Don't Miss These Program Shorts That Feature Distinguished Black Ohioans On Jazzy 88.9 WCSU-FM.

  Stephanie Tubbs Jones

Born in Cleveland, Ohio on September 10, 1949, Stephanie Tubbs Jones was an active legal practitioner and politician dedicated to public service. She attended public school in Cleveland and furthered her education at Case Western Reserve where she earned degrees in social work & law. In 1981, she was elected the first African-American woman judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County. She also served the county as the first woman and African-American prosecutor. In January, 1999, Stephanie Tubbs Jones was sworn in as the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio. She was an active member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Her areas of interest included education, healthcare and economics. Stephanie Tubbs Jones continued to represent Ohio's 11th Congressional District until her death on August 19, 2008.

  Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio on June 27, 1872, the son of escaped slaves, his parents instilled him a love of learning and history. Considered by many to be the greatest of all Black American poets, he was educated in Dayton and wrote his first poem at the age of 6. He attended Dayton Central High School with the Wright Brothers where he was the only black student. Although he had to contend with racism, he was able to impress his teachers and fellow classmates with his ability to write verse.  He was chosen to compose the song for his graduating class. In 1893, he published his first collection of poems entitled "Oak & Ivy." Paul Dunbar went on to author four books of short stories, five novels, a dozen books of poetry and a play. His original home is a national historical landmark in Dayton. He died on February 9, 1906.

Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee, born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio on October 27, 1924, grew up in Harlem, New York. She is a well-known actress and activist. Her notable performances include " A Raisin in the Sun", for which she received the National Board Of Review Best Supporting Actress Award and "Edge of the City", both roles played opposite actor Sidney Poitier. She has edited an anthology of poetry for the young entitled "Glow Children and Other Poems." She established the Ruby Dee Scholarship in Dramatic Art to help young black women pursue a career in the acting profession. As an activist, she, along with her late husband Ossie Davis, enjoyed personal relationships with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. On March 11, 2001, Ruby Dee was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild. 

The Mills Brothers

John (born 1910), Herbert (born 1912), Harry (born 1913) and Donald Mills (born 1915) were four brothers born in Piqua, Ohio. They started singing in local Piqua churches and after school in front of their father's barbershop. The brothers used only their voices to imitate musical instruments. While local radio stars in Cincinnati, Duke Ellington heard the Mills Brothers and helped them sign with OKEH Records. Their first recording "Tiger Rag" was a best seller. More exposure led them to becoming the first African-Americans to have a network radio show when CBS signed them to a three-year contract. The brothers achieved another first for African-Americans when, in 1934, they gave a command performance before King George V of England. The brothers scored their biggest hit with "Paper Doll." The song took fifteen minutes to record and sold six million copies. The Mills Brothers were cited by Billboard as "the most popular male vocal group ever." Donald, the last surviving brother died on November 13, 1999.

Kathleen Battle

Kathleen Battle was born the youngest of seven children, Portsmouth, Ohio on August 13th, 1946. As a child, she was musically inclined and sang at church and school. She studied voice and obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Dubbed by the Washington Post as possessing "one of the most beautiful voices in the world", she made her operatic debut in 1975. This classic soprano has raised her voice to interpret opera, jazz, spirituals, lullabies, pop and folk songs. She has appeared on world opera stages and with great world orchestras. Her musical renderings have included collaborations with Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, Wynton Marsalis, Grover Washington, Jr., Al Jarreau and Alicia Keys, just to name a few. Kathleen Battle is a five-time Grammy Award winner.
 

   Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge was born in Cleveland on November 9. 1922. She began performing at a young age with her sister Vivian. The act was booked into the Cotton Club & the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Dorothy made her first screen appearance in the 1935 film "Our Gang." Her 1954 performance in Otto Preminger's "Carmen Jones" garnered the nomination for Best Actress, the first African-American to receive a nomination as Lead Actress and the third to receive a nomination in any Academy Award category. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Bess in 1959's "Porgy & Bess."  Dorothy Dandridge was a recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. She died on September 8, 1965 in West Hollywood at the age of 42.

  Edwin Moses

Edwin C. Moses was born in Dayton, Ohio on August 31, 1955. Excelling in academics, he received a scholarship to Morehouse College where he majored in Physics & Industrial Engineering. While at Morehouse, he honed his track & field skills and went to qualify for the Montreal Summer Olympics in 1976. It was in his specialty, the 400-meter hurdles, that he won his first Gold Medal and set a world record. He would go on to win three more Gold & one Bronze in international meets. This highly respected Olympian, physicist and businessman received the first Jesse Owens Award from USA Track & Field and was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall Of Fame in 1994. He was instrumental in developing programs for amateur athletes & drug-free sports. His native home Dayton, Ohio also highly-esteemed him with a traveled street re-named in his honor: Edwin C. Moses Blvd. 
 

  Frederick J. Loudin

Born to free parents in Portage County, Ohio in 1840, Frederick J. Loudin was a gifted scholar who came from a musical family. Though free, he experienced much racial discrimination. Receiving praise for excellent school work, white parents pulled their children from the school and he was not permitted to sing in the choir of the local church because the white congregation disapproved. He moved to Tennessee after the Civil War and soon became noted as a music teacher and basso. George White, the director of the internationally know Fisk Jubilee Singers asked him to join the choir. Probably, because of his previous encounters with discrimination and because of the Jim Crow laws of the south, Frederick Loudin never missed an opportunity to speak out against racism, even on southern stages. He traveled internationally with his own choir and amassed great earnings. When he returned to Ohio, he pursued business ventures, including a shoe manufacturing company. He died in Ravenna, Ohio in 1904.

Nancy Wilson

Nancy Wilson, the eldest of six children, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio on February 20, 1937. Her talent for singing was evident at an early age. At the age of 15, she won a talent contest. After graduating from high school, she entered Central State College to study education. She left school after a year to pursue her original dream of singing. One of the greatest influences on her musical career was Julian "Cannonball" Adderley who convinced Nancy to move to New York. That move led to an illustrious career as a world-renowned "song stylist" who has entertained for more than 35 years, recorded more than 70 albums and received three Grammy Awards. Her musical genre includes the blues, jazz, cabaret, pop and soul. She has appeared on many television variety shows. Also civic-minded, she holds memberships with the NAACP and UNCF. For an artist who received no formal voice training, Nancy Wilson shares her "gift" of song and continues to enjoy an enduring popularity.