1941 – May 19, 2021), better known by the stage name  Paul Mooney , was an American comedian, [1]  writer,  social critic , and television and film actor. He is best known as a writer for comedian  Richard Pryor , [1] [2]  playing singer  Sam Cooke in  The Buddy Holly Story  (1978) and Junebug in  Bamboozled  (2000), and his appearances on  Chappelle's Show .

Earl Simmons  (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), [2]  known by his stage name  DMX  ("Dark Man X"), was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album  It's Dark and Hell Is Hot  in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. [4] [5]  He released his best-selling album,  ... And Then There Was X , in 1999, which included the hit single " Party Up (Up in Here) ". His 2003 singles " Where the Hood At? " and " X Gon' Give It to Ya " were also some of his most popular.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler  (born  Marvin Nathaniel Hagler ; May 23, 1954 – March 13, 2021) [2]  was an American  professional boxer and film actor who competed in boxing from 1973 to 1987. He reigned as  undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987, [3] making twelve successful defenses of that title, and holds the highest  knockout percentage of all undisputed middleweight champions, at 78 percent, while also holding the  third-longest unified championship reign in boxing history  at twelve consecutive defenses. At six years and seven months, his reign as undisputed middleweight champion is the second-longest of the last century, behind only  Tony Zale , whose reign included several years of inactivity during his service in  World War II . In 1982, annoyed that network announcers often did not refer to him by his nickname "Marvelous", Hagler legally changed his name to "Marvelous Marvin Hagler

Meet  Maia Chaka , the first Black woman ever named to the NFL's officiating staff. Lorenzo Reyes. 0:00. 1:13.  Maia Chaka  has been a health and physical education teacher, working with students with unique needs at Renaissance Academy in Virginia Beach, Va. since 2006.

Leon Spinks  (July 11, 1953 – February 5, 2021) was an American  professional 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. Spinks was later stripped of the  WBC  title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by  unanimous decision .

Deborah Archer has been elected president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), becoming the first  Black  person to lead the organization in its 101-year history. Archer was elected unanimously in a virtual meeting by the organization’s 69-member board of directors, and announced on Feb. 1

Henry Louis Aaron  (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed " Hammer " or " Hammerin' Hank ", was an American professional  baseball   right fielder  who played 23 seasons in  Major League Baseball  (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. He spent 21 seasons with the  Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves  in the  National League  (NL) and two seasons with the  Milwaukee Brewers  in the  American League  (AL).

Cicely Tyson  (December 19, 1924 – January 28, 2021) was an American  actress  and  fashion model . In a career spanning more than seven decades, she became known for her portrayal of strong  African-American women . [3] [4]  Tyson was the recipient of three  Primetime Emmy Awards , four  Black Reel Awards , one  Screen Actors Guild Award , one  Tony Award , an  honorary Academy Award , and a  Peabody Award .

Quiñones was born and raised in  Chicago ,  Illinois , United States; his father was Puerto Rican, and his mother was African American. His mother raised him as a single parent from the age of three. [4]  He had a younger sister, Fawn Quiñones, who was also a dancer, and frequently featured on the musical variety television program  Soul Train . [5]  He died at age 65 in December 2020, at his home.

Ecstasy, born on June 7, 1964, formed Whodini with Jalil Hutchins in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1982. DJ Grandmaster Dee later joined the group in 1986. Together, they went on to record hit singles, “The Haunted House of Rock,” “Friends,” “Freaks Come Out at Night,” becoming a vital name in the hip hop scene.

SO MANY PLAYERS SO MUCH HISTORY ALL DESERVE IT MEN AND WOMEN THEY INSPIRED THE BALL PLAYERS OF TODAY

Thomas  " Tiny "  Lister Jr.  (June 24, 1958 – December 10, 2020) was an American  character actor  and occasional  professional wrestler  known for his roles as the neighborhood bully Deebo in the 1995 film  Friday  and its  2000 sequel  and as President Lindberg in  The Fifth Element . He had two short  professional wrestling  stints, wrestling  Hulk Hogan  in the  World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after appearing as  Zeus  in the 1989 movie  No Holds Barred  and resuming the feud as  Z-Gangsta  in 1996 for  World Championship Wrestling  (WCW). [1]  He was  blind  in his right eye.

David Norman Dinkins  (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th  Mayor of New York City  from 1990 to 1993, becoming the first American with African ancestry to hold the office.

Chadwick Aaron Boseman [5]  (November 29, 1976 – August 28, 2020) was an American actor and producer. He was best known for his portrayals of real-life historical figures, such as  Jackie Robinson  in  42  (2013),  James Brown  in  Get on Up  (2014) and  Thurgood Marshall  in  Marshall  (2017), and for his portrayal of the superhero  Black Panther  in the  Marvel Cinematic Universe  films, most notably in  Black Panther  (2018), for which he won a  NAACP Image Award  and a  Screen Actors Guild Award ,  Captain America: Civil War (2016),  Avengers: Infinity War  (2018), and  Avengers: Endgame  (2019). He also starred in films such as  21 Bridges  (2019) and  Da 5 Bloods  (2020). Boseman died at age 43 following a four-year battle with  colon cancer . [6]   [7]

Raymond Gilmore Allen  (March 5, 1929 – August 10, 2020) was an American television actor. He was best known for his appearances on television during the 1970s. He had recurring roles as Ned the  Wino  on  Good Times , as  Aunt Esther 's husband, Woodrow "Woody" Anderson on the  NBC  sitcom series  Sanford and Son , and as  mechanic  Merle the Earl on  Starsky and Hutch . He reprised his role as Uncle Woody Anderson in the  Sanford and Son   spin-off ,  The Sanford Arms . Allen also made guest appearances on  The Jeffersons ,  What's Happening!! ,  The Love Boat  and the film  Wattstax

James Harris  (May 28, 1950 – August 9, 2020) was an American  professional wrestler , better known by the  ring name   Kamala . Nicknamed "The Ugandan Giant", Kamala portrayed a fearsome and simpleminded  Ugandan  who wrestled barefoot in  war paint and a  loincloth , and approached the ring wearing an  African mask  and carrying a spear and shield. He is best known for his appearances with the  World Wrestling Federation  (WWF) in the mid-1980s and early 1990s

BEAUTIFUL QUEEN JAZZIEBELLE SHE STARTED HER CAREER DOMINATING THE MODELLING ALL OVER THE WORLD INCLUDING THE TOP MAGAZINES COMPANIES. BEING A LOYAL HIP-HOP FAN SHE STARTED DOING RADIO INTERVIEWING THE TOP CELEBRITIES IN MUSIC MOVIE'S. MODELS. BUT HER PASSION IS HELPING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS TO GROW LIKE SHE DID 

  After nearly 110 years of naval aviation, the US Navy has welcomed its first Black female tactical jet pilot , Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle has made history as the US Navy's first Black female tactical aircraft pilot

Emmanuel Yarbrough  (September 5, 1964 – December 21, 2015) was an American  martial artist ,  professional wrestler ,  football player and  actor . He was particularly known by his career in  amateur sumo , holding the  Guinness World Record  for the heaviest living athlete. [

Patricia Eva "Bonnie" Pointer  (July 11, 1950-June 8, 2020) was an American singer, most notable for being a member of the  Grammy Award –winning vocal group,  The Pointer Sisters . Pointer 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 U.S. top 20 pop hit on September 1, 1979.

Westley Sissel Unseld  (March 14, 1946 – June 2, 2020) was an American professional  basketball  player, coach and executive. He spent his entire  National Basketball Association  (NBA) career with the  Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets . Unseld played  college basketball  for the  Louisville Cardinals  and was selected with the second overall pick by the Bullets in the  1968 NBA draft . He was named the  NBA Most Valuable Player  during his rookie season and joined  Wilt Chamberlain  as the only two players in NBA history to accomplish the feat. Unseld won an  NBA championship  with the Bullets in  1978 . After retiring from playing in 1981, he worked with the Bullets as a vice president, head coach and general manager.

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...