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“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,” Psalms‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Revelation‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What God has for you is for you, and no one or nothing can stop it from manifesting. The key is walking in faith, not in fear; follow God, not man. Seek God FIRST, study His Word, pray, praise, worship, repent, listen, celebrate, meditate, observe, believe, ask, surrender, fellowship, forgive, give, and be grateful and obedient.

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Jerry Lamb Demings (June 12, 1959) is a politician and former law enforcement officer who has served as the fifth mayor of Orange County since 2018. He is the first African American to hold the position.[A member of the Democratic Party, he served as sheriff of Orange County from 2009 to 2018 and as chief of the Orlando Police Department from 1998 to 2002.

Born and raised in Orlando, he graduated from Florida State University with a BS in finance and an MBA from Everest College. He has a certificate of completion from Harvard University’s Kennedy School, the FBI National Academy, and the FBI National Executive Institute. After a brief career in accounting, he joined the Orlando Police Department in 1981. He was promoted through the ranks until he was appointed chief of police in 1998, becoming the first African American to hold the post. In 2008, he was elected sheriff of Orange County, becoming the first African American elected countywide. His tenure coincided with the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016.

Due to Florida’s resign-to-run laws, he resigned as sheriff to run for county mayor in 2018 and won the August primary with 62 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff. He became the first Democrat elected Orange County mayor since 1994. He was re-elected in 2022 with 61 percent of the vote. He filed paperwork to run for governor of Florida in the 2026 election on November 3, 2025. He withdrew for health purposes.

He is married to Val Demings, a former representative and the 2022 Democratic nominee for senator from Florida.

He was born the youngest of five children, although he has a twin brother who is only minutes older. His father was a taxi driver and his mother a maid. One of his brothers died of an illness related to drug addiction. He wrote and published a book, Believe: Faith, Truth and the Courage to Lead, which details his response to the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre and his leadership as county mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #omegapsiphi

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Judge Charles Vernon Johnson (June, 11, 1928 - December 29, 2020) was an influential member of the Seattle African American community from the moment he moved out west in 1954 to attend law school at the University of Washington. He was from Little Rock and was one of a few Black graduate students at the University of Washington when he completed his JD.

He joined the leadership of the Seattle Chapter of the NAACP. He demonstrated his abilities to bring in new membership and was a respected leader in the organization. He was named president of the branch. He served as the president until 1964. He was active in the Central Area Civil Rights Committee, a coalition of civil rights leaders in the area. He helped mobilize thousands of people to protest racial segregation and discrimination in Seattle. One of his efforts, a demonstration for open housing in the city, led to the passage of the Open Housing Ordinance in 1968.

His distinguished career continued when, in 1969, he was appointed Seattle Municipal Court Judge, a position he held until 1980. He was appointed to the King County Superior Court. He served as a Superior Court Justice until his retirement in 1998 and was instrumental in the court’s reorganization and in clearing a backlog of over 68,000 cases.

He became a founding member of the Loren Miller Bar Association. He established the Youth and Law Forum at his church, First African AME Church, to introduce young people there to careers in law enforcement. It evolved into an effort to reduce police-Black community tensions.

He was a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #sigmaphphi

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Samuel Benjamin Watkins (June 14, 1993) is a former football wide receiver. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, twice earning first-team All-American honors. Watkins was selected by the Buffalo Bills fourth overall in the 2014 NFL draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers. Watkins became a Super Bowl champion as a member of the Chiefs.

He became the all-time leading receiver in the history of Lee County with 133 catches for 2,997 yards and 36 touchdowns during his career. As a sophomore, he had 33 receptions for 537 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his junior and senior years, he was a first-team all-state selection. In his junior year, he added 46 catches for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a senior, Watkins had eight 100-yard receiving games on the season, accumulating totals of 54 catches for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led an undefeated South Fort Myers team into the 3A state semifinals, where they lost 44–28. He played in the US Army All-American Bowl.

He ran track & field for the Wolfpack, where he was one of the state’s top performers in the sprinting events. As a junior, he finished fifth in the 100 meters and sixth in the 200 meters at the state meet. As a senior, he captured the AA state title in the 200 meters, with a PR of 21.11 seconds. He won the 100 meters at the Tarpon Invitational, recording a personal-best time of 10.45 seconds.

He was a highly touted recruit before the college football season. Regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he has been rated the third-best wide receiver prospect in the nation, behind only George Farmer and Trey Metoyer. He was ranked fifth-best by Scout.com. He committed to Clemson University. Recruited by dozens of schools, he chose Clemson over offers from Florida, Florida State, Michigan, and Tennessee.

His older brother, Jaylen Watkins, is a defensive back who is currently a free agent. Both he and Jaylen were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, 97 picks apart. He has three daughters. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Devante Malik Smith-Pelly (June 14, 1992) is a former ice hockey winger. He was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, 42nd overall, of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He played the style of a power forward and was known for his hitting and forechecking. He won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Capitals in 2018.

He was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to Wayne Pelly, who oversees a limousine company, and Jacqueline Smith, who works in corporate communications, and was raised by them and his younger brother in the Toronto suburbs.

He has played hockey since he was a young boy, but because he lived in a middle-class household, it was difficult for his parents to afford to let him play the sport. He helped his parents with costs by switching over to basketball when he was 15 years old. While attending Brandon University in Manitoba, he and his team won three consecutive national basketball championships. Still, he knew hockey was the game he wanted to play and later focused on it.

He began his career in the Greater Toronto Hockey League as a scorer. He made headlines in Toronto by scoring 38 goals in 85 games. A year later, he played in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, moved up to the junior level, and joined the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the Ontario Hockey League during the 2009-2010 season. In three seasons, he scored 25 points in 57 games and ended with 153 points in 184 games. He joined the National Hockey League in 2010 and was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2010 during the NHL’s second draft. He helped the team of rookies with 7 goals, 49 games, 13 points, and 66 shots. In 2015, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens after two more seasons with the Ducks.

During the next season (2016), he was traded to the New Jersey Devils, and the following year, in 2017, he joined the Washington Capitals as a right winger. He helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2018. In 2019, he left the National Hockey League to join the Chinese team, Kunlun Red Star, which is in the Kontinental Hockey League. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Alton Bertrell Sterling (June 14, 1979 - July 5, 2016) a victim of a police killing, was born in Baton Rouge. He worked as a CD vendor and had five children. He was known by residents as someone who loved to cook for everyone at the shelter.

Police received an anonymous tip that a man in a red shirt was selling CDs outside a grocery store and threatening another individual with a gun. They confronted him, forcing him to the ground and pinning him down by kneeling on his chest and thighs. Officer Blane Salamoni claimed Sterling was reaching into his pocket for a gun, and fired six shots at close range. He was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back by EMS staff who arrived on the scene.

According to the witness videos, he did not pull a gun or threaten the officers. The bodycam footage of the officer who shot him shows that seconds after Salamoni came to the aid of another officer, Howie Lake, who was in the process of trying to restrain him, Salamoni drew his gun and threatened to shoot him if he moved. The store’s owner, Abdullah Muflahi, confirmed that he, known in Baton Rouge as “CD Man,” had begun carrying a gun only a few days before the incident, citing recent robberies of other CD vendors.

The Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation on July 7, 2016, and announced on May 2, 2017, that it would not file charges against officers Lake and Salamoni, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced in March 2018, after reviewing the evidence, that no charges would be filed against the officers because they had acted “reasonably and justifiably.” On March 30, 2018, Officer Salamoni was fired for violating the use of force policy, and Officer Lake was suspended for three days for losing his temper.

In 2021, his family accepted a $4.5 million settlement with the City of Baton Rouge. He is survived by his five children, his aunt, Sandra Sterling, the mother of three of his children; Andricka Williams; and other family members. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #blm

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Faizon Andre Love (Langston Faizon Santisima; June 14, 1968) is an actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in The Meteor Man, Don’t Be a Menace, Friday, B*A*P*S, 3 Strikes, Elf, Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Money Talks, Wonderland, The Fighting Temptations, Idlewild, The Replacements, Made, and Couples Retreat, as well as the voice of Sean “Sweet” Johnson in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and his role as Wendell Wilcox on The Parent ‘Hood.

He has described himself as a military brat who was raised in Southeast San Diego and Newark, New Jersey, because of his father’s career in the Navy. He graduated from Morse High School in Southeast San Diego.

He got his start as a stand-up comedian at age 15 and made his acting debut on an Off-Broadway stage at age 19. His film debut, Bebe’s Kids, saw him provide the voice of comedian Robin Harris, who died before production began; he offered a close vocal impression of Harris.

He guest-starred in the Ludacris single “Freaky Thangs” from the album Word of Mouf. He made a cameo appearance as a bus driver in the music video for Lil Jon & The East Side Boys’ single “Put Yo Hood Up”.

He played Stringer Bell in a satirical trailer for The Wire: The Musical. He began appearing in a series of commercials for Boost Mobile. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Anthony Eugene Campbell (Tonie Campbell; June 14, 1960) is a former hurdler. He was the 1988 Olympic bronze medallist in the 110m Hurdles, the 1987 World Indoor champion in the 60m hurdles, and won the 1985 World Cup title in the 110m hurdles. A three-time winner of the 110-meter hurdles at the IAAF Grand Prix Final, he won the 1987 Overall Grand Prix title.

Born in Los Angeles, he attended USC, where he became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He was the 1982 NCAA Indoor Champion in the 60-yard hurdles. While a sophomore at USC, he qualified for the 1980 US Olympic team but was prevented from competing in the 1980 Summer Olympics by the American-led boycott. He was the youngest member of a movement that sought to circumvent the boycott by competing under the International Olympic Committee flag to make the point that politics and sports should not be mixed. Threats by US officials to revoke athletes’ passports and visas caused the effort to fold.

He qualified for and participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, taking 5th in the 110m Hurdles, and at the 1988 Seoul Games, where he won the bronze medal.

He was one of the most consistent high hurdlers of the 80s. In Track and Field News magazine’s world merit rankings, he was ranked in the top ten for eleven consecutive years (1980–90), with his highest placement being #2 (in 1987). He married the English hurdler Michelle Edwards. Their daughter, Taylor Campbell, lives in England and has competed as a hurdler.

He coached former American footballer David Wilson in the triple jump before the 2016 US Olympic Trials. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

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Marcus Miller (William Henry Marcus Miller Jr.; June 14, 1959) is a film composer, jazz composer, record producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, known as a bass guitarist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, among others.

He is classically trained as a clarinetist and plays keyboards, saxophone, and guitar. He began to work regularly in New York City, playing bass and writing music for jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith. He became a session musician.

He was nominated for numerous Grammy Awards as a producer for Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chaka Khan, and Wayne Shorter, and won two. He won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for Luther Vandross’ “Power of Love,” and he won Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his seventh solo instrumental album, M².

He was appointed UNESCO Artist for Peace, supporting and promoting the UNESCO Slave Route Project. His album Afrodeezia earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (June 14, 1949 – April 24, 2016) known professionally as Papa Wemba, was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the “King of Rumba Rock”, he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role in world music. He was a fashion icon who popularized the Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages worldwide.

His road to fame and prominence began when he joined the music group Zaiko Langa Langa. This was followed by his success as a founding member of both Isifi Lokole and Yoka Lokole, and a short stint with Afrisa International. He was establishing a style that blended traditional Congolese rumba and soukous with African sounds, Caribbean rhythms, rock, and soul. He gained international success and status with his band, Viva La Musica, after he took them to Paris. It was there that he achieved a more “eclectic sound” in his work, influenced by Western popular music with a European flavor and style, referred to as “Europop.” #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Garland Garfield Green, Jr. (June 14, 1942 - February 2026) pianist, singer, and lyricist, was born in Dunleith, Mississippi, to Garland Green, Sr. and Mary Green. He was the tenth child of eleven siblings.

In 1958, he moved to Chicago and entered Englewood High School. On weekends, he sang as a solo artist and with groups for extra income. He graduated from the famous Chicago Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano performance.

He married Joshie Jo Armstead (1965), a composer and lyricist from Yazoo County. She was a member of the Ikettes of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.

In 1967, he won a local talent show at the Trocadero Theater. As his prize, he was allowed to open for the singer Lou Rawls at Sutherland Lounge.

He married record producer Mel Collins (1967). He recorded “Girl, I Need You.” The recording was popular in Detroit and Chicago but did not sell well anywhere else.

He recorded “Jealous Kind of Fella,” which Armstead co-wrote before their divorce. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard R&B chart and #2 on the Cashbox Soul chart. It sold over a million copies and proved to be his biggest hit by far.

He experienced some success with the single “Plain and Simple Girl,” produced and arranged by Donny Hathaway. “Plain and Simple Girl” reached the R&B Top 20, peaking at number 17 on Billboard’s R&B chart. His single “Let the Good Times Roll” peaked at number 65 on the US Billboard R&B chart.

He released a 5-song EP, “Gospel Rap,” on his Love LA Music label. He released the album, Love is What We Came Here For, which was co-produced by Arleen Schesel, whom he married, and legendary former Motown songwriter, Lamont Dozier. The album featured a reworked version of a significant hit for Dozier, “Trying to Hold on to My Woman.” His version finally peaked at #63 on the R&B chart.

He signed a deal for a new album with Special Soul Music. The album, titled I Should’ve Been the One, was his first new album in 29 years. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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John Edgar Wideman (June 14, 1941) is an author of novels, memoirs, short stories, essays, and other works. Among the most critically acclaimed writers of his generation, he was the first person to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction twice. His writing is known for experimental techniques and a focus on the African American experience.

Raised in Pittsburgh, he excelled as a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania. He became the second African American to win a Rhodes Scholarship to attend the University of Oxford. He has had a career in academia as a literature and creative writing professor at both public and Ivy League universities.

He has explored the complexities of storytelling, family, race, trauma, and justice in the US. His personal experience, including the incarceration of his brother, has played a significant role in his work.

He married attorney Judith Ann Goldman (1965-2000). The couple had three children: Daniel is a poet, playwright, and essayist, as well as a business executive; Jacob was convicted of a murder committed while he was a minor and sentenced to life in prison in Arizona; and Jamila is a lawyer and executive at the NBA, having played professional basketball in the WNBA and the Israeli League. He married French journalist Catherine Nedonchelle (2004).

He is a professor emeritus at Brown University and lives in New York City and France. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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City Council Member Richard Jeffrey McIver (June 14, 1941 – March 9, 2013) was a member of the Seattle City Council. He was selected from 114 applicants to fill a vacancy on the Council, elected to the resulting seat, and reelected. He was chair of the Finance & Budget and Budget Committees, vice-chair of the Economic Development & Neighborhoods Committee, and a member of the Housing, Human Services & Health Committee.

He defeated music critic, monorail booster, and author Grant Cogswell. In a film about that campaign, Grassroots, he was played by Cedric the Entertainer.

He chaired the City Council’s Housing & Economic Development Committee. He was vice-chair of the Environment, Emergency Management, and Utilities Committee and was a member of the Transportation Committee. He was an alternate member of the Energy & Technology Committee.

He was strongly identified with Rainier Valley, one of Seattle’s poorer neighborhoods. His greatest achievement in office was the creation of a $50 million Rainier Valley Community Development Fund, and he was “deeply worried” about Link Light Rail impacting “immigrant- and minority-owned businesses along Rainier Avenue.”

During the protests surrounding the Seattle World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, he, on his way to an official dinner, was, according to fellow councilmember Jean Godden, “stopped by a Seattle policeman who did not recognize him as a council member, refused to believe he was a public official and insisted on making him stand spreadeagled up against his car.” “He never forgot that, not so much because of the indignity to him, but that others did not believe an African American might be a city councilmember.” #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (June 14, 1932 – March 9, 2004) was an innovative composer whose interests spanned jazz, dance, pop, film, television, and classical music. He was named after Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City. After graduating from high school, he attended NYU. He transferred to the Manhattan School of Music. He received a BA and an MA from the Manhattan School of Music. He studied at Princeton University. He was on the faculty of Brooklyn College and studied conducting in the summers in the Netherlands with Franco Ferrara and Dean Dixon, and learned to conduct at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

He co-founded the Symphony of the New World and became its Music Director. He was the Music Director of Jerome Robbins’s American Theater Lab and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He composed a ballet for Ailey entitled For Bird, With Love.

He wrote a great deal of classical music but was well-versed in jazz and popular music. He served as pianist for drummer Max Roach’s quartet and wrote arrangements for Roach, Marvin Gaye, and Harry Belafonte. He composed music for films such as The McMasters, Together for Days, A Warm December, Thomasine & Bushrod, The Education of Sonny Carson, Amazing Grace, Mean Johnny Barrows, and the documentary Montgomery to Memphis about Martin Luther King. He wrote incidental music for at least one episode of the TV show Room 222.

His music blends Baroque counterpoint, American Romanticism, elements of the blues, spirituals, Black folk music, and rhythmic ingenuity. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Marla Gibbs (Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an actress, singer, comedian, writer, and television producer whose career spans five decades. She is known for her role as Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons, for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

She starred in Checking In and 227; she co-produced the latter series, played the lead role of Mary Jenkins, and sang the theme song. She has won seven NAACP Image Awards. She played supporting roles in The Meteor Man, Lost & Found, The Visit, The Brothers, Madea’s Witness Protection, Grantham & Rose, Forbidden Woman, Lemon, and the TV show Station 19. In August 2021, she began a run as Olivia Price on Days of Our Lives.

She attended Peter’s Business School. She relocated to Los Angeles and began working as a reservations agent for United Airlines. She first acted in a local Los Angeles Black theater before getting her first acting job in Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man, and Black Belt Jones. She would work at the CBS television studio during the day and then go to United Airlines.

She had several supporting film roles and guest-starred on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin, Touched by an Angel, The First Family, Judging Amy, ER, and Southland. She had a recurring role on The Hughleys. She starred in Grantham & Rose and Up Against the Wall.

She made two appearances in Scandal. She guest-starred on Hot in Cleveland, American Horror Story: Hotel, and This Is Us. She has had starring roles in Old Soul and Jalen Vs. Everybody in 2017. She co-starred in Lemon and Please Stand By.

She owned Marla’s Memory Lane Jazz and Supper Club. As a singer, she released several albums. She moved her Crossroads Arts Academy and Theatre into the former Leimert Theatre. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha

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Donald Newcombe (June 14, 1926 – February 19, 2019) nicknamed “Newk”, was a baseball pitcher in Negro League and MLB who played for the Newark Eagles (1944–45), Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1949–51, and 1954–58), Cincinnati Reds (1958-60), and Cleveland Indians (1960).

He attended Jefferson High School in Elizabeth. The school did not have a baseball team, so he played semi-professional baseball while attending high school.

He was the first pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Cy Young Awards during his career. He became the first African American pitcher to start a World Series game. He was the first African American pitcher to win twenty games in one season.

He was an excellent hitting pitcher who compiled a career batting average of .271 with 15 home runs and was used as a pinch hitter, a rarity for pitchers. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Judge Revius Oliver Ortique, Jr. (June 14, 1924 - June 22, 2008) civil rights attorney, civil rights activist leader, judge, and Supreme Court justice, was born in New Orleans to Revius Oliver Ortique and Lillie Edith Long. He had a younger brother. He and his wife, Miriam Marie Victorianne Ortique, had a daughter.

He received his BA from Dillard University and his MA from Indiana University. He earned his JD from the Southern University Law School. He became a civil rights attorney during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He represented Black workers in Louisiana to get equal pay with their white counterparts. He worked as a negotiator between the factions fighting for or against civil rights, including those in both Black and white communities.

He began his five terms as president of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans. He was elected president of the National Bar Association. He lobbied President Lyndon Johnson to appoint Black judges to federal courts. President Johnson nominated the first Black justice to the SCOTUS, Thurgood Marshall. He holds numerous distinctions and honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. They include Honorary Doctor degrees from Campbell College, Ithaca College, the University of Indiana, Morris Brown University, Loyola University, and Southern University Law School.

He was well respected in his profession and was appointed by five US presidents to numerous boards and commissions during his career.

He became the first African American judge appointed to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and the following year, the first African American judge elected to the same court. He became the first African American chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was appointed to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, becoming the first Black federal judge on that court. He remained on the Fourth Circuit Court until he turned 70.

He is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #sigmapiphi