Ashford came from a big family, and he worked shining shoes and selling magazines to help contribute. He was the first Black person to be elected class president at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles and to serve as editor of the school newspaper.

Ashford was also the only Black player on a semi-professional team called the Mystery Nine, which actually proved to be the springboard to his umpiring career.

Paul Casella

@paul_casellaMLB

Jackie Robinson - well known for breaking the color barrier in baseball. However, he had a full taste of being an upstander long before that!

Paul Leroy Robeson was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political stances. Wikipedia

Henry Louis Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1954 through 1976. Wikipedia

Billie Holiday, born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a superstar of her day. She first rose to prominence in the 1930's with a unique style that reinvented the conventions of modern singing and performance. More than 80 years after making her first recording Billie's legacy continues to embody what is elegant and cool in contemporary music. Holiday's complicated life and her genre-defining autobiography “Lady Sings the Blues” made her a cultural icon. The evocative, soulful voice which she boldly put forth as a force for good, turned any song she sang into her own. Today, Billie Holiday is remembered for her musical masterpieces, her songwriting skills, creativity and courageous views on inequality and justice. (fr om the official website)

Matthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly 23 years. They spent a total of 18 years on expeditions together. Wikipedia

Dexter King Courageously Met with James Earl Ray in 1997 and was widely criticized for his actions. He and his family were called uninformed and even ignorant by an author who won a Pulitizer Prize writing about MLK, Jr. given access to MLK, Jr.'s papers and other family possessions.

The accused - self confessed assassin of MLK, Jr. says he was framed as part of a larger conspiracy to assassinate Dr. King

During a scheduled campaign rally - Bobby Kennedy had to inform his supporters that MLK, Jr. had been assassinated. He made one of the most famous and historic speeches in our history.

"As our nation unfortunately becomes more divided and polarized, the last thing we need is any effort that could be perceived as allowing racial segregation,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper in an emailed statement. “We must not turn back the clock to a time in our nation’s history when racism and white supremacy were written into laws and contracts.”