Gabourey Sidibe, nicknamed Gabby, is an Academy Award nominated actress who made her acting debut in 2009. She was born on May 6, 1983 in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, is a special education teacher turned R&B singer who performed on the television show “America’s Got Talent” in 2010. He father, Ibnou Sidibe, works as a taxi driver and hails from Senegal. Her parents divorced when she was quite young, and she moved to Harlem with her mother. It is also noted that Gabourey briefly lived with her aunt Dorothy Pitman Hughes, who is a noted feminist. Her mother Alice gained some measure of local fame as a subway gospel singer. Young Gabourey was inspired by her mother’s talent, and would often sing and perform in productions at school and the local theatre such as “Peter Pan” and “The Wiz”.

After high school, Gabourey attended Borough of Manhattan Community College, City College of New York, and Mercy College. Before pursuing a career in acting, she was working as an office assistant. She was preparing for an exam at college when her friend called her to inform her about the upcoming audition for the film “Precious” by Lee Daniels and Gabourey successfully auditioned for the part. In the film, she plays the character of an illiterate 16 year old named Claireece “Precious” Jones who has two children, both as the result of being sexually abused by her father. She tries to escape from the frequent physical abuse by her mother. The film also starred the singers Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravtiz as well as the actress Mo’Nique who played her mother.

Gabourey’s performance left everyone speechless and turned the then unknown actress into an overnight success. Although the subject matter of the film was controversial, it received critical acclaim from critics and fans alike and grossed over $63 milllion at the box office. She had the honor of being nominated for both a Golden Globe as well as an Oscar for her debut role. Gabourey recalls that she was a huge fan of the 1990s pop band N’Sync as a teenager

Marin R. Delany, pioneer Black nationalist, born free in Charles Town, Virginia.

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Don Hardin, founder of the Don Hardin Group and project manager of the construction project.

Tell us about your involvement in the upcoming construction of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) and when do you anticipate completion of the project?

The commitment that NMAAM has made to ensure the project leads with African American businesses cannot be overstated.

The NMAAM project has allowed black firms to excel in the industry in a way that we have always dreamed of; the collective training and talent of black architects, interior designers, general contractors, and project managers are on full display here.

I would also highlight project architect, Harold Thompson; interior designer, Donna Gilliam; and construction team, Mark Deathridge, Rigor Ligon, Mark Campbell, and Ed Henley–who comprise Euphony Four–as some of the partnering African American-owned firms that are key to the success of the NMAAM project.

Gladys Merritt Ross, co-founder of Phi Delta Kappa sorority for African American teachers, dies in Stockton, California.

President Eisenhower signed Civil Rights Act of 1960.

Four hundred students seized administration building at Cheyney State College.

On May 6, 1886, inventor M.A. Cherry patented the tricycle.

Major James Lloyd Jackson died in Seattle on May 6, 2008 at the age of 88.

Baseball great Willie Howard Mays was born in Westfield, Alabama. Mays played with both the New York and San Francisco Giants. He was National League batting champion four times and twice the leagues Most Valuable Player.

Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a widely respected retired American baseball player, born on May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Alabama. He played almost 22 seasons in the American Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York/San Francisco Giants, finishing off his career at New York Mets in the early 1970s. He would play as an aggressive and stealth central fielder. With his tenacity, tremendous catching ability and home run scores, a man like Mays truly deserved to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (1979). In his 22 year long career as a professional baseball player, Mays was a recipient of countless trophies and accolades.

Willie Mays was born in to a family of sports, with his father being a professional baseball player and his mother occasionally playing basketball. He took up baseball at an early age, playing catch with his father at age 5. Mays graduated from Fairfield Industrial High School in 1950, having played baseball and football there. Even at such an early age, his average point-record in school for baseball was 17.

In 1947, Mays began playing in the Negro Leagues with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos, spending a short time there after which he returned to his home state to play with the Birmingham Black Barons. He led them to the 1948 World Series, and hit a decent .262 for that season. His performance was noticed by a number of scouts for different Major League teams including the Boston Braves. Narrowly missing the deal with them, Willie Mays instead joined the New York Giants and their class B affiliate in New Jersey. He spent some time in the Minor Leagues with the Minneapolis Millers, before getting a message to move to Harlem, New York for his first official game for the New York Giants.

His first few games with the New York Giants were slow, as he only managed to hit a single home run in seven games. After returning from military duty in 1954, he managed a League-high .345 with 41 home runs on way to securing the Most Valuable Player award. His defensive ability also developed in the next few seasons,

African Lodge No. 459 organized in Boston with Prince Hall as Master.

Lynn Whitfield is an American actress and producer. Whitfield is best known for her performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical drama film, The Josephine Baker Story (1991), where she won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries and a movie along with a Golden Globe nomination. Whitfield had several other starring roles in films, which include A Thin Line between Love and Hate (1996), Gone Fishin (1997), Eve’s Bayou (1997), Stepmom (1998), Head of State (2003), Madea’s Family Reunion (2006), and The Woman (2008).

Whitfield was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 6, 1953, to Jean Butler, a finance agency executive, and Valerian Smith, a dentist. She is the eldest of four children and graduated from Howard University in 1975. Her father was instrumental in developing Lynn’s initial interest in acting as he was a prime figure in forming a community theater in her native Baton Rouge. She first garnered attention on the stage by studying and performing with the Black Repertory Company in Washington D.C. She married one of the company co-founders and pioneers of black theater, playwright/director/actor Vantile Whitfield in 1974. She later moved to New York City, New York, and appeared in off-Broadway in such shows as The Great Macdaddy and Showdown. Whitfield also acted on alongside actress Alfre Woodard in the play, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf in 1977.  

In 1981 Whitfield made her professional screen debut in the NBC critically acclaimed serial drama, Hill Street Blues as Jill Thomas. In 1983 she appeared in the comedy film, Doctor Detroit. Other films in the 1980s included The Slugger’s Wife (1985), Silverado (1985), and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). She also starred in television films, The George McKenna Story (1986) alongside Denzel Washington and The Women of Brewster Place (1989) alongside Oprah Winfrey and Cicely Tyson.

Whitfield’s acting continued into the 1990s with The Josephine Baker Story (1991), A Triumph of the Heart: