1985 |

André D. Singleton

December 23, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

André D. Singleton was born on December 23, 1985. He is a respected social justice, civil rights, and human rights activist, a multi-disciplined artist, dancer, the founder of the Brohogany blog, and the co-creator of The Very Black Project. André Dwayne Singleton was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Ramona Draffen-Jackson and André D. Singleton. He attended Point Loma High School in San Diego, California, but graduated from Hickman Mills High School in Kansas City. Following high school, Singleton enrolled […]

Categories: All, December, December 23, Singleton, André D. • Tags: 1985, André D. Singleton, December 23, Ubuntu Biography Project

Corey Yarbrough

December 22, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

Corey Yarbrough was born on December 22, 1985. He is an educator, a social justice activist, writer, educator, motivational speaker, and co-founder and executive director of the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition. Corey Yarbrough was born in Norfolk, Virginia, the son of Albert Yarbrough and Sandra Yarbrough. He has two brothers (one living), a sister, and six nieces and nephews. Yarbrough attended Booker T. Washington High School and graduated in 2003. He was searching for a college where he could “pray the gay away” and enrolled at Jerry Falwell’s […]

Categories: All, December, December 22, Yarbrough, Corey • Tags: 1985, Corey Yarbrough, December 22, Ubuntu Biography Project

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Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray

November 20, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

Reverend Pauli Murray was born on November 20, 1910 (to July 1, 1985). She was a pioneering civil rights and women’s rights activist, lawyer, writer, and cleric. Murray was the co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), a founding member of the Congress of Racial Equality, and the first woman to be awarded a Juris Doctor degree from Yale University. She was also the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopalian priest. The Reverend Dr. Anna Pauline Murray was […]

Categories: All, Murray, Pauli, November, November 20 • Tags: 1910, 1985, July 1, November 20, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, Ubuntu Biography Project

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George M. Johnson

October 31, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

George M. Johnson was born on October 31, 1985. He is a journalist and HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ activist. George Matthew Johnson was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, one of four children of Gregory Johnson, a police officer (now retired), and Kaye Johnson, a beautician. When he was 14, Johnson started working at a summer camp in Plainfield, even as he grappled with his sexuality and fitting in. “As a young boy, I struggled with what I was feeling inside,” Johnson […]

Categories: All, Johnson, George M., October, October 31 • Tags: 1985, George M. Johnson, October 31, Ubuntu Biography Project

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Abubakar Sadiq Yussif

October 19, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

Abubakar Sadiq Yussif was born on October 19, 1985 (to December 11, 2017). He was an openly gay Muslim in Ghana, a spiritual leader, and advocate for sexual health education and prevention. Abubakar Sadiq Yussif was a graduate of Koforidua Polytechnic & University of Ghana in Legon. He is the co-founder of the Solace Initiative in Ghana, an organization that focuses on the sexual health of men who have sex with men (MSM) and other key populations. Sadiq previously worked […]

Categories: All, October, October 19, Yussif, Abubakar Sadiq • Tags: 1985, 2017, Abubakar Sadiq Yussif, December 11, October 19, Ubuntu Biography Project

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André Cooley

September 14, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

André Cooley was born on September 14, 1985. He is a lawyer, former deputy sheriff, youth advocate, mentor, and LGBTQ rights activist. He came to national prominence in 2010 when the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on his behalf following his termination as a corrections officer because he is gay. The lawsuit claimed that Cooley’s constitutional rights were violated by the Forrest County Sheriff’s Department (Mississippi) and his superior officers. André Cooley was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, […]

Categories: All, Cooley, André, September, September 14 • Tags: 1985, Andre Cooley, September 14, Ubuntu Biography Project

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Kristopher White

August 3, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

Kristopher White was born on August 3, 1985. He is a professional grant writer and fundraiser who enjoys giving back to the community, and has a passion for enjoying the finer things of life. Kristopher Keith White was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Keith White, a sales executive, and Bonita White, an educator. He has one sister, Erica White. Kristopher attended Cincinnati Country Day School, where he graduated in 2004. While in high school, he competed in cross country running […]

Categories: All, August, August 03, White, Kristopher • Tags: 1985, August 03, Kristopher White, Ubuntu Biography Project

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Damien Crawford

July 20, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

Damien Crawford was born on July 20, 1985. He is a popular singer, songwriter, and performer known as “The Prince of Urban Pop,” and widely respected for his philanthropic work. His musical genre is a mix of R&B, hip-hop, and pop. Damien Crawford was born in New Jersey, the son of Turek Hill and Gina Wallace. An only child, he attended Piscataway High School, where he graduated in 2003. Following high school, Damien enrolled at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science […]

Categories: All, Crawford, Damien, July, July 20 • Tags: 1985, Damien Crawford, July 20, Ubuntu Biography Project

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DeRay Mckesson

July 8, 2017 by Ubuntu Biography Project

DeRay Mckesson was born on July 9, 1985. He is an activist, community organizer, writer, and former teacher, education administrator and Baltimore mayoral candidate. Mckesson was born in Baltimore to parents who were both addicted to drugs at the time. He and his sister were raised by their father, Calvin, and great-grandmother in West Baltimore; their mother left when DeRay was just three (and has since gotten clean). Mckesson told “Interview” magazine, “…we grew up in a tough neighborhood. I […]

Categories: All, July, July 09, Mckesson, DeRay • Tags: 1985, Black Lives Matter, DeRay Mckesson, Ubuntu Biography Project

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Created by Stephen A. Maglott (1953-2016). Biographical tributes to distinguished LGBTQ/SGL people of color/African descent.

gallery Archives

André D. Singleton

Corey Yarbrough

Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray

George M. Johnson

Abubakar Sadiq Yussif

André Cooley

Kristopher White

Damien Crawford

DeRay Mckesson