March 1950: Influential Black Americans Franco Harris, Stephen W. Rochon, Bobby McFerrin, Joyce Beatty, Khalilah Ali, Ron Oden, Teddy Pendergrass, Thomas P. Mahammitt & Ada Brown
March 7, 1950 (Pisces): Professional football player who was a fullback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Franco Harris, born.
In 1990 [the year I met my Jewish paternal grandparents for the first time at 15 years old], Harris and his former Penn State teammate Lydell Mitchell founded Super Bakery (renamed RSuper Foods in 2006), which produces nutrition-oriented food for schoolchildren.
Harris and Mitchell also partnered in 1996 [when I was a student in the Dominican Republic] to rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore, the first Black American–owned business to go public in the U.S.
In 2007 [the year my youngest son was born], Harris was chosen by Forest City Enterprises to lead a charitable foundation they created, related to the development of a casino for downtown Pittsburgh that would be managed by Harrah's.
In August 2008, Harris attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention, in Denver, Colorado, as part of the Pennsylvania delegation.
Harris voted for Barack Obama on December 15, 2008, as one of Pennsylvania's 21 Democratic presidential electors.
In January 2011 [the year I divorced my abusive white husband and the father of my two sons], Harris became co-owner of the Pittsburgh Passion.
Also in 2011, Harris briefly worked with The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, before the casino suspended the relationship after his comments in support of Joe Paterno, his coach while at Penn State, during the Penn State child sex abuse scandal.
In 2019 [the year a wealthy white male department chair ended my nearly two-decade award-winning career at the University of Florida], Harris starred in the NFL's 100th Anniversary commercial recreating the Immaculate Reception with Terry Bradshaw.
[And a big shout out to former professional football player and writer, Chris Kluwe, for standing up for civil rights last week. We need more white men like him in the world!]
March 7, 1950: Political staffer who served as the director of the Executive Residence and White House Chief Usher from 2007 to 2011, Stephen W. Rochon, born.
As the Coast Guard's commander of the Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic, Admiral Rochon was responsible for naval and civil engineering, financial management, personnel, legal, civil rights, electronic systems support, and contingency planning across 40 U.S. states, Puerto Rico [that Criminal Party members referred to as a “floating island of garbage and the South Bronx still voted for him], Europe, and the Middle East.
A New Orleans native, Admiral Rochon served as the Coast Guard's director of personnel management in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricanes, providing support for Coast Guard personnel and their families, and ensuring they had housing and new job assignments.
Admiral Rochon has a passion for history and historic preservation.
He produced video documentaries in 1989 [when I was a student at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts] and 2005 honoring Alex Haley, USCG (Ret) and author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family, published on August 17, 1976 [the year after I was born].
Admiral Rochon also spearheaded the posthumous awarding of the Gold Lifesaving Medal to the Black American crew of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station for a daring rescue in 1896 near the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
He has contributed his expertise to a number of museums across the United States, from Louisiana to Connecticut.
Admiral Rochon helped rebuild and preserve the historic significance of three turn-of-the-century homes in New Orleans following the 2005 hurricanes.
Rochon was appointed chief usher at the White House, beginning his tenure on March 12, 2007 [a month before my youngest son was born].
He was the first Black American to hold the position.
Rochon resigned in May 2011 [the year I divorced my abusive white husband and the father of my two sons] to take a position at the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Admiral Rochon has earned three Legion of Merit medals.
He has also received numerous civic and community leadership awards.
A White House lawn picnic table is dedicated to Admiral Rochon.
March 11, 1950 (Pisces): Singer, songwriter, and conductor, Bobby McFerrin, born (click on link to listen to music).
His vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies—as well as scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion.
He performs and records regularly as an unaccompanied solo vocalist.
He has frequently collaborated with other artists from both the jazz and classical scenes.
McFerrin's song “Don't Worry, Be Happy” is the only acapella track to ever reach No. 1 in the US, which it reached in 1988 and additionally won Song of the Year and Record of the Year honors at the 1989 Grammy Awards [when I was a student at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts].
McFerrin has also worked in collaboration with jazz fusion instrumentalists including pianists Chick Corea (of Return to Forever), Herbie Hancock (of The Headhunters), and Joe Zawinul (of Weather Report), drummer Tony Williams, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
[These bands are part of my late mother’s extensive album collection on which I was raised that I will share with you when we get to those years in her life. I will incorporate musicology into every year of this daily publication covering U.S. history not taught in school].
March 12, 1950: Politician serving as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 3rd congressional district since 2013, and as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2021 to 2023, Joyce Beatty, born.
A member of the Democratic Party, Beatty represented the 27th district in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1999 [the year I completed my Master of Education at UMass Amherst and moved to Florida that was purple at the time] to 2008, serving for a time as minority leader.
She was also previously the senior vice-president for outreach and engagement at Ohio State University.
In 2012, Beatty ran in the newly redrawn Ohio's 3rd congressional district, based in Columbus, and won the Democratic primary, defeating former U.S. representative Mary Jo Kilroy.
She went on to defeat Republican Chris Long in the general election.
Beatty was married to Otto Beatty Jr., who was also a former Ohio state representative.
March 17, 1950: Actress, also known for being the ex-wife of boxer Muhammad Ali, Khalilah Ali, born.
Belinda Boyd was born on March 17, 1950, and raised in Chicago within the Nation of Islam (NOI) community.
Her father, Brother Raymond, served as a prominent lieutenant under Elijah Muhammad, and her mother, Sister Inez (Aminah), worked within the temple as a security officer and companion to Sister Clara Muhammad, the NOI First Lady.
Due to her parents' roles, Boyd grew up with close ties to NOI leadership, adhering to NOI teachings on lifestyle, including abstaining from social activities before marriage.
Although women in the Nation of Islam were often expected to remain silent, Boyd was part of a group of prominent women who navigated both social expectations and religious teachings within the organization.
Scholars note that women like Boyd played nuanced roles by guiding their husbands and contributing to community success while negotiating with traditional expectations.
At 17, Boyd married Muhammad Ali on August 18, 1967 [when my mother was a student at Brandeis University after Angela Davis], in a marriage she claims was arranged by her Muslim parents.
In an interview with NBC 6, Boyd recounted meeting Ali when she was 10 years old at her hometown mosque.
Boyd stated Ali signed an autograph for her while humorously remarking on his future fame, saying, “Listen here little girl. This is my name. Imma be famous. You need to keep that 'cause it's gone be worth a lot of money.”
Boyd said, “You'll never be famous with that name. And, I walked away.”
After marrying, Boyd adopted the name Khalilah Ali, though friends and family continued to call her Belinda.
During Ali’s draft evasion case in 1967, which led to the temporary revocation of his boxing title, Khalilah supported him emotionally and financially.
Khalilah and Ali's marriage faced difficulties, notably due to Ali’s infidelities.
In 1974 [the year before I was born], Ali began an affair with Veronica Porché, leading to a confrontation between Khalilah and Porché in Manila during the Thrilla in Manila fight.
In January 1977, Khalilah filed for divorce, citing differences in morals and respect within the family.
On June 19, 1977, Muhammad Ali married Veronica Porché, with whom he had two daughters, Hana Ali and Leila Ali.
Kalilah Ali later remarked, “I left him because he wasn't what he said he was, because of his lack of morals and disrespect to the family. I don’t think he deserves the name Muhammad Ali, and I’m going to call him Cassius Clay from now on.”
Khalilah and Ali had four children: Maryum “May May” (b. 1968), twins Jamillah and Rasheda (b. 1970), and Muhammad Ali Jr. (b. 1972).
During their marriage, Ali also fathered other children through extramarital relationships, including Miya (b. 1972) and Khaliah (b. 1974).
Rasheda later married Robert Walsh, with whom she has two sons: Biaggio Ali Walsh (b. 1998) and Nico Ali Walsh (b. 2000), both of whom have maintained a public presence.
Following her divorce from Ali, Khalilah remarried in the 1980s and experienced two additional divorces.
In 2024, Khalilah Ali publicly endorsed the felon and rapist-in-chief:
“I'm voting for Trump, I don’t care what nobody believes, I don’t care what nobody says, I don’t care what you think, whatever. I’ve studied what Trump wants to do. I’ve studied what Trump wants to make change. I saw what Trump has tried to do. And people who just want to be a hater, they don’t get information. I wear my Trump hat every day. I don’t care about what you think. Half my family are Democrats. Do I care? No. But we still family.”
[Hard to imagine why this thrice-divorced self-hating ex-wife and mother of four Black children to a Black nationalist social activist would endorse a wealthy white male of the right-wing supremacist that her late ex-husband hated].
March 21, 1950 (Aries): Politician, Ron Oden, born.
In November 2003 [the year I married an abusive white man and the father of my sons], he was elected the first gay Black American mayor of Palm Springs, California, after serving eight years on the city council.
He became the first Black openly gay man to be a mayor of a U.S. city.
As the first openly gay African American mayor elected in California, Oden's election made global news headlines.
He was also “the first gay Black American elected to lead a California city.”
In December 2017, Palm Springs elected “America's first all-LGBTQ city council.”
Oden's tenure as mayor was notable for his work promoting organizations focused on diversity, including the Palm Springs Human Rights Task Force, the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission, and the Palm Springs branch of the NAACP.
Oden also brought in the Palm Springs City Council's first gay majority.
Oden is openly gay and is the father of two daughters, Brooke and Brittany Oden.
He is also the grandfather of two granddaughters and two grandsons.
In recognition of his role in the Palm Springs community as the first openly gay Black American elected as mayor of a California city, and 30 years of public service, Oden was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Great Palm Springs Pride at the 2019 Pride Honors Awards.
[The same year a wealthy white male department chair ended my nearly two-decade award-winning career at the University of Florida, during the felon and rapist-in-chief’s FIRST term]
March 26, 1950: Soul and R&B singer-songwriter, Teddy Pendergrass, born (click on link to listen to music)
He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina.
Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
After leaving the group in 1976 [the year after I was born], Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums (a record at the time for a Black American R&B artist).
Pendergrass's career was suspended after a March 1982 car crash left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007 [the year my youngest son was born].
He died from respiratory failure in January 2010.
March 28, 1950: Journalist, caterer, civil rights activist, and civic leader, Thomas P. Mahammitt, dies.
He was owner and editor for the Black weekly, The Enterprise, Omaha's leading Black paper at the turn of the 20th century.
He was also an active leader in the Masons and the Boy Scouts and was named “Omaha's most distinguished Negro citizen” in 1934.
March 30, 1950: Blues and jazz singer and actress Ada Brown, dies (click on link to listen to music)
She is best known for her recordings of “Ill Natural Blues,” “Break o' Day Blues,” and “Evil Mama Blues.”
[AmeriKKKa could use some “Evil Mama Blues” after refusing to vote for a Black woman]
“HAPPY” BLACK HISTORY MONTH!