more great blacks for no tax

lets keep uncle sam out of our pockets. they tax us to live. thats another rant post though. this one is about some of my people who helped pave the way so that we can make a better living for ourselves, our children, and their future.

Aretha Franklin



the Queen of Soul, Aretha Louise Franklin, was born on the 25th of March in 1942 in Memphis Tennessee. Ms. Franklin has won 18 Grammy awards, twenty #1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, and 45 Top Ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her voice and passion for music is indescribable, incomparable, and untouchable.

Lonnie Johnson



The inventor of the Power Drencher, now known as the Super Soaker, was born on October 6th, 1949 in Marietta, Georgia. Lonnie G. Johnson is president and founder of Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., a technology development company, and its spin off companies, Excellatron Solid State, LLC; Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems, LLC; and Johnson Real Estate Investments, LLC. Articles on Lonnie Johnson have appeared in numerous publications including Time Magazine, the New York Times, and Inventor’s Digest. Johnson serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Alliance for Children, an organization which informed and influential voice to protect the rights and interests of Georgia’s less fortunate children. He is a Board member of the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation, and had served on the board of directors of the Commonwealth National Bank. one more successful black man that no one knew about.

the great Quincy JONES!



i could list all of Quincy Jones' talents, but then id be wasting my time. this man is a musical genius. Mr. Jones is a legendary music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. he also produced Thriller. yes, that Thriller. Born on March 14th, 1933, Quincy Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations and 27 Grammy Award wins, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991.

Jackie Robinson



Jack Roosevelt Robinson, born on January 31st, 1919, was the first African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Mr. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers at second base in 1947. As the first black man to openly play in the major leagues since the 1880s, he was instrumental in bringing an end to racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated African-Americans to the Negro leagues for six decades. Over ten seasons, he played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Championship. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games from 1949 to 1954, was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949; the first black player to be honored with an award of such prestige. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, Major League Baseball retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams. On October 24, 1972, he died of a heart attack at home in Stamford, Connecticut at the young age of 53.