Robinson’s story will be told in the movie 42, opening today. Early reviews of the movie are promising, and a new generation of sports fans will get the opportunity to learn about Robinson’s journey of struggle, adversity, and ultimately success in breaking baseball’s color barrier.

Robinson remains an inspiration for today’s African-American players, who still hold the man and his accomplishments in complete reverence (Adam Jones is even taking children in Baltimore to see 42 on Monday, which is also Jackie Robinson Day). Most talk about Robinson for his non-baseball accomplishments – affecting change in baseball, but also in society as a whole. And rightfully so, as he was critical in advancing civil rights. But we also need to remember what we oftentimes forget when talking about Robinson.

He was one hell of a baseball player.

It’s difficult enough to succeed in baseball, but to think that Robinson did this with such considerable pressure makes his on-field exploits even more impressive.

There was the obvious pressure to succeed for other African-Americans. Had Robinson failed – and by “fail” I mean being anything less than a star – it would’ve hurt all other talented black players trying to break into the major leagues.

Incredible pressure to perform

There was also the pressure of having to succeed in the face of extreme criticism, anger and racism from white fans and players who didn’t want him there. Imagine trying to hit a 98-mile-per-hour fastball. Then imagine trying to hit that same fastball while the other team is yelling racial slurs at you when you’re in the batter’s box.

In his rookie season in 1947, while he was dodging pitches at his head and trying to ignore death threats, he was also racking up hits and was a terror on the basepaths. He won Rookie of the Year (which is even more impressive when you consider he won it for the whole league; now baseball gives out a National League and American League Rookie of the Year). That year he hit .297 and led the National League in stolen bases with 29, while never getting caught.

TheGrio: 42 shows why Jackie Robinson still matters

Robinson’s breakout year came two seasons later, when he batted .342, stole 37 bases, and had 124 runs batted in. He was the batting champion and again the National League stolen base champion. For fans of advanced analytics, he also fared well in wins above replacement, with a dominant 9.3.

Robinson was a marvel to watch, as Roger Kahn wrote in “The Boys of Summer”:

“Robinson could hit and bunt and steal and run,” Roger Kahn wrote in The Boys of Summer. “He had intimidation skills, and he burned with a dark fire. He wanted passionately to win. He bore the burden of a pioneer and the weight made him stronger. If one can be certain of anything in baseball, it is that we shall not look upon his like again.”

Remember when everyone made a fuss last year about reigning National League Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper stealing home? Robinson made the feat look easy, succeeding in swiping home 19 times.

He was selected to six All-Star games in his 10-year career, with a lifetime average of .311 and 197 total stolen bases. He led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six pennants and one World Series title in 1955. He was also selected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1962.

TheGrio: The Obamas embrace history with enthusiasm for 42

Setting the bar for other black athletes

His play on the field was instrumental in helping other black players – in all sports – get opportunities to play on the biggest stages. As Dave Anderson noted in his obituary of Robinson:

“As the first black player in major-league baseball, he was a pioneer. His skill and accomplishments resulted in the acceptance of blacks in other major sports, notably professional football and professional basketball.”

With 42 opening today, the story of Jackie Robinson will once again be told. It’s a story that needs to continue to be told to celebrate the most important baseball player ever. And while it’s critical we remember Robinson for all that he’s done for African-Americans – both in sports and in life – lets also remember him for being one of the best baseball players ever, too.

Follow Stefen Lovelace on Twitter @StefenLovelace

1. Benjamin Banneker, self-educated scientist, astronomer, inventor, writer, and antislavery publicist. He built a striking clock entirely from wood, published a Farmers’ Almanac for 10 years,  completed the design and layout of Washington, D.C., and actively campaigned against slavery. He was one of the first African Americans to gain distinction in science.

2. Dorothy Dandridge, actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.   She performed as a vocalist in venues such as the Nathan Featherston and the Apollo Theater.

After several minor bit parts in films, Dandridge landed her first noted film role in Tarzan’s Peril (starring Lex Barker), in 1951. Dandridge won her first starring role in 1953, playing a teacher in a low-budget film with a nearly all-black cast, Bright Road, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

She was nominated in 1954  for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Carmen Jones, and in 1959 she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Porgy and Bess. In 1999, she was the subject of the HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, starring Halle Berry as Dandridge. She has been recognized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

3. Dion James, Major League Baseball Player, played as left and center fielder for an eleven-year career from 1983–1985, 1987–1990, 1992–1993, 1995-1996. James starred at C.K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento, California before being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round (25th overall) in the 1980 Amateur Entry Draft. He played for the Brewers, Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees all of the American League and the Atlanta Braves of the National League.   James was the Brewers’ Rookie of the Year in 1984

4. Sandra Denton, known as Pepa, Is a Rapp and hip hop artist, actress, and a member of the female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa.

5. Mark Durrell Andrews,  known by his stage name Sisqó, is an  R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for “Thong Song”, a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit.

1. Etta Moten (Barnett),  Broadway Actress, The first major African American to star on Broadway. She starred in “Porgy and Bess” and had a successful Broadway career.

1. Lloyd Anthony Moseby, Former Major League Baseball player. A center fielder, and good all-around athlete, Moseby’s nickname Shaker was said to stem from his ability to get away from or “shake” players who attempted to defend him on the basketball court.

1. Willie Dean McGee, is a retired professional baseball player who won two batting titles and was named Major League Baseball’s 1985 National League MVP. McGee primarily played center and right field, winning three Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence. McGee spent the majority of his 18-year career playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, helping the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series with his outstanding performance in Game 3 of that series. A four-time All-Star, McGee accumulated 2,254 hits during his career.

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2. Orlando Luis Merced Villanueva, is a former Major League Baseball first Baseman and outfielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990–1996), Toronto Blue Jays (1997),Minnesota Twins (1998), Boston Red Sox (1998), Chicago Cubs (1998), Montreal Expos(1999), and Houston Astros (2001–2003). He also played one season for the Orix BlueWave(2000) in Japan.

3. Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr., better known by his stage name Nelly, is a Grammy Award winning Rapp Artist, actor and entrepreneur. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album Country Grammar, the title track of which was a top ten hit. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to peak at number one. Country Grammar is Nelly’s best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States.  His following album, Nellyville, produced the number-one hits “Hot in Herre” and “Dilemma” featuring Kelly Rowland. Other singles included “Work It” featuring Justin Timberlake, “Air Force Ones” featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics, “Pimp Juice” and “#1″.

1. Margaret Taylor-Burroughs,   Was a prominent  artist and writer and a co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History. She also helped to establish the South Side Community Art Center, whose opening on May 1, 1941  was dedicated by the First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt  . There at the age of 23 she served as the youngest member of its board of directors. Dr. Burroughs was a prolific writer, with her efforts directed toward the exploration of the Black experience and to children, especially to their appreciation of their cultural identity and to their introduction and growing awareness of art.

Dr. Burroughs is also credited as the founder of Chicago’s Lake Meadows Art Fair in the early 1950′s. At its inception, during the 1950′s, there were very limited venues and galleries for African American Artists to exhibit and sell their artwork, Dr. Burroughs, launched the Lake Meadows Art Fair which rapidly grew in popularity and The Lake Meadows Art Fair became one of the most anticipated exhibitions for artists, collectors and others throughout the greater Chicago area. After a brief hiatus beginning in the early 1980′s, the Art Fair was resurrected by Helen Y. West in 2005, and another Margaret Burroughs’ legacy lives on.

2. Gary Eugene Redus,  a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1982-1994. He was a career .252 batter with 90 home runs, 886 hits, 352 RBIs and 322 stolen bases over 1159 games.

While participating in USA Today’s roundtable on the state of baseball, Hunter floated a theory that baseball uses dark-skinned players from countries like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela to give an appearance that it has more African-Americans playing the game than it really does. 

But, Hunter says in a controversial money quote, “they’re not us, they’re impostors.“ 

No Imposter: Torii Hunter Is A For Reals Black Person

 Analysis of Torii’s Bonehead Moment Here: Torii Hunter believes black Latino players are ‘impostors’ – Big League Stew – MLB Blog – Yahoo! Sports. 

Smaktakula

1. Ethel Waters, Actor and singer, She became one of the nation’s best known jazz and gospel singers. Taking A Chance On Love Performed by Ethel Waters with Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson  From the film CABIN IN THE SKY © 1943

Note: Notice the tap dancer doing the moonwalk….in 1943

2. Frederick Stanley “Crime Dog” McGriff, is a left-handed Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in 1992, the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both leagues in home runs. Although he never hit more than 37 homers in a single season, he finished his career only seven homers away from joining the exclusive 500 home run club. He won a World Series title as a first baseman with the Atlanta Braves in 1995. He currently works in the Rays’ front office as an advisor. He also currently works for Bright House Sports Network as a co-host for “The Baysball Show”.

1. Gerald Perry, is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1983 to 1995 for the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. Perry was selected to the 1988 National League All-Star team. In 1993 he tied a St. Louis Cardinal single-season club record with 24 pinch hits, and in 1995 he became the Cardinals’ all-time pinch-hit leader with 70th Cardinal pinch hit.

Perry was hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners from 2000-2002, the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2003-2005, the Oakland Athletics in 2006, and the Chicago Cubs from 2007 until he was fired on June 13, 2009.

3. Danny Tartabull, is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball.  He is the son of José Tartabull, who played in the major leagues from 1962 to 1970.

4. Charnele Brown, actress, producer, and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role as college student Kimberly Reese on the NBC sitcom A Different World.  45  Years ago

5. Nia Long, actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma’s House, Big Momma’s House 2, Are We There Yet?, and Are We Done Yet?

1. Melba Moore, disco, R&B singer and actress.

2. Jesse Barfield, is a former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1981–89) and New York Yankees (1989–92). He batted and threw right-handed. He lived in Tenafly, a suburb of New York City.

3. Randy Jackson, singer and musician, a member of The Jacksons. Nicknamed “Little Randy”, he is the youngest of the Jackson brothers, and the second youngest of the nine Jackson whole siblings, after sister Janet.

Randy was only three when the Jackson 5 was formed and therefore was not an original member. While his brothers toured, he honed his skills as a musician, mastering piano.

4. Oscar Jackson, Jr., better known by his stage name Paris is an American Rapp artist from San Francisco, California, known for his highly charged political and socially conscious lyrics.

5. Gabrielle Union, actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader  in the film Bring it On, opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a  doctor in the CBS drama series City of Angels. She starred with LL Cool J in Deliver Us from Eva in 2003, and opposite Cedric the Entertainer in The Honey Mooners. 

6. Tracee Ellis Ross, Actress (Daughter of Famed Motown R&B artist Diana Ross), best known for her lead role as Joan Clayton on the UPN/CW series, Girlfriends. She is currently starring as Dr. Carla Reed on the new BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines.

2. In 1914, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, founded at Howard University, incorporated.

3. In 1981, Edward M. McIntrye elected first Black mayor of Augusta, Georgia.

4. In 2009, President Obama Signs National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010

2. In 1872, Inventor Thomas J. Martin patents the fire extinguisher.

3. In 1868, B. F. Randolph, a prominent black politician in South Carolina after the Civil War, is assassinated.

4. In 1897,  C. V. Richey received Patent for Railroad switch

5. In 1994, Beverly Harvard was appointed Atlanta’s chief of police on this day, The First Black Woman to run an major Police Dept.

6. In 2005,  Ken Williams, general manager of Chicago White Sox when they won World Series in a four games sweep against houston astros (last win 1917).

2. In 1940, 70 Years ago Today, Benjamin O. Davis Sr became the first Black general in US Army.

3. In 1940, Black newspaper owner’s group, the NNPA (Negro Newspaper Publishers Association), is founded.The group later changed its name to the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

4. In 1958, An estimated 10,000 students led by Jackie Robinson, Harry Belafonte, and labor leader A. Phillip Randolph, participate in a youth march for integrated schools in Washington, D.C.

5. In 1976, A  full pardon is granted to Clarence “Willie” Norris, the last known survivor of the nine “Scottsboro Boys.” The group of black men had been framed in a 1931 conviction for allegedly raping two white women.

6. In 1990, Evander Holyfield knocks out James “Buster” Douglas in the third round to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion.

7. In 1992, 18 Years ago Today, Cito Gaston, as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, became the first Black Manager to lead a Major League Baseball team to win a world series title, defeating the Atlanta Braves.

8. in 1994  Susan Smith (a white woman) set off a nationwide man hunt when she claimed that a Black Man had car jacked her and kidnapped her two young children.  It was later revealed that she had murdered her two boys by buckling them in her car and driving them into a lake.

9. In 1997, 13 Years ago Today, The Million Woman March in Philadelphia at the Museum Of Art included Winnie Mandela and Maxine Waters as Keynote Speakers.

1. Bobby Seale , As cofounder and Chairman of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale was an important leader of the Black Power movement.  Born in Texas, Seale joined thousands of African Americans when his family migrated to Oakland during World War II.  At the age of 18, Seale joined the Air Force.   He returned to Oakland and began attending Merritt College, where he majored in engineering .  At Merritt  is where he  first met Huey P. Newton.  Inspired by Malcolm X, independence movements in Africa, and anti-colonialist intellectuals such as Frantz Fanon, he founded with Newton in 1966 the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.

While working at a War on Poverty program, he and Newton wrote a ten-point program that outlined the outlook and goals of the BPP.  The Ten-Point program demanded that blacks have the “power to determine the destiny of our Black Community.”  Control of their own community would allow blacks to gain “land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace.”

2. Gerald Young, was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He was noted for his long strides and blazing speed, and although considered somewhat of a “hot dog” because of what appeared to be a lackadaisical style (including unnecessary basket catches), he was considered one of the best defensive center fielders of his time.

Young was drafted in the 5th round of the 1982 MLB amateur draft by the New York Mets along with Rafael Palmeiro and Dwight Gooden as part of a draft class that set a major league record for a single team when 12 of those players reached the major leagues.

1. In 1870,  Joseph H. Rainey became the first Black member of Congress. A portrait in his honor was finally placed in the U.S. Capitol Building in 2006.

2. In 1894,  Henry Ossawa Tanner wins the Medal of Honor at the Paris Exposition for his paintings. He was the first African-American painter to gain international acclaim for his work. Tanner was born in Pittsburgh. In fact, he eventually moved to Paris because of opposition to black artists in the United States. His most famous painting is “The Banjo Player.”

3. In 1944,  US Navy opened to Black women.

4. In 1998,  Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle Mariners) Wins his ninth (9th) consecutive gold glove award.

1. Silas Joseph “Si” Simmons, semi-professional and professional baseball player for African-American teams in the pre-Negro League era, and became the longest-lived professional baseball player in history. 

2. James “Son” Thomas, Delta blues musician, gravedigger and sculptor from Leland, Mississippi

3. Jimmy Liggins,  R&B Vocalist, guitarist and bandleader.  Liggins started out as a professional boxer at age 18 under the name of Kid Zulu, then he quit boxing and took up driving his brother Joe’s outfit around on tour.   Following the success of his brother, Jimmy Liggins started his own recording career as a singer, guitarist, and leader of the ‘Drops of Joy’, on Art Rupe’s Specialty label in 1947.   One of his early releases, “Cadillac Boogie” was a direct forerunner of “Rocket 88″, itself often called the first rock and roll record.

Recordings such as “Tear Drop Blues” (1948) and, later, “I Ain’t Drunk” (1953), featuring leading saxophone players such as Maxwell Davis, made him one of the most successful bandleaders in the jump blues period of the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Liggins left Specialty in 1954, recording “I Ain’t Drunk” (1954), later covered by Albert Collins, at Aladdin, before fading from the scene.  His wild stage presence and manic delivery also had a direct and lasting impact on Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley.

4. Karyn White, Pop and R&B singer who became popular during the late 1980s.

5. Usher Terry Raymond IV, who performs under the mononym Usher, is a singer-songwriter, dancer, entrepreneur, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B.   Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, “Nice and Slow”. His follow-up album, 8701, produced the Billboard Hot 100 number one hits “U Remind Me” and “U Got It Bad”. Both albums sold over 8 million copies worldwide, establishing Usher as one of the best-selling R&B artists of the 1990s.

1. Roscoe Robinson, Jr., was a four-star general in the United States Army.   He attended St. Louis University for only a year and then transferred to the United States Military Academyat West Point in 1947. Robinson graduated with a degree in military engineering in 1951. After graduating he served in the Korean War in 1952 as a platoon leader and rifle company commander. For his actions he received the Bronze Star. Sent back to the United States a year later he became an instructor in the Airborne Department of the United States Army Infantry School. Robinson then went on to graduate from theCommand and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1963. The following year he received his masters degree from the University of Pittsburgh in international affairs. In 1967 he served as battalion commander in Vietnam. For his achievements there he received the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, 11 Air Medals, and two Silver Stars.

After Vietnam he served at the National War College for three years as the executive officer to the Chief of Staff. He was promoted to Brigadier General and in 1975 became Commanding General of the United States Army Garrison, Okinawa. He also commanded America’s Guard of Honor, the 82nd Airborne Division, as a Major General at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1976 and was renowned for earning the love and respect of his men, his fellow Paratroopers, during his Command – which was noteworthy for, General Robinson was, the first African-American to Command The All-American Division. His final assignment was as U.S. Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee from 1982-1985. After he had completed 34 years of service to the U.S. military he retired in 1985. He was then awarded with the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and two Distinguished Service Medals. After his retirement, he was asked to look over a panel of people who were examining the Korean War performance of some highly criticized army units. He also served on the board of Northwest Airlines.   In April 2000 there was a ceremony and a dedication at West Point for a new auditorium, named “General Roscoe Robinson, Jr. Auditorium” in his honor. The Roscoe Robinson Health Clinic at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg is also named in his honor.

2. Art Blakey, known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina,  Was a  jazz drummer and bandleader.  Along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach, he was one of the inventors of the modern bebop style of drumming. He is known as a powerful musician and a vital groover; his brand of bluesy, funky hard bop was and continues to be profoundly influential on mainstream jazz. For more than 30 years his band, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers included many young musicians who went on to become prominent names in jazz. The band’s legacy is thus not only known for the often exceptionally fine music it produced, but as a proving ground for several generations of jazz musicians;^[2] Blakey’s groups are matched only by those ofMiles Davis in this regard.

3. Earle Hyman, stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his recurring role on The Cosby Show as Cliff’s father, Russell Huxtable.

4. Lester Bowie, was an American jazz trumpet player, ^{Percussionist,} Vocalist and composer.  He was a member of the AACM, and cofounded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

5. Curtis Glenn Ford, is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from 1985-1990. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. He briefly played for the Saskatoon Smokin’ Guns of the Prairie Baseball League in 1996.  In May 2010, Ford was announced as the new manager of the Springfield Sliders, a wood-bat collegiate baseball team in the Prospect League. The team plays at Lanphier Park in Springfield, Ill.

6. MC Lyte, Rapp Artists who first gained fame in the late 1980s becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988′s critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock.

7. Kimberly Aiken, Youngest Miss America 1994.  Aiken was 18 years old when she won the coveted title, and was only the fifth woman of African descent to get the crown. She won Miss Columbia and Miss South Carolina en route to her 1994 Miss America crown.

1. Fannie Lou Hamer, was an American voting rights activist and civil rights leader.  She was instrumental in organizing Mississippi Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and later became the Vice-Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, attending the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in that capacity. Her plain-spoken manner and fervent belief in the Biblical righteousness of her cause gained her a reputation as an electrifying speaker and constant activist of civil rights.

2. Ruben Sierra, is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Sierra also goes by the nicknames El Caballo and El Indio.  In a 20-season career, Sierra has played for the Texas Rangers (1986–92, 2000–01, 2003), Oakland Athletics (1992–95), New York Yankees (1995–96, 2003–05), Detroit Tigers (1996), Cincinnati Reds (1997), Toronto Blue Jays (1997), Chicago White Sox (1998), Seattle Mariners (2002), Minnesota Twins (2006).

3. Thomas McClary, R&B Singer (The Commodores).  n the ‘70s, THE CO-FOUNDER, co-producer, writer and guitarist of the pop soul group The Commodores, Thomas McClary’s ambition was to form a group that would be heralded as “the black Beatles.” That thought danced in his head while in line to enroll at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1968, when he heard a young man behind him whistling a song from jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris. 

“Are you a musician?” McClary asked. “No, no” the young man said. They chatted a while, then agreed to meet at the house of the young man’s grandmother. “She lives across the street from the campus. “ I’ll have some guys you can choose from to put your band together.” The shy kid ended up making the cut, too. His name was Lionel Richie. At that moment, when Thomas met Lionel, the nucleus for one of the world’s most legendary musical Pop, R&B groups of the ‘70’s was formed. These two freshmen did not stop until they found William King, Milan Williams, Ronald LaPread, and last but certainly not lease, Walter Orange to complete the mission of putting a legendary Group together, the Commodores. The rest is history.

Today, just like in the ‘70s, McClary is a man on a musical mission. But this time his mandate is for God to be glorified and lifted up that He may draw all men to Him. Once you hear this New CD, available now online at this site and  http://cdbaby.com/cd/thomasmcclary . , you will never be the same. You will never accept any thing less than the best. Put your helmet on because your mind is about to be blown.  From Thomas McClary’s  Official Website

4. Lonnie George Johnson, an engineer best known as the inventor of the Super Soaker water gun, which was the top selling toy in the United States in 1991 and 1992.

In 1989, Johnson formed his own engineering firm and licensed his most famous invention, the Super Soaker water gun, to Larami Corporation. Two years later, the Super Soaker generated over $200 million in retail sales, and became the number one selling toy in America. Larami Corporation was eventually purchased by Hasbro, the second largest toy manufacturer in the world. Over the years, Super Soaker sales have totaled close to one billion dollars. Currently, Johnson holds over 80 patents, with over 20 more pending, and is the author of several publications on spacecraft power systems.

1. Russell Wendell Simmons,  is an Entrepreneur, the co-founder, with Rick Rubin, of the pioneering hip-hoplabel Def Jam, and creator of the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and American Classics.

Russell Simmons is the younger brother of Daniel Simmons, Jr., and he is the older brother of Rev. Joseph Simmons, better known as “Run” of Run-DMC, and son of Daniel Simmons, Sr, a public school administrator and Evelyn Simmons, a New York City park administrator. His brother Daniel Simmons, Jr., is an accomplished abstract artist.

Russell Simmons is the third richest figure in hip-hop, having a net-worth estimate of $340 million.

2.  Clifton Duncan Davis,  is an  actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That’s My Mama and Amen. Davis also wrote several hits for The Jackson 5, including “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Lookin’ Through the Windows”

3.  William Augustus Hatcher,  is a former left and center fielder in Major League Baseball player for theChicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers, and former first base coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Hatcher is currently first base coach for the Reds.

4  A.C. Green, Jr.,  is a retired American NBA basketball player who played in more consecutive games than any other player in NBA and ABA history. With 1,192 straight games played, he earned the nickname “Iron Man”. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and attended Benson Polytechnic High School. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He played in 1278 out of 1281 games in his career (99.8%), with the three he missed coming in his second season, 1986–87.

1. Nat Turner, Slave Revolt Leader/Abolistionist  was an slave who led a slave rebellion in Virginia on August 21, 1831 that resulted in 56 white deaths and over 55 black deaths,the largest number of fatalities to occur in one uprising prior to the American Civil War in the southern United States. He gathered supporters in Southampton County, Virginia. White backlash resulted in the state executing 56 blacks accused of being part of Turner’s slave rebellion. Two hundred blacks were also beaten and killed by white militia mobs and thugs. As if that wasn’t enough retribution, Virginia and other southern state legislators passed new laws prohibiting education of slaves and free blacks, restricting rights of assembly and other civil rights for free blacks, and requiring white ministers to be present at black worship services.

2. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., was born. He became an astronaut and pilot. He was the first African American selected for space travel.

3. Johnny L. Cochran, Jr. lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J. Simpson for the alleged murder of his former wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Cochran also represented Sean Combs (during his trial on gun and bribery charges), Michael Jackson, rapper Tupac Shakur, actor Todd Bridges, football player Jim Brown, rapper Snoop Dogg, former heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe, 1992 Los Angeles riot beating victim Reginald Oliver Denny, and Rosa Parks.

He also represented athlete Marion Jones when she faced charges of doping during her high school track career. Cochran was known for his skill in the courtroom and his prominence as an early advocate for victims of police brutality.

4. Avery Brooks,  is an American actor, jazz musician, opera singer and college professor. Brooks is perhaps best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and in the Academy Award-nominated film American History X.

5. Ernest Riles,  is a former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1985 through 1993, Riles played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1985–1988), San Francisco Giants (1988–1990), Oakland Athletics (1991), Houston Astros (1992) and Boston Red Sox (1993). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

6 Melissa Victoria Harris-Perry ( Melissa Harris-Lacewell)  is an American author and political commentator with a focus on African-American politics.

She is a professor of political science at Tulane University. Prior to that, she was an associate professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University from 2006 to 2010, and taught political science at the University of Chicago from 1999 to 2005.  She is also an award winning author and appears regularly on MSNBC and other media venues.

1. Fannie M. Richards,  an educator and civil rights activist, moved to Detroit with her family in the 1850s. She received her early education in the Detroit public schools before going to Toronto, Ontario, where she studied English, history and drawing. Returning to Detroit, Richards opened a private school for African Americans in 1863. Two years later, she was appointed to teach in Detroit’s segregated Colored School No. 2. In 1869, Richards and others, including future Republican governor John Bagley, filed suit with the Michigan Supreme Court, arguing that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. The court agreed, and in 1871 Richards became the first African American teacher in Detroit’s newly integrated school system.

2. Georgie “Wild Child” Butler, Bluesman, Harmonica.   Wild Child made a name for himself in the 50′s and early 60′s playing in Chicago and the rural juke joints in Alabama. He first recorded in 1964 and then hooked up with the legendary Willie Dixon who produced four Wild Child singles for Jewel Records from 1966 to 1968. Those sessions were highlighted by the dual harp numbers featuring Wild Child and the great Big Walter Horton.

Wild Child Butler’s resume is top notch. He has toured with Jimmy Rogers, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Cousin Joe and Roosevelt Sykes. His last two recordings were released in the ’90s on Rounder Records. Wild Child’s biggest influence is Sonny Boy Williamson II and yet his sound is all his own. A prolific songwriter, Wild Child Butler performs mostly his own compositions.

3. Donny Hathaway, Soul and R&B Singer, Songwriter, Arranger, Keyboardist and record producer. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, “The Ghetto, Part I” in early 1970.  His collaborations with Roberta Flack scored high on the charts and won him the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the duet, “Where Is the Love” in 1973.

4. Roberto Kelly, a former Outfielder in Major League Baseball and is currently the first base coach for the San Francisco Giants. He previously managed the Giants single A team, the Augusta Green Jackets.  Kelly played for several major league clubs. He was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1982 and went on to play for the New York Yankees (1987–92 and 2000), Cincinnati Reds (1993–94), Atlanta Braves (1994), Montreal Expos (1995), Los Angeles Dodgers (1995), Minnesota Twins (1996–97), Seattle Mariners (1997) and Texas Rangers (1998–99).   He helped the Dodgers win the 1995 NL Western Division, the Mariners win the 1997 American League Western Division, and the Rangers win the 1998 and 1999 AL Western Division.

He was named to the 1992 American League All-Star Team and the 1993 National League All-Star Team.

1. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper , writer, Teacher, Poetess, Anti-slavery activist.  She had a long and prolific career, publishing her first book of poetry at twenty and her first novel, the widely praised Iola Leroy, at age 67.

2. Edward Franklin Frazier, sociologist. His 1932 Ph.D. dissertation The Negro Family in Chicago, later released as a book The Negro Family in the United States in 1939.  The Book analyzed the cultural and historical forces that influenced the development of the African American family from the time of slavery. The book was awarded the 1939 Anisfield Award for the most significant work in the field of race relations. This book was among the first sociological works on blacks researched and written by a black person. He helped draft the UNESCO statement The Race Question in 1950.

3. Herb Jeffries, The Singing Cowboy (1930′s films), A jazz and popular singer, Jeffries is noted for being the first African American to star in an American western. He starred as a singing cowboy in several all-black Western films in which he sang his own western compositions. Jeffries got financing for the first black western film and hired Spencer Williams to appear with him. In addition to starring in the film, Jeffries sang and performed his own stunts as the cowboy character, “Bob Blake.”.

4. Tarheel Slim (Alden “Allen” Bunn), Blues Artist, Vocals & Guitar during the ’50s, 60s and 70s.  “Number Nine Train”, Wilcat Tamer” and “Much Too Late”. Bunn Got his start with The Southern Harmonaires, then later joined the Selah Jubilee Singers as the group’s guitarist and second lead singer, and later with the Larks.  

5. Cardiss Robertson Collins, Politician, U.S. House of Representatives.  Elected to 12 consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Cardiss Collins ranks as one of the longest-serving minority women in the history of Congress. Succeeding her late husband, Representative George Collins, after his death in 1972, Cardiss Collins continued his legacy as a loyal politician in the Chicago Democratic organization directed by Mayor Richard Daley. One of only a handful of women to serve in Congress for more than 20 years, and the only black woman in the chamber for six years, Representative Collins evolved into a dedicated legislator who focused on the economic and social needs of her urban district.

6. Chick Willis, blues singer. His cousin was Chuck Willis.  Chick Willis served in the military in the early 1950s before working as a chauffeur for Chuck Willis during his heyday. He won a talent show at the Magnolia Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia and made his first record in 1956, with the Ebb Records’ single “You’re Mine”. Initially, he only sang, but learned guitar while touring with his cousin; Guitar Slim was one of his foremost influences.  Willis was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame on June 19, 2009.

7. Willie Kent,  blues singer, bassist and songwriter.

8. Hubie Brooks,  former Major League Baseball player. During his career, he played as a third baseman, shortstop and right fielder for the New York Mets (1980–84, 1991), Montreal Expos (1985–89), Los Angeles Dodgers (1990), California Angels (1992) and Kansas City Royals (1993–94).

9. Otis Bernard Gilkey, former Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves. Primarily a left fielder, Gilkey occasionally played right field as well. He also played a small number of games as a center field, first baseman, and designated hitter. Gilkey was a right-handed batter.

2. In 1898, Jones & Long received Patent for Caps for Bottles

3. In 1961, Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court of appeals by President John F. Kennedy.

4. In 1976, Lou Brock stole a record 935 bases/Major League record holder.

1. Shari Belafonte, is an actress, model, writer and singer. The daughter of singer Harry Belafonte, she is known for her role as Julie Gilette on the 1980s television series Hotel and as a spokesman for the diet supplement Slim-Fast during the 1990s. She Also had a starring role in the  1985 Halloween classic “The Midnight Hour”.

2. Jeffrey N. Leonard, former left fielder in Major League Baseball with a 14-year career from 1977 to 1990. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants, all of the National League, and the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, both of the American League.

Nicknamed “HacMan” after the popular video game PacMan, Leonard was known for his “one flap down” routine: running around the bases after hitting a home run with one arm hanging motionless at his side.

3. Vincent Maurice Coleman, former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from 1985 to 1997 and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.

4. Big Rube (Ruben Bailey),  is an American rapper and hip-hop producer. He is a first generation member of the Dungeon Family & Society of Soul.  He is known for his spoken word intros and interludes for many of the Dungeon Family’s albums including Bubba Sparxxx, Goodie Mob, OutKast, & Witchdoctor. He has also contributed his spoken word poetry to Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam and the motion picture ATL, as well as appearing on albums by Truth Hurts, Eightball & MJG and CunninLynguists. He appears on a Cee-Lo track called Scrap Metal.
In 1996, he appeared on the Red Hot Organization’s compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Coolio, and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as “a masterpiece” by The Source magazine.

5. Mary Church Terrell, A writer, educator, and activist, co-founded the National Association of Colored Women and served as the organization’s first president. Known as “Mollie” to her family, Church who was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1863, lived a life of privilege due to the economic success of her parents, both former slaves.  Her mother, Louisa Ayres Church, owned a hair salon, while her father, Robert Reed Church, was the first black millionaire in the South due to his business and real estate dealings. 

Church left her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, at an early age to enroll at the elementary school at the Antioch College laboratory school in Ohio.  She remained in Ohio to attend both Oberlin Academy and Oberlin College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Languages in 1884.  She earned a Master’s degree from Oberlin four years later.

Church became a teacher after graduating from Oberlin.  She taught at Wilberforce College in Ohio before moving to Washington, D.C. in 1887 to join the faculty at M Street Colored High School, which later became Dunbar High School.