#africanexcellence

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Benjamin Sterling Turner (March 17, 1825 – March 21, 1894) was a businessman and politician who served in the House of Representatives representing Alabama's 1st congressional district in the 42nd Congress. He engaged in mercantile pursuits and set up a livery stable in Selma. In the 1870 Census, he reported an estate worth $10,000. He joined the Republican Party after the Civil War and was elected tax collector of Dallas County in 1867. He served as councilman of the city of Selma in 1869. Freedmen were granted voting rights after the Civil War. He was unanimously nominated to be the Republican candidate from Alabama's 1st congressional district, which at that point encompassed Southwest Alabama. He was elected as a Republican to the Forty-second Congress (March 4, 1871 - March 3, 1873). He complained that northern Republicans living in his district had not supported him enough in his run for office. He worked to restore political and legal rights to Confederates who had fought against the US in the ACW. He fought for the repeal of the tax on cotton because it hurt poor African Americans. He was elected in 1880 as a delegate to the RNC. After his political career, he engaged in agricultural pursuits. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp42kfdL1Cd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Sabrina Marie Le Beauf (born March 21, 1958) is an actress best known for her portrayal of Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She has voiced the character Norma Bindlebeep on Fatherhood, a show based on Bill Cosby's book of the same name. After high school she attended UCLA, earning her BA in Theater. During her time at UCLA she became frustrated by the lack of parts offered to African American students, and in response formed a Black students' theater group to allow them to put on their shows. She began graduate work at the Yale School of Drama, where she earned her MA in Acting. She was born in New Orleans, her family moved to Los Angeles soon after her birth. She appeared in the series Hotel and the TV movie Howard Beach: Making a Case for Murder. She had brief appearances as bridge officer Ensign Giusti on two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and on the comedy The Sinbad Show. She continued her work in the theater, starring as Rosalind in a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It." She is a frequent leading lady performing with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC. She recently portrayed Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew with the Company in DC. She appeared in the off-broadway play “LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE” which ran from 2009-2012. Young Artist Awards 1989: Best Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series, or Special The Cosby Show. She married businessman and producer Michael Reynolds (1987-1997). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenshistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDIuQ5sdBJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Oscar Stanton De Priest (March 9, 1871 – May 12, 1951) was a politician and civil rights advocate from Chicago. A member of the Illinois Republican Party he was the first African American to be elected to Congress in the 20th century. During his three terms, he was the only African American serving in Congress. He served as a Representative from IL’s 1st congressional district from 1929-1935. He was the first African-American Representative from outside the south, the first since the Reconstruction Era, and the first since the exit of NC representative George Henry White from Congress in 1901. Born in Alabama to freedmen parents, De Priest was raised in Dayton. He studied business and made a fortune in Chicago as a contractor, and in real estate and the stock market before the Crash. A successful local politician, he was elected to the Chicago City Council in 1914, the first African American to hold that office. In Congress in the early 1930s, he spoke out against racial discrimination, including at speaking events in the South; tried to integrate the House public restaurant; gained passage of an amendment to desegregate the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the work programs under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal; and introduced anti-lynching legislation to the House. He returned to Chicago and his successful business ventures, returning to politics when he was again elected Chicago alderman in the 1940s. He married the former Jessie L. Williams. They had two sons together. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CpkRb1oLzX0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is a singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first woman of African-American descent to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America in 1984. A scandal arose the following year when, a few weeks before the end of her reign, she learned that Penthouse magazine would be publishing now "iconic" unauthorized nude photographs of her in an upcoming issue. She resigned as Miss America in July 1984 and was replaced by the first runner-up Miss New Jersey Suzette Charles. Thirty-two years later, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell offered her a public apology. She rebounded from the scandal with a successful career as a singer and actress. She released her debut studio album The Right Stuff whose title single saw moderate success before "Dreamin'" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. With her second and third studio albums, The Comfort Zone and The Sweetest Days, she saw continued commercial success and received multiple Grammy Award nominations—this included her number-one hit and signature song, "Save the Best for Last". Her later studio albums include Everlasting Love and The Real Thing. She enjoyed success on both stage and screen, receiving an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Teri Joseph in Soul Food. Her best-known television roles are that of Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty, for which she was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives. She is involved with several humanitarian causes. She is a supporter of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, and in 2011 she participated in a Human Rights Campaign entitled "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality". She is partnered with Dress For Success, an organization that provides professional attire for low-income women to help support their job search and interview process. She is involved with The San Miquel Academy of Newburgh, a school for boys at risk. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenhistorymonth #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp7fErprG2m/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Anna Maria Horsford (born March 6, 1948) is an actress, known for her performances in television comedies. She is known for her roles as Thelma Frye on Amen (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on The Wayans Bros. (1995–99). She had dramatic roles on The Shield playing A.D.A. Beth Encardi and on The Bold and the Beautiful as Vivienne Avant, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series. She appeared in several movies, most notably as Craig Jones' mother Betty in Friday and its sequel Friday After Next. Her other film credits include Times Square (1980), The Fan (1981), Presumed Innocent (1990), Set It Off (1996), Along Came a Spider (2001), Our Family Wedding (2010), and A Madea Christmas (2013). She was born in Harlem to Victor Horsford, an investment real estate broker originally from the Dominican Republic, and Lillian Agatha Horsford, who emigrated from Antigua and Barbuda in the 1940s. She grew up in a family of five children. She is married to Daniel Wolf. On October 29, 2011, she was awarded the title of Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #sigmagammarho #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CpcjmmwrSyK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Jasmine Felicia Crockett (born March 29, 1981) is an attorney and politician serving as the Representative for Texas's 30th congressional district since 2023. Her district covers most of South Dallas County and parts of Tarrant County, including Dallas Love Field Airport. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 100th district in the Texas House of Representatives. In the 118th Congress, she serves as the Democratic freshman class representative between the House Democratic leadership and the approximately 35 newly elected Democratic members. She was born in St. Louis. She earned a BA in business from Rhodes College. She earned a JD from the University of Houston Law Center. After law school, she worked as a civil rights attorney. She worked as a public defender for Bowie County before establishing her law firm. During the George Floyd protests, she and her associates took on the pro bono cases of several Black Lives Matter activists. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #deltasigmatheta #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqYGHpRr2X9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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March 27, 1867 (during Reconstruction), after the end of the Freedmen’s meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, a group of African Americans decided to test their right to ride on the Charleston Street Cars. The Streetcar Company’s rules denied them this right. At 5 o’clock two to five African American men entered a streetcar on the King Street line and sat among the white customers. Conductor Rivers explained the rules of the company and that he had the right to forcibly remove them, yet the men did not move. Rivers called the police, but they failed to remove the men. At a meeting of its board of directors on May 3rd, 1867, the Charleston City Railway Company bowed to a combination of market forces and Federal pressure. Henceforth, they declared, all of Charleston’s streetcars would be open to all persons, regardless of color. This civil rights victory was one of many small steps forward during the era of Federal Reconstruction that, unfortunately, were erased by the rise of “Jim Crow” segregation in later decades. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CqTbQ6gPelG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Key & Peele (2012–2015) and co-starred in Playing House (2014–2017). He spent six seasons as a cast member on Mad TV (2004–2009) and has made guest appearances on the US version of Whose Line is it Anyway? He appeared alongside Peele in the first season of Fargo in 2014 and had a recurring role in Parks and Recreation from 2013 to 2015. He hosted the US version of The Planet's Funniest Animals on Animal Planet (2005–2008), and hosted Game On! He has had supporting roles in several films, including Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), Don't Think Twice (2016) and Dolemite Is My Name (2019). He has provided voice work for The Lego Movie (2014), the Hotel Transylvania franchise (2015–2022), Storks, The Angry Birds Movie (both 2016), The Star (2017), The Lion King remake and Toy Story 4 (both 2019), and Pinocchio remake (2022). Also in 2015, he appeared at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as the Key & Peele character Luther, President Barack Obama's anger translator. Key and Peele produced and starred in Keanu. In 2017, he made his Broadway debut in Meteor Shower. He appeared in The Prom (2020) and Schmigadoon! (2021). He was born in Southfield, Michigan, the son of Leroy McDuffie and Carrie Herr. He was adopted at a young age by a couple from Detroit, Michael Key, and Patricia Walsh. His brother was comic book writer Dwayne McDuffie. He attended the University of Detroit Mercy, earning a BFA in Theater, followed by an MFA in Theater at Pennsylvania State University. While at the University of Detroit Mercy, he was a brother of Phi Kappa Theta. He was married to actress and dialect coach Cynthia Blaise (1998-2017). He married producer and director Elisa Pugliese (2018). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CqFtmZSrkq8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is a singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original Broadway run of the musical The Wiz from 1975 to 1977. The song "Home" from the show later became a Number 1 U.S. R&B hit for her and her signature song. She scored five Number 1 R&B hits, including "Home", "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", "I Feel Good All Over", "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" and "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)". She won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song "Never Knew Love Like This Before". He sang gospel music as a child at Brooklyn's Cornerstone Baptist Church. She began her professional career at age nine, appearing in the Broadway musical Maggie Flynn. After winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater for six weeks straight at age eleven, she went on to become the opening act for the Isley Brothers. She was signed to Paramount records, and her first single "I Knew It Was Love" was released. She was signed to Motown. Her career took a rise when she portrayed Dorothy in the 7 Time Tony Award Winning Broadway musical The Wiz. She found her niche in mainly disco music, recording songs such as "Put Your Body In It", "You Can Get Over", and "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'". The resulting album, What Cha' Gonna Do with My Lovin', was her first gold record. She followed the success with Sweet Sensation, which featured her hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before". The single became a #12 R&B and #6 Pop hit, as well as reaching #4 in the UK Singles Chart. Stephanie featured a top hit for her and Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Two Hearts". She released a new single "So In Love This Christmas", available for download. She was cast as Aunt Em in the live musical production of The Wiz, forty years after her initial Broadway run in the show. She participated in a Verzuz battle with singer Chaka Khan, at which both singers performed hits from their discography. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqFtKc8u985/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Vanessa Bell Calloway (born March 20, 1957, is an actress and dancer. Beginning her career as a dancer, she became known for her film roles as Princess Imani Izzi in Coming to America and Coming 2 America, as well as for her roles in What's Love Got to Do with It, The Inkwell, Crimson Tide, Biker Boyz, Harriett, and Daylight. She had several starring roles in television series and movies, including the first African American prime-time soap opera, Under One Roof, the first drama series that feature African-American lead characters, she was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. She played recurring roles in Hawthorne and Shameless. She appeared in the comedy-drama film Southside with You and began starring as Lady Ella Johnson on Saints & Sinners. She is a nine-time NAACP Image Award nominee. She was born in Cleveland. She received a BFA from Ohio University, where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She studied dance with Alvin Ailey, George Faison, and Otis Sallid. She began her career as a dancer in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. It was during this period that she directed the music video "Angel Man”. She was in the ensemble of the short-lived musical Bring Back Birdie. She began her acting career in All My Children. She began appearing in episodes of prime-time shows such as The Colbys, Falcon Crest, 227, China Beach, A Different World, and L.A. Law. She made her film debut on Number One with a Bullet. She co-starred in Equal Justice. She voiced her main role in Bébé's Kids. She had several leading and supporting roles in made-for-television movies. She had leading roles in Rhythm & Blues and Orleans. She married anesthesiologist Dr. Anthony Calloway (1988-). The couple has two daughters. Ashley was one of the stars of Baldwin Hills. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqAi5T5LCoq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is a singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and producer. Born in Newark, she released her debut album All Hail the Queen, featuring the hit single "Ladies First". Nature of a Sista' was her second album. She starred as Khadijah James on Living Single. Her third album, Black Reign, spawned the single "U.N.I.T.Y.", raising awareness of women's rights and the perspective of women in communities worldwide. The record won a Grammy Award and peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. She then starred in the lead role of Set It Off and released her fourth album, Order in the Court, with Motown Records. She garnered acclaim with her role of Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago, receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She released her fifth album The Dana Owens Album. She released studio albums – Trav'lin' Light and Persona. She created the daytime talk show The Queen Latifah Show. She has appeared in several films, such as Bringing Down the House, Taxi, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Beauty Shop, Last Holiday, Hairspray, Joyful Noise, 22 Jump Street, Girls Trip, and provided voice work in Ice Age. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Bessie Smith in Bessie, which she co-produced, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. She starred in Star. She portrayed Hattie McDaniel in Hollywood. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her work in music, film, and television has earned her a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards, an Academy Award nomination, and sales of over two million records. She is a spokesperson for CoverGirl cosmetics, Curvation women's underwear, Pizza Hut, and Jenny Craig. She represents her line of cosmetics for women of color called the CoverGirl Queen Collection. She has launched a perfume line called "Queen" and "Queen of Hearts". She was named the godmother of Carnival Cruise Lines'vessel Carnival Horizon. She has written a book, Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp7fXePL7dG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Merlin Santana (March 14, 1976 – November 10, 2002) was an actor and rapper. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, he was known for his roles as Rudy Huxtable's boyfriend Stanley on The Cosby Show, Marcus Dixon on Getting By, Marcus Henry in Under One Roof, and Romeo Santana on The Steve Harvey Show (1996 – 2002). His career in show business began with a push from his parents, who wanted to keep him off the tough streets of New York. He began his career at the age of three as an advertising model for a fast-food chain. His first screen appearance was as an extra in the Woody Allen film, The Purple Rose of Cairo. In November 1994, he appeared on Sister, Sister as Joey, in which he falls in love with Tia and Tamera at Rocket Burger. He played the role of Ohagi on Moesha. In 2001, he played the role of Jermaine in the movie Flossin. In 2002, he appeared in Play'd: A Hip Hop Story. That same year, he had a role in Showtime. His last television acting role was on Half & Half, his last film role was in The Blues with Deon Richmond. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxLvQmrizt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is a record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans over 60 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award nominations, 28 Grammys, and a Grammy Legend Award. He came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor before working on pop music and film scores. He became the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Eyes of Love" from the film Banning. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on In Cold Blood, making him the first African American to be nominated twice in the same year. He produced three of Michael Jackson's most successful albums: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. He produced and conducted the charity song "We Are the World". He became the first African American to be the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards. He was the first African American to receive the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He is tied as the second most Oscar-nominated African American, with seven nominations each. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the winner. He was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time. Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Ray Charles. Grammy Legend Award in 1992 (one of only 15 people ever to receive it). Second in the list of all-time Grammy award wins. Garfield High School in Seattle named a performing arts center after him. Quincy Jones Elementary School, located in South Central Los Angeles, is named after him. Humanitarian Award at the BET Awards. John F. Kennedy Center Honors. National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama. Los Angeles Press Club Visionary Award. Honorary doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music, London. Ahmet Ertegun Award into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame as a "foundational inductee". #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxJIB9L5j0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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March 14, 1917, the first training camp for "colored" officers is established by the Army in Des Moines after a long lobbying effort by the NAACP, led by Joel E. Spingarn and James Weldon Johnson. The camp will issue 678 officer commissions to African Americans, compared to 380,000 African American enlisted men mobilized in WWl. They were 1,000 African American college graduates and faculty from Howard, Tuskegee, Harvard, and Yale universities. Around 250 non-commissioned officers (sergeants) from the army’s four African American standing units including the 9th and 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers and the 24th and 25th Infantry, attended the camp to train as officers. West Point graduate Colonel Charles Young should have gotten the position. He was forced to retire from the Army because of his high blood pressure. There were several important leaders among the cadet class in Fort Des Moines including Elder Watson Diggs, co-founder of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and Frank Coleman and Edgar Love who were among the founders of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Cadet lawyers included Samuel Joe Brown, Charles Howard, and James Morris became co-founders of the National Bar Association. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, played a critical role in convincing the government to create an officers’ training camp for African American troops. Alpha Phi Alpha had the greatest representation of any organization or club at the camp. Thirty-two Alpha men were granted commissions (four were made captains and ninety percent were first lieutenants). They participated in the final battle of WWI which took place at Metz, France. For the first time in US history, an African American regiment under the command of African American officers from Fort Des Moines led the attack in the major battle. The 92nd fought alongside the American 56th Regiment and French 8th Army against the Germans. In 1919, the Fort Des Moines officers returned where they were often greeted by racial violence that was occurring across the nation during the Red Summer of 1919. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxI8Btr4uD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Cori "Coco" Gauff (born March 13, 2004) is a tennis player. She is the youngest player ranked in the top 100 by the Women's Tennis Association and has a career-high ranking of No. 66 in the world. She won her first WTA singles title at the Linz Open, making her the youngest singles title holder on the WTA Tour since 2004. She has won two WTA doubles titles. She rose to prominence with a first-round upset of Venus Williams at Wimbledon. She experimented with a variety of sports as a child. She chose to focus on tennis, having been inspired to play by the Williams sisters, and because she preferred to compete in an individual sport. She had quick success as a junior, earning a sponsorship to train at Patrick Mouratoglou's academy in France. She began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit at 13 and finished runner-up at the junior US Open in just her fourth ITF event, making her the youngest finalist in the tournament's history. She became the No. 1 junior in the world after winning the junior Grand Slam singles title at the French Open over McNally. She won a junior Grand Slam doubles title at the 2018 US Open. She made her WTA Tour debut at the Miami Open and won her opening match. She received a wild card into the qualifying draw at Wimbledon where she became the youngest player to qualify for the main draw in the tournament's history. She reached the fourth round of the event, and each of her matches was the most-watched of the day in the US. She reached another third round at a major at the US Open. She defeated Venus Williams in straight sets in the first round, Sorana Cirstea in the second, and defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third, becoming the youngest player to defeat a top 5 player since the 1991 US Open. She uses a Head Graphene 360 Speed MP with 16 main and 19 cross strings. She wears New Balance clothing and tennis shoes. She signed her first multi-year sponsorship contract, with New Balance. At the 2021 French Open, she wore a New Balance outfit of bold mismatched color splotches. She announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the Italian food company Barilla. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenshistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CpusjCFOXaa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Kellie Shanygne Williams-Jackson (born March 22, 1976) is an actress. She is known for her role as Laura Lee Winslow, the middle-born child of Carl and Harriette Winslow on Family Matters which ran from 1989–to 1998. She was born in DC. After Family Matters, she began acting in What About Joan. In 1996, she had a recurring role as Charisse J. Mitchell on Moesha, and later Michelle, Nikki's rival, in The Parkers. In 2006, she reunited with her former Family Matters co-star Darius McCrary on Eve for two episodes "Separate, But Unequal" and the final cliffhanger episode "Daughter Don't Preach" as Lynn. She was on Clean House for six episodes in 2009, as a substitute host. She co-created the Kellie Williams Program in the DC area. The program will provide DC students between the ages of 14 and 20 an opportunity to produce a television show to air on Comcast Cable Local On-Demand. She stated, "I wanted to create a program similar to the one I grew up with (Howard University Children's Theatre). I wanted to bring it to the masses, not to just people who were familiar with the arts but to people who had never experienced any art." She attended UCLA and majored in Psychology. She married Hannibal Jackson (2009). They have two children together. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenshistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqFuUj0LuvO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=