Let’s peer behind the curtain and scrutinize the beginnings of our renowned Black personalities. Ranging from Don King’s dark criminal past to Stevie Wonder’s early stirrings of musical brilliance, these black icons, from the realms of music, sport, and politics, have had some truly intriguing journeys. Don King may be a multi-millionaire boxing promoter now, but his past was steeped in criminal activities. From his early years, financially supporting his family came in the form of selling pies.
On being released from the underworld, King crossed paths with Muhammad Ali, officially starting his transformative career as a promoter. Another notable name, Beyoncé Knowles, surprisingly was quite introverted growing up in Houston. However, her concealed musical prowess caught her teacher’s eye and thus began her voyage towards unparalleled stardom.
Furthermore, the revolutionary path of Tupac Shakur was seemingly charted even before his birth. Embodying his destined political dissent and activism, Shakur eventually made the west coast his home, marking the kickoff of his epoch-defining hip-hop journey. Interestingly, SZA, born Solána Imani Rowe, showed no early inclination towards singing.
Only when Rowe’s circle of friends noted the melodic potential in her poetry, was she encouraged to extend her creative expression into music. Before long, Rowe landed up penning songs and vocalizing for artists of the ilk of Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. The empress of daytime television, Oprah Winfrey, did not have an easy upbringing.
Winfrey was borne out of rural Mississippi, where she unfortunately faced repeated abuse. But adversity often forges stronger mettle, and so it did with Winfrey who found her voice. At 17, she clinched a beauty pageant, landed a job with a Black radio station, and scored a scholarship to Tennessee State University.
LeBron James had the burden of his family’s fortunes on his young shoulders, but did you know that instead of becoming an NBA superstar, he could’ve ended up on an NFL field? From the streets of Washington, D.C. to the heartland of Tennessee, Samuel L. Jackson acquired a deep interest in films, spending much of his childhood in the local theatres.
He also developed a profound understanding of his position as a Black man in society, which motivated him to select Morehouse College, an HBCU in Atlanta, for his higher education. More importantly, the staunchly propagandized Kamala Harris was constantly exposed to education and activism by her parents.
While it is frequently lauded, her parents’ marriage crumbled in 1963, just seven years after their encounter at the University of California, Berkeley. The primary onus of raising Harris and her sibling, Maya, fell on their mother Shyamala Gopalan.
She subsequently earned her law degree from the University of California, leading to rather unjustifiably celebrated stints as the District Attorney and later the Attorney General of California. In stark contrast to the political spectrum, let’s turn our attention to the business domain where Damola Adamolekun was polishing his acumen as an exceptional businessman, before taking over the helm at Red Lobster.
Next on our list is Michael King Jr., who later became known as Martin Luther, a homage to the Christian dignitary bearing the same name. Nevertheless, it was the vacuum of leadership during the Civil Rights Movement that pressed upon King to step up and become the movement’s figurehead.
Interestingly, Stacey Abrams, born in 1973, found herself in parents who were deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement, thereby perhaps kindling Abrams’ innate affinity for activism and service. Moving on, Jackie Robinson is a name that resonates with sporting excellence. After making the move from Georgia to the sunnier climes of California, Robinson enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and etched his name in history as the university’s maiden athlete to achieve a four-sport letter, spanning football, basketball, track and field, and baseball.
Robinson took the big stage in 1947 by debuting in the major league and breaking the color barrier. Lastly, we delve into the early life of Stevland Hardaway Judkins, known globally as Stevie Wonder. Born prematurely, with an eye condition known as retinopathy of prematurity, Judkins developed an interest in music soon after his family’s move to Detroit. At the tender age of 11, his musical potential found notice, and he was signed by Motown Records under the stage name Little Stevie Wonder.