6 August 2006 -

Entrepreneur

Kheris Rogers is an American Entrepreneur and a social media sensation. She founded the clothing line named Flexin' In My Complexion after she became the target of bullying due to her skin colour. Her story was featured in a number of media outlets such as The Huffington Post and The Independent. Some very popular personalities like Lupita Nyong'o and Alicia Keys have worn her clothing line. The 14-year-old entrepreneur was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She founded Flexin’ In My Complexion at age 10. She has grown in popularity on Instagram, amassing more than 70,000 followers. Rogers was listed amongst Teen Vogue's class of 2018 21 Under 21. In 2020 she was nominated for the Best in Beauty award at the '12th Annual Shorty Awards’.

Read More

5 August 1763 - 28 December 1829

The 'Black Terror'

William Richmond was a British boxer, born into slavery in Richmondtown, New York. Although born an American slave, Bill Richmond overcame racist abuse and nationalistic tub-thumping to become Britain’s first black sporting celebrity and was much-admired thanks to his sublime technique. A chance encounter with Brigadier General Hugh Percy in 1776 changed Bill Richmond's life forever, and although there are a number of different accounts of what happened, ultimately, Brigadier Percy persuaded Bill's owner to sell the 13-year-old boy to him. He then sent Bill to England where he received a scholarship and when he was old enough, an apprenticeship in cabinetmaking. In 1795, after moving to London Bill Richmond attended prizefights but didn't experience a professional fight until he was 36, becoming a professional fighter himself at 41. After suffering a humiliating early beating, he quickly adapted his style to such effect that his victories soon earned him the nickname ‘the Black Terror’. He continued to fight and win matches well into his 50s.

Read More

4 August 1967 -

The first African-American president of the United States

Born in Hawaii in 1961, Barack Obama was the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review in 1990, he then went on to become an American politician and attorney who served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, the first African American person to do so.

Read More

3 August 1964 - 18 October 2007

South African reggae musician & anti-apartheid activist

Lucky Philip was a South African reggae musician. He recorded 22 albums in a 25-year period and was South Africa's biggest-selling reggae artist. Dube was murdered in Johannesburg on the evening of 18 October 2007. While in high school he was introduced to the ‘Rastafarian’ movement. and in 1984, he turned to reggae music after understanding its popularity and released a reggae album titled ‘Rastas Never Dies.’ He felt the socio-political messages associated with Jamaican reggae were relevant to a South African audience in an institutionally racist society. The apartheid regime banned the album in 1985, because of its critical lyrics. However, he was not discouraged and continued to perform the reggae tracks live and wrote and produced a second reggae album. Think About The Children (1985). It achieved platinum sales status and established Dube as a popular reggae artist. His 1993 album, Victims, sold over one million copies worldwide. In 1995, he earned a worldwide recording contract with Motown. Dube took Dub and used it as a platform to promote racial equality within Africa during the Apartheid. He used dub to frame his arguments about colonialism and the African Slave trade, and how he felt that Africa should be reclaimed by the black race.

Read More

2 August 1924 - 1 December 1987

African-American novelist, playwright, poet and activist

James Baldwin was an American essayist, novelist and playwright, whose work mainly focused on race and inequality in America. He grew up in poverty in Harlem, New York and as a teenager, James became a preacher in his church, a period he wrote about in his first novel ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’ (1953). After graduating high school, he left for Paris in 1948 and would spend the next eight years living between New York, Paris and New England. He finally returned to America in 1957 and became a civil rights activist. His book ‘Nobody Knows My Name’ (1961) and ‘Another Country’ (1962) both explore the black-white relations in America. His work became very well known in the USA and most of Europe in the 1950s and 1960s. The James Baldwin novel ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ (1974) was adapted into a film of the same name in 2018.

Read More

1 August 1976 -

Nigerian former professional footballer

Nwankwo Kanu OON is a native of Abia State in Nigeria and a member of the Aro sub-group of the Igbo ethnic group. He was born with a congenital heart defect, which impeded his aortic valve from closing properly. He was operated on in 1996 and he made full recovery despite fears that it would end his career. This experience led him to set up the Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000, which aims to tackle homelessness and which also built five hospitals in Africa to treat children with undiagnosed heart diseases and provide them with surgery.

Read More

31 July 1962 -

American actor, film producer, and martial artist

Wesley was born in Orlando in 1962 and at the age of 23, he was discovered by an agent while performing in a competition. This is how Wesley's career started and his first film debut was in the American sports comedy Wildcats. Since his first movie, Wesley Snipes has starred in many well-known movies, such as Brooklyn's Finest, The Expendables 3, and Coming 2 America with co-starred with Eddie Murphy. In 1997, he won the Best Actor award at the 54th Venice Film Festival for his performance in One Night Stand. Wesley is not only an actor but a martial artist and, in the late 1990s, he and his brother started a security firm and named it Royal Guard of Amen-Ra. The firm was dedicated to providing VIPs, celebrities and stars with bodyguards trained in law enforcement and of course martial arts. Interesting fact that Amen-Ra is also the name of Wesley's own film company.

Read More

30 July 1958 -

British former athlete and considered to be the greatest decathlete of all time

Francis Morgan Ayodélé Thompson, CBE, known as Daley Thompson, is a British former athlete and is considered to be the greatest decathlete of all time, becoming only the second competitor in history to win the decathlon at two Olympic Games 1980 and 1984, the other being Bob Mathias. Daley Thompson broke the world record for the Decathlon four times and has three Commonwealth titles, his 1984 performance is still the UK record today. From 1978 to 1987 he remained an undefeated champion in all competitions and became the first athlete to hold the European, World, Commonwealth and the Olympics titles simultaneously. Daley Thompson was awarded the MBE in 1982, the OBE in 1986 and the CBE in 2000. In later life, he was an ambassador for the London 2012 Olympics and helped teach children to play football in war-torn Moldova.

Read More

29 July 1956 -

English footballer

Vivian Alexander Anderson, MBE is an English football player and coach, who played for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the first black football player to represent England in a full international match. He was awarded an MBE in January 2000 and inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in recognition of his impact on the English league. Anderson has not been employed in football since leaving the assistant manager's job at Middlesbrough, he is self-employed and involved in a variety of different projects. Anderson is employed by the FA to sit on judicial panels, has travelled worldwide representing the FA and is currently a patron for the Youth Against Racism.

Read More

28 July 1936 -

West Indian cricketer

Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, also known as Gary Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. Sobers is a highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, he is considered to be cricket's greatest ever all-rounder and one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers made his first debut for the Barbados cricket team at the age of 16 in 1953, and his Test debut for the West Indies the following year. Originally playing mainly as a bowler, he was soon promoted up the batting order. In 1958 against Pakistan, Sobers scored his maiden Test century, progressing to 365 not out and establishing a new record for the highest individual score in an innings. His record was not broken until 1994 by Brian Lara. Sobers was made captain of the West Indies in 1965, a role which he would hold until 1972. He would also captain a Rest of the World XI during their 1970 tour of England. Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket In 2009, Sobers was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

Read More

26 July 1994 -

Fashion model and public spokesperson on the skin condition vitiligo

Winnie Harlow is a Jamaican Canadian fashion model and public spokesperson on the skin condition vitiligo. Winnie was diagnosed with the chronic skin condition vitiligo, characterized by depigmentation of portions of the skin at age of four. Harlow was a victim of bullying by other children throughout her childhood. The verbal harassment led to her changing schools numerous times and dropping out of high school, after which she contemplated suicide. Harlow began her modelling career on Instagram and was discovered by Tyra Banks who recruited her as one of the contestants for the 2014 season of ‘America's Next Top Model’. Despite not winning the show, she had received enough exposure to enable her to continue her pursuit of success in the fashion industry. She is also a public spokesperson for vitiligo. Having lived a major part of her life with vitiligo and being part of an industry that is all about a person’s appearance, Harlow is in a unique position to raise awareness about the condition. In July 2011, she uploaded a video about her condition on YouTube, titled ‘Vitiligo: A Skin Condition, not a Life Changer’. She’s also a huge advocate for self-acceptance inspiring others to recognize that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colours.

Read More

26 July 1991 -

English rapper

Stormzy is a British rapper. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his Wicked Skengman series of freestyles over classic grime beats. Stormzy's song "Shut Up", which was initially released on YouTube, became popular and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. Stormzy won Best Grime Act at the 2014 and 2015 MOBO Awards. His debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer (2017), was the first grime album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart and won British Album of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards. Stormzy is a strong activist. In 2017 at the Glastonbury Festival, he performed a rap he had written for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. In 2019, Stormzy achieved his first UK number-one single with "Vossi Bop" and his headline appearance at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival was widely praised; he wore a Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy, in light of the rise in knife crime in London. In the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, Stormzy issued a statement that he plans to donate £1 million a year for 10 years to organisations that are committed to fighting racial inequality, justice reform and black empowerment in the United Kingdom.

Read More

25 July 1954 - 1 November 1999

The greatest player in American Football

Walter Payton, known as "Sweetness" had a career of 13 years in the NFL and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of American Football. he started his career at Jackson State University and soon started getting attention. He was selected to the All-American team and won the Black College Player of the year back to back in 1973 and 1974. Payton was known for his speed and power during his NFL career and set a record running the 275 yards in 1977 and won the MVP award in the League. Payton had nine Pro Bowls to his name and a Super Bowl Ring in 1986. He helped his team (Bearers) qualify for the playoff annually and had the career rushing record at his retirement of 16,726 yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. After his retirement, Payton started his career in the real estate business, restaurant and racing cars. as well as charity work, helping to make life better for other people.

Read More

23 July 1863 - 29 December 1939

American mathematician

Kelly Miller was an American mathematician, sociologist, newspaper columnist, author, and an important figure in the intellectual life of black America for close to half a century. He was known as "the Bard of the Potomac". He was sent to the Fairfield Institute to study, earning him a scholarship to Howard University, He then went on to be the first black man to be admitted to study at Johns Hopkins University, where he did post-graduate work in mathematics and physics and astronomy until 1889. He became dean of Howard's College of Arts and Sciences and initiated a modernization of the curriculum. and eventually died at his home on the campus, on December 29, 1939. While continuing to teach, Miller's frequently published as well. Although he also assisted W.E.B. Du Bois in editing the NAACP's official journal was aligned with neither liberal thinkers nor the conservatives faction. Instead, he stressed a middle ground that involved comprehensive education and self-sufficiency. Miller continued to publish articles and weekly columns in black presses. His views were published in more than 100 newspapers He also published the 1908 book, Race Adjustment.

Read More

24 July 1892 - 31 December 1916

20th-century African-American chemist who was able to create an effective treatment for leprosy.

Alice Augusta Ball was an American chemist who developed the "Ball Method", the most effective treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century. Since her birth, she has been surrounded by a family that had an interest in photography and this has played a huge role in her passion and career later on in her life. Alice Ball became a chemist and worked on creating a new way of developing photographs using mercury vapours and iodine sensitized silver plates. After graduating from High School in 1910, she decided to study for a master's degree in chemistry at the University of Hawaii where she studied the chemical composition of Piper Methysticum as part of her master's thesis. During this time, recovery from leprosy seems impossible because of the different issues with the usage and application of the available treatment. But, before Alice died, she had found a way to chemically modify the components of Chaulmoogra Oil so it can retain its therapeutic properties even when injected into the human body. This treatment became known as the "Ball Method" when Dr Harry T. Hollmann finally gave her the credit for her revolutionary findings. This treatment had been used since then and helped so many people with leprosy, leading to her work being called "a hope to millions" during the times when the cure seems almost lost to history.

Read More

22 July 1946 -

American actor, film director and political activist

Daniel Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series. He is also an active supporter of various political causes. In 2021, it was announced that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences would bestow the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Glover for his "decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights on and off the screen. Glover was born in San Francisco, His parents, both postal workers, were active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), working to advance equal rights. Glover went on to attend San Francisco State University in the late 1960s, where he played a role in the 1968 student strike, which led to the creation of the first ethnic studies department in the country. Glover trained at the Black Actors' Workshop of the American Conservatory Theatre. Glover's long history of union activism includes support for the United Farm Workers, UNITE HERE, and numerous service unions.

Read More

21 July 1976 -

From living in her car for 14 months to becoming the first African American woman from Missouri to work in the U.S House of Representatives

Cori Bush is an American pastor, politician, registered nurse and activist, she works as the U.S Representative for Missouri’s 1st congressional district which comprises the city of St. Louis. Cori and her husband at the time had to live in their car with their young children for 14 months, after being evicted due to them not having any income, because Cori lost her job due to falling ill during her pregnancy and it made it essential for her to quit her job. In a 2020 U.S. House of Representatives primary election, on the 4th of August 2020, Cory triumphed over Lacy Clay who was a 10-term officeholder – this was viewed hugely as a remarkable defeat. Cori Bush is the first African American woman from Missouri to work in the U.S House of Representatives. In 2018 Cori competed in the Democratic primary for the district, she also competed in the 2016 U.S Senate election in Missouri. In the 2014 Ferguson unrest, Cori became a political activist and worked as a triage nurse. She said a police officer struck her. Cori is an ambassador for the Nonviolence 365 with the King Centre for Nonviolent Social Change.

Read More

20 July 1955 -

British table tennis player-coach

Desmond Douglas MBE born in Jamaica is a British table tennis player. He lived and was brought up in the area of Handsworth, Birmingham. He was an attacking, left-handed, player, notable for his scissor jump smash. He was famous for his use of close to the table blocks on the backhand side, mixing pace with powerful topspin from his forehand side. Douglas was 11 times English Table Tennis champion. Douglas played professionally in The German Bundesliga for eight years between 1977-1985. Douglas is still actively involved in table tennis, and coaching throughout the country, including training some of the top young British prospects at the Youth Development Squad. He also coaches at Sutton Coldfield College and Woodfield Table Tennis Club, Wolverhampton. In 1987 Desmond Douglas was awarded an MBE for his contribution to sport, a year later Desmond represented Great Britain at the Seoul Olympics, in both the singles and doubles table tennis competitions.

Read More

B:19 July 1972 -

Labour MP & author

David was born in Tottenham and studied to become a barrister in England and the USA. He became the first black English man to study for a Masters In Law at Harvard. He served (among his many roles) as the Culture minister and Higher Education Minister from 2002 to 2010. He has led high-profile campaigns like; Campaigning for the Windrush British citizens to be granted British citizenship, campaigning for diversity to be included in the BBC’s charter, and fighting for justice for the Grenfell families. David is also a major contributor to some UK publications and regularly writes pieces for newspapers in England.

Read More

18 July 1918 - 5 December 2013

The first black president of South Africa

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, statesman and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Nelson believed that black and white people in South Africa should be treated the same and he fought for change, he was imprisoned for 27 years for doing so. On his release, far from being angry, he still wanted peace and in 1994, aged 77, he became the first black President of South Africa.

Read More