Kwame Brathwaite born Gilbert Ronald Brathwaite was an American photojournalist and activist best known for popularizing the phrase "Black is Beautiful". He adopted the name Kwame in the early 1960s, a tribute to Kwame Nkrumah, the first leader of post-colonial Ghana. In 1956 Brathwaite founded the African Jazz Art Society and Studios. In 1962, together with his brother Elombe Brath, Brathwaite staged the Naturally '62 pageant, the first of a series of pageants to feature only black models title... moreKwame Brathwaite born Gilbert Ronald Brathwaite was an American photojournalist and activist best known for popularizing the phrase "Black is Beautiful". He adopted the name Kwame in the early 1960s, a tribute to Kwame Nkrumah, the first leader of post-colonial Ghana. In 1956 Brathwaite founded the African Jazz Art Society and Studios. In 1962, together with his brother Elombe Brath, Brathwaite staged the Naturally '62 pageant, the first of a series of pageants to feature only black models titled The Original African Coiffure and Fashion Extravaganza Designed to Restore Our Racial Pride & Standards. In addition, Brathwaite doubled as a freelance photojournalist for Black publications like The New York Amsterdam News, The City Sun and Essence magazine. He used these platforms to chronicle the struggles of the civil rights era in his native New York. He also traveled the world to file dispatches from the front lines in the battle for Pan-African unity. He will be remembered for taking pictures of cultural figures like Muhammad Ali and James Brown, along with Black fashion models and ordinary citizens, which were hailed as a catalyst of the “Black is beautiful” movement of the 1960s and beyond.
Elayne Viola Jones was an American timpanist known for being the first African American woman principal player in a major American orchestra with the San Francisco Symphony in 1972. She was also known for her legal battle over racial and sexual discrimination after she was denied tenure. In 2019 Jones was also elected in the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. Viola Jones was born in New York, the only child of immigrants Cecil and Ometa Jones from Barbados. Her mother was a pianist who never ... moreElayne Viola Jones was an American timpanist known for being the first African American woman principal player in a major American orchestra with the San Francisco Symphony in 1972. She was also known for her legal battle over racial and sexual discrimination after she was denied tenure. In 2019 Jones was also elected in the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. Viola Jones was born in New York, the only child of immigrants Cecil and Ometa Jones from Barbados. Her mother was a pianist who never got any chance to pursue her career due to the colour of her skin. She began teaching her child piano at age 6. Due to her profound piano skills Jones was accepted into Music and Art High School graduating in 1945 with a scholarship to the Julliard School of Music. At Juilliard she became one of the protégés of the New York Philharmonic timpanist, Saul Goodman, graduating in 1949. After graduating, Joes had trouble finding employment due to the colour of her skin and gender however her mentor Goodman stepped in to help her thus in 1949 she became the first black person to play in an orchestra. Jones will be remembered as a lead to a generation of Black musicians in confronting the pervasive racism of the classical music industry.
Joyce Bryant was an American singer, dancer and civil rights activist. She was one of the major black nightclub and theater singers in the 1950s often referred to as the bronze blond bombshell and the Black Marilyn Monroe. Bryant was born in Oakland, California the third of eight children. Her career began in 1946 when she was visiting her cousins in Los Angeles, she agreed on a dare to participate in an impromptu singalong at a local club she started singing and drew the eye of the club owner w... moreJoyce Bryant was an American singer, dancer and civil rights activist. She was one of the major black nightclub and theater singers in the 1950s often referred to as the bronze blond bombshell and the Black Marilyn Monroe. Bryant was born in Oakland, California the third of eight children. Her career began in 1946 when she was visiting her cousins in Los Angeles, she agreed on a dare to participate in an impromptu singalong at a local club she started singing and drew the eye of the club owner who offered her $25 to perform and she agreed. After that she began gaining popularity and acquiring a series of gigs. In 1952 Bryant released a couple of records with Love for Sale being one of her greatest hits. Some of her songs were banned from radio due to the provocative lyric content. In 1954 she was named one of the five most beautiful black women in the world by Ebony magazine. In 1955 she quit performing to do missionary work only to return in 1960 as an Opera singer. In the 1980 she was performing jazz and was also a vocal teacher.
Colin Powell was a retired, four-star general who served as 65th secretary of state during former President George W. Bush’s era from 2001 to 2005. Powell was born to working-class Jamaican immigrants and used the American military to forge a path toward full citizenship rights that were not available to most Black Americans when he began his career in the armed forces. For a time, after victory in the first Gulf war in 1991, he was the most popular man in USA. Such was his prominence that Powel... moreColin Powell was a retired, four-star general who served as 65th secretary of state during former President George W. Bush’s era from 2001 to 2005. Powell was born to working-class Jamaican immigrants and used the American military to forge a path toward full citizenship rights that were not available to most Black Americans when he began his career in the armed forces. For a time, after victory in the first Gulf war in 1991, he was the most popular man in USA. Such was his prominence that Powell was called upon to run against President Bill Clinton in 1996 and his name floated in the 2000 presidential elections, he turned it down, his wife Alma would not like the life. He chose the army where valour and merit counted and he was rewarded as the first black chairman of the joint chiefs and the first black national security adviser. Though he remained in Virginia, much of the tech-savvy former government official later work turned to venture capital and the private sector starting around 2005—after he left office. Colin Powell, who died aged 84 from complications of Covid-19, rose higher in public office than any previous black American.
Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. (better known as “Junior Mance”) was a musical genius. The iconic American composer and jazz artist was born into a talented musical family. He began tickling the ivories at just five years-old. His father, Julian, taught him to play stride piano and boogie-woogie. He had his first professional performance at the tender age of ten. He was drafted into the US Army during the Korean War and served in the military for two years. Then, he promptly started playing gig... moreJulian Clifford Mance, Jr. (better known as “Junior Mance”) was a musical genius. The iconic American composer and jazz artist was born into a talented musical family. He began tickling the ivories at just five years-old. His father, Julian, taught him to play stride piano and boogie-woogie. He had his first professional performance at the tender age of ten. He was drafted into the US Army during the Korean War and served in the military for two years. Then, he promptly started playing gigs at Chicago’s famed Bee Hive Jazz Club, backing up respected artists, like Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, “Lockjaw” Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sonny Stitt. While battling Alzheimer’s Disease, Junior suffered a fall that would deliver a fatal head injury that claimed his life at 92 years-old. He was survived by his love wife, Gloria Clayborne Mance.
Jonas Mosa Gwangwa, whose life embodied South African people's struggle for a national culture, was a celebrated musician, trombonist, songwriter and producer who was also a culture and anti-apartheid activist. Schoolboy Gwangwa, borrowed his lifetime trademark: a jaunty black beret and started out as a trombonist with The Jazz Epistles in the South African music scene where he gained initial fame and later abroad after the short-lived group disbanded. Equally active in politics, he helped organ... moreJonas Mosa Gwangwa, whose life embodied South African people's struggle for a national culture, was a celebrated musician, trombonist, songwriter and producer who was also a culture and anti-apartheid activist. Schoolboy Gwangwa, borrowed his lifetime trademark: a jaunty black beret and started out as a trombonist with The Jazz Epistles in the South African music scene where he gained initial fame and later abroad after the short-lived group disbanded. Equally active in politics, he helped organise South African students in America, and served as first eye on the text drafted by old schoolfriend, poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, of Miriam Makeba’s 1963 anti-apartheid address to the UN. Despite his international success, the apartheid government did not regard him favorably, and he was forced to leave South Africa in the 1970s to early 1980s in Gaborone, Botswana, where he formed the band Shakawe with other prominent artists. Gwangwa believed that political theatre deserved exactly the same high aesthetic standards as any other stage performance when he formed the Amandla Cultural Ensembe in Angola and MEDU in Botswana. The anti-apartheid activist narrowly escaped death in 1985 when security forces blew up his home. Later, he scored an Oscar and Grammy nomination for the film Cry Freedom (1987), co-composed with George Fenton. Gwanga returned to South Africa in 1991 and received many accolades and awards for his artistic and Pan-Afrivan work. He wrote theme songs and soundtracks for shows including Generations, the country's Olympic bid in 1997 and the film Othello as a composer and also sang at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute in Wembley Stadium in 1988. In spite of the restrictions, he established and played with virtually every important band of the era, and such icons as Kippie Moeketsi, Abdullah Ibrahim, Johnny Gertze and Makhaya Ntshoko. Jonas Gwangwa has also been a compatriot of famous musicians, including Ahmad Jamal, Herb Alpert, Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Caiphus Semenya. Gwangwa died of heart complications on 23 January 2021, at the age of 83.
Eric Jerome Dickey was a prolific author whose novels depicted romance, erotica and suspense from the Black perspective, including 'Milk in My Coffee', 'Sleeping with Strangers', 'Sister, Sister' , 'Finding Gideon' and ' Friends and Lovers'. Dickey published 29 novels, in his conversational writing style, translated into more than 7 million books being sold worldwide. Graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Mempis University in 1983, Dickey pursued a career in engineering working as a software... moreEric Jerome Dickey was a prolific author whose novels depicted romance, erotica and suspense from the Black perspective, including 'Milk in My Coffee', 'Sleeping with Strangers', 'Sister, Sister' , 'Finding Gideon' and ' Friends and Lovers'. Dickey published 29 novels, in his conversational writing style, translated into more than 7 million books being sold worldwide. Graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Mempis University in 1983, Dickey pursued a career in engineering working as a software development before he took stand-up comedy and enterred into writing class at the instance of a friend. That grew into writing poetry and short stories before expanding to books. Dickey said that many of his earliest works, including 1996's Sister, Sister, focused on the lives of a certain type of Black women because, he noted, there was a lack of "any true literary representation." Dickey died of cancer in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 59.
Daniel Dumile, renowned by his stage name MF Doom and relatively also as Doom, Zev Love X, King Geedorah, Viktor Vaughn, Metal Fingers or Metal Face, was a British-American rapper and record producer, well known for elaborate wordplay, supervillain stage personality, and signature metal mask which he never removed in public. Born in London but moved to New York as a child, he performed in hip-hop group KMD as teenager. Following the loss of his younger brother and bandmate DJ Subroc, he disap... moreDaniel Dumile, renowned by his stage name MF Doom and relatively also as Doom, Zev Love X, King Geedorah, Viktor Vaughn, Metal Fingers or Metal Face, was a British-American rapper and record producer, well known for elaborate wordplay, supervillain stage personality, and signature metal mask which he never removed in public. Born in London but moved to New York as a child, he performed in hip-hop group KMD as teenager. Following the loss of his younger brother and bandmate DJ Subroc, he disappeared from music and only remerged at open mic events in Manhattan, wearing tights over his face in 1997. He protected his anonymity for the rest of his career, adopting a mask based on the Marvel villain Doctor Doom for all his public appearances. His debut as MF Doom, Operation: Doomsday, was released in 1999, and he followed it up with an almost non-stop outpouring of music, six solo albums, produced a wealth of bootlegs, compilations, collaborations, mixtapes and instrumental albums -including the influential, 10-part Special Herbs series. MF DOOM’s 2002 album, Madvillainry, is hailed as a staple in underground rap. In a 2009 interview with New Yorker Magazine, MF DOOM revealed the reason he hid his face: “I wanted to get onstage and orate, without people thinking about the normal things people think about. Like girls being like, ‘Oh, he’s sexy,’ or ‘I don’t want him, he’s ugly,’ and then other dudes sizing you up.” He continued: “A visual always brings a first impression. But if there’s going to be a first impression I might as well use it to control the story. So why not do something like throw a mask on?”. MF Doom built a cult following with his wordplay and comic-book style. His wife took to Instagram to announce his passing on October 31, 2020, at the age of 49.
Jackson Mphikwa Mthembu was a South African politician who served as Minister in the Presidency during Cyril Ramaphosa presidency from 2019 till his time of death. He was the national spokesperson of the ANC under President Nelson Mandela from 1995 – 1997, appointed to the same role again from 2009 – 2014. He served as the Chief Whip of the ANC in the National Assembly from 2016 up to the end of the 5th term of parliament in 2019.
Born and bred in Witbank (Emalahleni) in 1958, he was raised by ... moreJackson Mphikwa Mthembu was a South African politician who served as Minister in the Presidency during Cyril Ramaphosa presidency from 2019 till his time of death. He was the national spokesperson of the ANC under President Nelson Mandela from 1995 – 1997, appointed to the same role again from 2009 – 2014. He served as the Chief Whip of the ANC in the National Assembly from 2016 up to the end of the 5th term of parliament in 2019.
Born and bred in Witbank (Emalahleni) in 1958, he was raised by his grandmother and uncles in Kromkrans, a reserve for black people between Hendrina and Carolina in the then Transvaal. Mthembu started out as an ant-apartheid activist during the 70s when he was a student leader at Elukhanyisweni Secondary School in Witbank during the 1976 students’ Uprisings. Mthembu proceeded to the University of Fort Hare where he was expelled in 1980 because of his involvement in student activism. He helped set up two metal workers unions, Metal and Allied Workers Union (MAWU), the predecessor of the National Union of Metal Workers (NUMSA), when he worked in the steel industry which campaigned for better conditions for Black workers. Mthembu also led both the local branches of the National Education Crisis and the Detainees Parents’ Support Committee (DPSC), all affiliates of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
During the state of emergency in the 1980s, he was subjected to constant harassment and persecution by the security forces of the apartheid regime, resulting in several months of detentions without trial mostly in solitary confinement. He was charged with sabotage, treason and terrorism between 1986 and 1988, and tried together with 30 other activists from Witbank. The trial came to be known as the Bethal terrorism trial and he was acquitted. After this acquittal, the apartheid security police continued with his harassment and intimidation.
He was elected as the Deputy Regional Secretary of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the then PWV region (now Gauteng Province) under the leadership of the late Mama Albertina Sisulu. It was through his involvement with the South African Council of Churches (SACC) under the leadership of Rev. Frank Chikane that he joined the SWAPO solidarity campaign. The solidarity campaign was comprised of various civic groups including the religious community, business and taxi associations under the banner of the UDF. He was part of the UDF and the progressive forces leadership collective that supported SWAPO’s election campaign by providing, among others, minibus taxis to transport voters during the first democratic elections in what was then South West Africa (now Namibia). SWAPO won the elections which led to the liberation of the then South West Africa (Namibia) from apartheid South Africa.
After the unbanning of political parties in 1990, Mthembu led the Witbank branch of the ANC. Between 1990 and 1994 he worked fulltime as ANC spokesman in Mpumalanga and participated as ANC staff component at the CODESA negotiations. He served in several strategic roles including as a member of the ANC Mpumalanga Provincial Executive Committee. He was later appointed as MEC in Mpumalanga Province for Public Works, Roads and Transport serving under the successive Premierships of Matthew Phosa and Thabang Makwetla. Since 2007 Mthembu was part of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC). Mthembu also chaired the ANC Caster Semenya Support Committee which included Winnie Mandela. The committee was tasked to give practical support to Caster Semenya against the inhumane treatment, abuse and discrimination she was subjected to by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF).
Despite his activism, Mthembu's life was also at times marked by controversy. During his tenure as transport MEC in Mpumalanga, he was criticised for spending R2.3m on 10 BMWs. In November 2017, Mthembu was criticised by some of his ANC colleagues who said he intentionally “colluded” with the DA to schedule a debate on state capture in parliament. A long-time ally of the Ramaphosa faction, Mthembu was seen to have deliberately defied former president Jacob Zuma and his own colleagues in the ANC caucus who had called for a more inclusive process to investigate state capture.
Mthembu died due to COVID-19 complications. He was married to Thembi Mthembu and had six children together. One of their children, 25-year-old Nokhwezi Mthembu, committed suicide on 20 March 2019 at their Pelican Park parliamentary village home in Cape Town.
Lonnie Norman served as the first black Mayor of Manchester, a small Middle Tennessee city, in 1991, and then again from 2012 to 2020 at the time of his death. He provided support for the popular Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival held every year in Manchester, but above his accomplishments as a local leader, he was a cherished member of the community.
In August 2020, Norman was elected to his third term as mayor of Manchester, a town with a population of nearly 10,000 people in Coffee County. A... moreLonnie Norman served as the first black Mayor of Manchester, a small Middle Tennessee city, in 1991, and then again from 2012 to 2020 at the time of his death. He provided support for the popular Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival held every year in Manchester, but above his accomplishments as a local leader, he was a cherished member of the community.
In August 2020, Norman was elected to his third term as mayor of Manchester, a town with a population of nearly 10,000 people in Coffee County. Among Norman's proudest accomplishments were funding a new recreation complex, a soccer field and supporting the city's beloved Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, improvements to countless parks. He also fought hard against rural hospital closures, so all Coffee County citizens could access quality, affordable health care.
Every June, with the exception of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the town of 11,000 transforms into one of the busiest places in the state. As many as 80,000 people descend on Manchester for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, a four-day outdoor concert held on a farm. The festival has in turn donated millions to the city and county over the years through its Bonnaroo Works Fund. In addition, part of each ticket sold goes to the city and county each year.
Lonnie Norman grew up in Manchester, a growing industrial community halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga. Before entering public office in 1984, Norman worked as a technician supervisor for 40 years at the Arnold Engineer Development Complex in Tennessee, retiring as a technician supervisor. In 1984 he entered public office and in 1991, Norman became the first Black mayor of Manchester.
Norman succumbed to Covid-19 pandemic xx days after being hospitalised and was survived by children Virginia, Deborah, Priscilla and Lonnie Jr., and grandchildren Brandi Sails and Kandi Guest.
In lieu of flowers, Norman's family asked for donations be sent to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the Bonnaroo Works Fund.
Lou Brock, the first-ballot electee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, was one of baseball's signature leadoff hitters and base stealers who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win three pennants and two World Series titles in the 1960s. Brock played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, with 16 of those for the Cardinals. He is one of 32 players to hit 3,000 hits or more and had the all-time leader in stolen bases in MLB history with 938 in 1979 when he retired, surpassed by Rickey H... moreLou Brock, the first-ballot electee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, was one of baseball's signature leadoff hitters and base stealers who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win three pennants and two World Series titles in the 1960s. Brock played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, with 16 of those for the Cardinals. He is one of 32 players to hit 3,000 hits or more and had the all-time leader in stolen bases in MLB history with 938 in 1979 when he retired, surpassed by Rickey Henderson the current record holder with 1,406.
An outfielder, Lou Brock began his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1961 before being traded to the Cardinals during the 1964 season. The trade ranks as the greatest in Cardinals franchise history, according to the team. On June 15, 1964, the Cardinals acquired Brock, a raw, 24-year-outfielder from the Chicago Cubs in a trade that cost them popular right-hander Ernie Broglio, who had been a 18-game winner for them the prior season although he was 3-5 in 1964 and perhaps injured. Immediately, the trade was not well received by the Cardinals’ players but Brock, not counted on for power but as a table setter for the Cardinals, would hit .348 the rest of the 1964 season and steal 33 bases as the Cardinals rallied to win the National League pennant on the last day of the regular season and went on to beat the New York Yankees in a seven-game World Series to bring St. Louis its first World Series title since 1946.
In 1977, Brock passed Ty Cobb’s all-time stolen base mark of 892 and he led the league in steals every year but one from 1966-74. He once said the only sure way to stop him was to “don’t let me reach first base.” Brock considered base stealing a philosophic, as much as a physical action. In his memoir, “the most important thing about base stealing is not the steal of the base, but distracting the pitcher’s concentration. If I can do that, then the hitter will have a better pitch to swing at and I will get a better chance to steal.”
In retirement Brock continued to be a fighter when he suffered a stroke and heart ailment. In 2015, he had his left leg amputated below the knee due to a diabetes-related infection. His life in some jeopardy at one point, Brock rebounded less than six months later to stand, unaided, as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day 2016. Brock announced on April 13, 2017, that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow's plasma cells. On July 28, 2017, Brock and his wife said they had received word from Mercy Hospital's doctors that, according to their blood tests, the cancerous cells were gone.
Brock was born June 18, 1939, in El Dorado, Arkansas, and grew up in Louisiana and was fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Although he didn't play in organized baseball until he reached the 11th grade, he learned much about the sport from listening to Cardinals radio broadcasting. After attending high school in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, he received academic assistance to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge, but when a low grade in his first semester meant the possibility of losing his scholarship, he decided to try out for the school's baseball team in order to secure an athletic scholarship. Brock, who lived in St. Charles, was survived by his wife, Jackie, daughter Wanda, sons Lou Jr. and Emory, and stepchildren Marvin Hay and Jacqueline Means, in addition to five grandchildren.
