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Black Excellist ft. **William Trotter** - What made the Newspaper Editor a Black Radical

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William Monroe Trotter was a major civil rights activist in the early twentieth century, known primarily for launching the first major challenge to the political dominance of Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington and as an inspiration for the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Trotter was also the founder of the Boston Guardian (1901), the National Negro Suffrage League (1905), the Niagara Movement (1905), and the Negro American Political League (1908).

William Trotter was born on April 7, 1872, in Chillicothe, Ohio. His family moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1879. At a young age, he was exposed to education and equal rights activism through his father James, a rare black Democrat that supported New York 's Grover Cleveland in his successful bid for president in 1884. Two years later, James Trotter was appointed Recorder of Deeds for Washington by President Cleveland, making him the highest-ranking black federal official at the time. William Trotter's mother was Virginia Isaac Trotter.

Trotter excelled academically in predominantly white schools in Boston and entered Harvard College in 1891. Four years later, he earned his bachelor's degree in international banking with honors ( magna cum laude) while becoming Harvard's first black Phi Beta Kappa member. A year later, he received an M.A. degree from Harvard in finance. Restricted from working as a banker because of his race, Trotter worked in his father's real estate firm. In 1899, he married equal rights activist Geraldine L. Pindell, who in 1901 became the society editor for the Boston Guardian. Mrs. Trotter died in the 1918 flu pandemic, leaving Trotter a widower at the age of 46.

Trotter is best known for his strident opposition to the racially conciliatory policies advocated by Booker T. Washington and his call for a renewed emphasis on liberal arts education in contrast to Washington's promotion of industrial training. Trotter's public challenges of Washington's policies began in 1901 with his founding of the Boston Guardian and the Boston Literary and Historical Association, a forum designed to attract potential opponents of Washington including, most notably, W.E.B. DuBois. Trotter's first personal encounter with Washington came in 1903 when he interrupted the Tuskegee founder's address to a National Negro Business League meeting at a Boston's African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion church. Trotter referred to Washington as "the Great Traitor" and "Benedict Arnold" and was subsequently arrested and convicted for disorderly conduct. Trotter spent thirty days in jail, and some civil rights leaders believed that Trotter's arrest had been orchestrated by supporters of Washington. Trotter quickly became the national symbol of opposition to the "Tuskegee Machine," a network of institutions and surrogates that supported Booker T. Washington's ideology.

In July 1905, twenty-nine opponents of Washington, including Trotter and W.E.B. DuBois, met in Niagara Falls, Canada to form the Niagara Movement, the first organization to challenge Washington's power, and the first black-oriented civil rights organization formed in the twentieth century. During the meeting, this group drew up a manifesto, demanding voting rights for African Americans, an end to racial segregation and discrimination, and better health care, housing, and schools for the nation's black population.

In 1908, Trotter left the organization in opposition to women joining and the growing prominence of W.E. B. DuBois. One year later, Trotter rejoined several Niagara co-founders in helping to establish the NAACP, even though he refused to join the Association because he felt it was compromised by white leadership and financial support. As an alternative, he revived the National Equal Rights League.

Trotter's outspoken activism also extended to his direct denouncements of President Theodore Roosevelt for discharging three companies of the all-Black 25th United States Infantry after the Brownsville Riot in Texas (1906), and publicly confronting President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 after the new president imposed racial segregation on federal employees for the first time. Beginning in 1915, Trotter led Boston protests against the racist motion picture, The Birth of a Nation.

Trotter's quest for social justice included his urging a federal commitment to equal rights before black soldiers participated in the United States' World War I war effort. He was an observer at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference where he called for the end of colonialism in Africa. In the early 1920s Trotter opposed Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association ( UNIA) and its Back to Africa Movement.

William Monroe Trotter passed away in his Boston home on April 7, 1934. He was 62.

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William Monroe Trotter was a major civil rights activist in the early twentieth century, known primarily for launching the first major challenge to the political dominance of Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington and as an inspiration for the formation of the National Association for the ...

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Who Was Melnea Cass? Roxbury Woman Was Dedicated To Addressing Issues In Boston

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Melnea A. Cass (1896-1978)

Melnea Cass Boulevard in Lower Roxbury is named for one of Boston's most beloved and effective advocates for African Americans in Boston. She was relentless in her pursuit of educational and economic opportunities and racial justice for her community. Known as the "First Lady of Roxbury," Melnea Cass's activities ranged from volunteering on committees, serving on boards, and accepting city-appointed commissions, to giving money to students who graduated from school.

Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1896, Melnea Agnes Jones's father worked as a janitor, her mother as a domestic worker. Melnea's father wanted a better life for his children, including a proper education, so he moved the family to Boston's South End when Melnea was five years old. She attended the Boston Public Schools. Three years later, her mother died and the children's "Aunt Ella" stepped in to take care of them. She soon moved the girls to Newburyport, Massachusetts, under the care of Amy Smith where Melnea attended grammar school. Melnea returned to Boston to attend Girls' High School for one year when Aunt Ella, recognizing her niece's striking intelligence, found the money to send Melnea to St. Frances de Sales Convent School in Rock Castle, Virginia, a Catholic school for African American and Native American girls. Melnea Jones graduated in 1914 as the valedictorian of her class.

Returning to Boston, Melnea looked for work as a salesgirl. Denied opportunities because she was African American, she took a position as a domestic worker until her marriage in 1917 to Marshall Cass, a soldier in the Army during World War I. Their first child, Marshall, was born while Marshall Sr. was away on duty; when Melnea's husband returned from the war, the Casses had two more children, Marianne and Melanie.

At about this time, Melnea Cass became involved in her community as an activist. With her mother-in-law's encouragement, when women achieved the right to vote in 1920 Melnea helped organize African American women to register and cast their first vote. At the same time, she encountered William Monroe Trotter, one of Boston's most militant civil rights activists. Melnea Cass was deeply influenced by his lectures, protest meetings, and his newspaper, The Guardian. She joined the NAACP and volunteered what time she could while raising her children.

By the 1930s, Melnea Cass was a force for positive change in Roxbury. She volunteered her services for the Robert Gould Shaw House, a local settlement house and community center named after the commanding officer of the all-Black Civil War regiment. She founded the Kindergarten Mothers to encourage early education. She contributed her time and talent to the Pansy Embroidery Club, the Harriet Tubman Mothers' Club, and the Sojourner Truth Club. She worked in the Northeastern Region of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs as a secretary and helped form the Boston chapter of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a national organization that developed and sustained African American communities all over the country.

Melnea Cass served as the president of the Women's Service Club for more than fifteen years, during which time she initiated the Homemakers Training Program to assure domestic workers of social security and other benefits. She worked to expand employment opportunities for African Americans in stores and hospitals-drawing, of course, on her own experience-often attending protests against racist hiring practices. With Muriel and Otto Snowden, she helped to found Freedom House, a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to human rights and advocacy for African American rights in Boston. Freedom House programs also addressed urban renewal, minority employment, education equality, and interracial cooperation within the City of Boston.

In 1950 Boston Mayor John Hynes appointed Melnea Cass as the only woman charter member of the anti-poverty agency Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), which assisted people who lost their homes to urban renewal efforts. From 1962 to 1964, she served as president of the Boston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and organized demonstrations against the Boston School Committee's policy of segregation. In 1966, Governor John Volpe declared May 22 Melnea Cass Day in honor of her 70th birthday and years of volunteerism. More than 2,000 people joined the celebration.

In 1968, the Governor dedicated the Melnea Cass Metropolitan District Commission Swimming and Skating Rink in Roxbury to improve the lives of inner city youth. From 1975 to1976, Melnea Cass was chair of the Massachusetts Advisory Committee for the Elderly. During her lifetime, she received honorary degrees from Northeastern University (1969), Simmons College (1971), and Boston College (1975) prompting friends to call her "Dr. Cass." She was also named "Massachusetts Mother of the Year" and a "Grand Bostonian."

Three years after her death in 1981, the City of Boston opened Melnea Cass Boulevard. The YWCA in Boston's Back Bay is also named for Melnea Cass to acknowledge her tireless work for children, families, and career development.

Melnea Cass's motto in life: "If we cannot do great things, we can do small things in a great way."

- Bonnie Hurd Smith

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Melnea Cass Boulevard in Lower Roxbury is named for one of Boston's most beloved and effective advocates for African Americans in Boston. She was relentless in her pursuit of educational and economic opportunities and racial justice for her community.

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Who was John D. O’Bryant? - The Huntington News

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John D. O’Bryant, the namesake of Northeastern’s African-American Institute, was a trailblazing politician and educator.

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Bill Russell has been intersecting sports and social justice since he first entered the national spotlight. The NBA legend might be even more important off of it. Dominating basketball at the same time Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were changing America, Russell grew up during a time when passion on the subject hit close to home.

Bill Russell learns early
RELATED: Bill Russell's Beliefs Put Him Under FBI Surveillance
Russell wrote an article for The Players' Tribune about how he grew up during a time in America when racism was built even more explicitly into everyday life. He knew what it was like to be considered a second-class citizen. It was one event involving his grandpa that drove this point home. Russell wrote in his article:

"There was the night the Klan came for my grandpa. He knew they were coming, so he had taken his family someplace safe and then sat at his house waiting for the Klan to arrive. He never said anything about what it felt like to wait, alone in the dark, for men intent on murdering him, but it must've been equal parts terrifying and infuriating."

Russell's grandfather did not let them dictate the story, however. He got his gun and ensured the Klansmen knew that if they came around again, they could expect a fight. Russell went on:

"When they got there, someone fired a shot, so my grandpa went to get his shotgun so he could shoot back. Grandpa started firing and kept reloading until the Klansmen left. The story was told and retold throughout the community, the rare story of a Black man standing up to injustice without facing brutal repercussions. Everyone would laugh when they reached the point in the story when the KKK left, running. That moment was a moment of sheer relief, even in the telling - but we all knew they could come back the next day."

As Russell became an NBA star, he used this passion for speaking for a greater good.

Russell makes a difference

Bill Russell attends the 2019 NBA Awards | Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Turner Sports

RELATED: Was Celtics Great Bill Russell Traded for the Ice Capades?
There might not be a more important figure in basketball history than Russell. His penchant for defense and using his size as a skill in and of itself changed the game forever. However, his dominance played an equally important role on and off the field. Russell was an outspoken voice for a marginalized group of athletes at the Civil Rights movement's height.

He was one of the most critical voices at the Cleveland Summit, details The Undefeated. Alongside Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), Russell affirmed Ali's refusal to enter the military. They also pledged to become voices for the betterment of the Civil Rights movement. It was a pledge that Russell carries to this day.

Making a difference to this day

There might not be bigger basketball royalty living today than Bill Russell. While the Michael Jordans and LeBron James of the world occupy a space between businesspeople, athletes, and entertainers, Russell represents the shift in basketball toward a more inclusive roster of players. To this day, he is consistently one of the loudest voices when speaking on racial justice.

When Colin Kaepernick made headlines for his anthem protests, Russell posted a picture of. Him kneeling in solidarity with the blackballed quarterback. He's also been outspoken about the recent uptick in social justice movements, reports NBC Sports.

Despite approaching 90 years of age, Russell remains as in tune as he ever was. Hearing about his origins, however, and it makes sense that the man who went through so much at an early age continues to be a light for humanity's betterment.

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For Bill Russell, Standing Up to Racial Injustice Is in His Blood

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Bill Russell has been intersecting sports and social justice since he first entered the national spotlight. The NBA legend might be even more important off of it. Dominating basketball at the same time Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were changing America, Russell grew up during a time when passion on the subject hit close to home.

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Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and a survivor. On November 6, 2018, Ayanna was elected to represent Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ayanna believes that the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power, and that a diversity of voices in the political process is essential to crafting more effective public policy.

Born in Cincinnati and raised in Chicago, Ayanna is the only child of a single mother and a father who was in and out of the criminal legal system. Ayanna's mother, Sandra Pressley, was a tenants' rights organizer who instilled in her the value of civic engagement. Thanks in large part to her mother's dedication to activism, Ayanna has always been acutely aware of the role that government can play in lifting up families and communities.

Ayanna moved to Boston, MA in 1992 to attend Boston University. Working as an aide to Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II and later Senator John Kerry, Ayanna's professional life mirrored her commitment to service and lifting the voices of those in her community.

In 2009, she launched a historic at-large campaign for Boston City Council and won, becoming the first woman of color elected to the Council in its 100-year history. On the Council, Congresswoman Pressley worked in partnership with residents, advocates, and other elected officials to combat the inequities and disparities facing the community.

In Congress, Ayanna has been dedicated to the kind of bold, activist leadership she emphasized throughout her groundbreaking campaign. She has introduced legislation to ensure fair compensation for low-wage workers, to support survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and to fundamentally reimagine our criminal legal system, among much else. And she has been a vocal advocate on behalf of our immigrant communities, led the creation of the Future of Transportation caucus, fought to protect critical reproductive rights, and to hold the White House accountable.

In 2018, Ayanna was named one the Boston Globe's "Bostonians of the Year" and, in 2016, she was one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. She has been honored by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce as one of their Ten Outstanding Young Leaders, and with the Leadership Award from the Victim Rights Law Center. In 2015, she earned the EMILY's List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine's 50 Most Powerful People. She is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012.

Ayanna lives in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston with her husband Conan Harris, eleven-year-old stepdaughter Cora, and cat, Sojourner Truth.

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Meet Ayanna - Ayanna Pressley for Congress

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Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and a survivor. On November 6, 2018, Ayanna was elected to represent Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley reveals she has alopecia

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Ayanna Pressley's official bio from the U.S. House of Representatives

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Ayanna Pressley's official bio from the U.S. House of Representatives

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Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and a survivor. On November 6, 2018, Congresswoman Pressley was elected to represent Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts 7th is the most diverse and most unequal district in the state, requiring a representative whose experiences are reflective of the people.

Like many in her district, Congresswoman Pressley has endured numerous hardships throughout her life, and it is because of those experiences that she remains a dedicated activist who's devoted to creating robust and informed policies that speak to the intersectionality of her district's lived experiences. She believes that the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power and that a diversity of voices in the political process is essential to making policies that benefit more Americans.

Born in Cincinnati and raised in Chicago, Congresswoman Pressley is the only child of a single mother and a father who was in and out of the criminal justice system - creating an unstable household and forcing her to mature at a rapid rate. While her father ultimately overcame his addiction and went on to become a published author, Congresswoman Pressley was primarily raised by her mother Sandra Pressley, a tenants' rights organizer who instilled in her the value of civic engagement. Thanks to her mother's dedication to activism, Congresswoman Pressley has always been acutely aware of the role that government can play in lifting up families and communities.

Congresswoman Pressley attended the Francis W. Parker School, a private school in Chicago where her activism and commitment to public service took hold. A devoted student, Congresswoman Pressley was supported by her teachers, faculty, and peers and was elected class president every year from 7th grade through senior year of high school. She was also elected student government president, was a competitive debater through her school's chapter of Junior State of America, was the commencement speaker for her graduating class, and was named "most likely to be mayor of Chicago."

Congresswoman Pressley moved to Boston, MA in 1992 to attend Boston University, however, after a couple of years of enrollment, she withdrew from the University to help support her mother. She remained an activist in the community, working as a senior aide to Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, volunteering for Senator John Kerry's reelection campaign, and working for Senator Kerry for 13 years in a variety of roles, including constituency director and political director. Senator Kerry described Congresswoman Pressley as a "force" who "believed in public service."

In 2009, she launched a historic at-large campaign for Boston City Council and won, becoming the first woman of color elected to the Council in its 100-year history. On the Council, Congresswoman Pressley worked in partnership with residents, advocates, and other elected officials to combat the inequities and disparities facing the community. In her eight-year tenure on the Council, she:

Revised and mandated enforcement of a pregnant and parenting teen policy for Boston Public Schools to strengthen pathways to graduation and to reduce the dropout rate,

Developed a comprehensive, culturally competent, medically accurate, and age appropriate sexual education and health curriculum, which was successfully adopted as a permanent part of the Boston Public Schools' wellness policy,

Convened the first "listening-only hearing" in the Boston City Council's history, where 300 families impacted by gun violence and trauma shared their stories with city officials,

Partnered with the National Black Women's Justice Institute, to develop evidence-based research to reform school disciplinary policies that contribute to the school to prison pipeline for black and Latinx girls, and

Successfully pushed for the creation of 75 new liquor licenses, 80% dedicated to disenfranchised neighborhoods, resulting in the creation of dozens of new restaurants and hundreds of jobs in local Boston communities.

In 2016, Congresswoman Pressley was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. In 2014, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named her as one of their Ten Outstanding Young Leaders, and the Victim Rights Law Center presented her with their Leadership Award. In 2015, she earned the EMILY's List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine's 50 Most Powerful People. She is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012.

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Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and a survivor. On November 6, 2018, Congresswoman Pressley was elected to represent Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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Few trips to the record store are complete without finding stacks of Donna Summer albums on the shelves.

Her colorful and glamorous vinyl sleeves are easy to spot and catch the eye; most record stores typically stock multiple copies of albums like "Bad Girls," "Once Upon a Time" and "Greatest Hits: Vol 1 & 2." The abundance of Summer records in vinyl shops across the country is proof of her prolific career and impact in the music industry.

Dubbed the "Queen of Disco," Summer maintains her status as one of the highest-selling recording artists of all time, releasing music from 1968 until her death in 2012. She has sold 100 million records since the start of her career, putting her in a top-selling category with artists like Beyoncé, Coldplay, Prince and Britney Spears.

Sales do not define an artist's career, however, and they certainly do not define Summer's impact and influence on many genres of music.

Primarily a vocalist and songwriter, she frequently collaborated with electronic music producer Giorgio Moroder, and together they created iconic disco tracks like "I Feel Love," "Love to Love You Baby," "No More Tears (Enough is Enough) ft. Barbra Streisand" and "Hot Stuff."

The incredible music the pair created defined the disco genre in the early 70s. They left a stamp on the music industry forever, influencing many artists, both in disco and other genres, like pop.

"Donna Summer made music that moved me both emotionally and physically to get up and dance. You could always hear the deep passion in her voice," wrote Beyoncé after Summer's death. "She was so much more than the queen of disco she became known for, she was an honest and gifted singer with flawless vocal talent. I've always been a huge fan and was honored to sample one of her songs. She touched many generations and will be so sadly missed."

Summer was able to sustain her career throughout her life and established herself as a highly versatile, creative woman. Not only did she sing and write disco, but she also made rock music and emotional ballads. She sang and acted on television and in musicals. During her musical career, she released 18 studio albums and performed on 13 concert tours.

"It's common for Summer appreciators to insist that she was so much more than the Queen of Disco," wrote Ann Powers for NPR. "She herself fought to show her range throughout her career, incorporating rock and country, jazz standards and show tunes, into her astonishingly varied discography. But as one of disco's most powerful and intelligent pioneers, Summer represents the richness of that music, now finally being celebrated as the wildly innovative and inspiring force that it was."
allison.harris@mail.umkc.edu

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Black History Month artist spotlight: Donna Summer | UMKC Roo News

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Few trips to the record store are complete without finding stacks of Donna Summer albums on the shelves. Her colorful and glamorous vinyl sleeves are easy to spot and catch the eye; most record stores typically stock multiple copies of albums like "Bad Girls," "Once Upon a Time" and "Great ...

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Oftentimes, a legend needs no introduction. But when he's entering the Hall of Fame for a second time, a convoy of basketball greats is needed to honor history.

Bill Russell was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, this time as a coach. He was already inducted in 1975 as a player, but his coaching career as the first Black coach in the NBA was celebrated this time.

Russell joins an illustrious 2021 Hall of Fame class, one that includes fellow Celtics Paul Pierce and Mike Gorman. Russell won two NBA titles with Boston as a coach when he was asked by legendary coach Red Auerbach to take over for him once he stepped down. He holds a coaching record of 341-290 in the NBA.

Russell becomes the fifth person to go into the Hall as both a player and coach. He joins John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens, along with Celtics greats Tommy Heinsohn and Bill Sharman.

"This honor would never be possible without my great friend, Red Auerbach," Russell said in a prepared statement Saturday. "Red was a visionary. When he first asked me if I wanted to coach the Boston Celtics, I wondered, 'Could I coach Bill Russell?' Coaching the Celtics was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I had through my 13 years in the NBA.

"I had (chosen) Hall of Fame presenters who each hold a special place in my life and who I take great pride in playing a role in their lives. We are missing two important presenters: David Stern and Kobe Bryant, whose friendships meant a lot to me. And to my wife, Jeannine, thank you for putting up with me and for your love and support. Thank you."

Russell's presenters included an impressive cast: Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Spencer Haywood, Alonzo Mourning, Bill Walton and Rick Welts. Inductees can only be introduced by those already enshrined in the Hall.

"Bill Russell allowed the rest of the world to know that if you're qualified to coach, you can coach," 76ers and former Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Without Bill Russell, I'm probably not coaching."

"He is the original," Haywood said. "All of the coaches you see in professional sports, all of them stand on the shoulders of Bill Russell."

Russell didn't just have basketball players talk about his long and established career. He had former President Barack Obama speak on his behalf in a previously taped video shown Saturday.

Obama bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Russell in 2011, an honor given to individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." It's the highest honor a civilian can be awarded in the United States.

Here's Obama's full statement below on Russell:

"Most people who lace up their shoes and pick up a basketball never make it to the NBA. Most NBA players never make it to the Hall of Fame. And most Hall of Famers are only inducted once. But Bill Russell isn't most people. Bill already has a plaque in Springfield, honoring everything he accomplished on the court: The national championships in college, the NBA titles, the gold medal. That's why today we are inducting Bill Russell, the coach, the mentor, the trailblazer. When Red Auerbach asked Bill if he would take over for him as coach of the Boston Celtics, it was an unusual request. Bill was still the team's star player. But eventually, Bill agreed to give it a shot. At the very least, he joked I'll be playing for a coach I love.

"Bill Russell, perhaps more than anyone else, knows what it takes to win and what it takes to lead. That's always been true off the court as well. As I mentioned when I gave him the Medal of Freedom, this is a man who marched with Dr. King and stood by Muhammad Ali. He endured insults and vandalism but never stopped speaking up for what was right.

"When a coffee shop in Lexington, Kentucky, wouldn't serve Black players, Bill joined his teammates in boycotting the game in their town. An act of civil disobedience that still echoes to this day. That's why I could not be more honored to celebrate Bill Russell for the way he played, the way he coached, the way he led, the way he lives his life. Because as tall as Bill Russell stands, his example and his legacy rise far, far higher.

"Congratulations, Mr. Russell, and welcome, once again, to the Hall of Fame."

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Bill Russell introduced by Barack Obama, other basketball greats in Hall of Fame enshrinement

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Oftentimes, a legend needs no introduction. But when he's entering the Hall of Fame for a second time, a convoy of basketball greats is needed to honor history. Bill Russell was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, this time as a coach.

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biography

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Who Was Donna Summer?

Singer-songwriter Donna Summer, known as the "Queen of Disco," was born on December 31, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts. She died on May 17, 2012 at age 63, after a years-long battle with cancer.

Early Life

Donna Summer was born Donna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, Andrew Gaines, was a butcher and her mother, Mary Gaines, was a schoolteacher. From nearly the moment she learned how to talk, Donna sang ceaselessly. "From the time she was little, that's all she really did," her mother recalled. "She literally lived to sing ... She used to go through the house singing, singing. She sang for breakfast and for lunch and for supper."

Summer's debut performance came one Sunday when she was 10 years old, when a singer scheduled to perform at her church did not show up. The priest, who knew from her parents Summer's fondness for singing, invited her to perform instead-expecting, at the least, an amusing spectacle. But to everyone's surprise, the voice that bellowed out of Donna Summer's tiny body that Sunday morning was overwhelmingly powerful and beautiful.

"You couldn't see her if you were beyond the third row," her father remembered. "But you could hear her." Summer recalled, "I started crying, everybody else started crying. It was quite an amazing moment in my life & and at some point after I heard my voice come out I felt like God said to me, 'Donna, you're going to be very, very famous.' And I just knew from that day on I was going to be famous."

Summer attended Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Boston, where she starred in the school musicals and was very popular. She was also something of a troublemaker as a teenager, sneaking out to parties to circumvent her parents' strictly enforced curfew. In 1967, at the age of 18, only weeks before her high school graduation, Summer auditioned for and was cast in a production of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical scheduled to run in Munich, Germany. Overcoming her father's initial objections, she accepted the part and flew to Germany with her parents' reluctant approval. Summer learned to speak fluent German within a few months, and after Hair finished its run, she decided to remain in Munich, where she appeared in several other musicals and worked in a recording studio singing backup vocals and recording demo tapes.

In 1974, still in Munich, Summer recorded her first solo album, Lady of the Night, which scored a major European hit with the single "The Hostage" but failed to crack the American market.

Songs: 'Bad Girls' and 'Hot Stuff'

That same year, Summer married German singer Helmuth Sommer. She adopted an anglicized version of his last name as her stage name, which she kept even after the couple divorced in 1976.

In 1975, Summer co-wrote and recorded a demo version of a seductive disco track called "Love to Love You Baby," initially intending it for another artist. Producers liked Summer's demo version so much that they decided to make it her song instead. The final version released in the United States, an unprecedented 17 minutes long, featured Summer's tantalizingly soft vocals and sensual moaning-sounds so suggestive, in fact, that many radio stations initially refused to play the song. Nevertheless, the path-breaking disco track became an overnight sensation, skyrocketing to No. 2 on the U.S. singles chart and serving as the titular track of her second album. Building on the success of "Love to Love You Baby," Summer released two albums in 1976: A Love Trilogy and Four Seasons of Love, both of which were enormous successes. In 1977, Summer released two more hit albums, I Remember Yesterday and Once Upon a Time, and in 1978 her single "Last Dance" from the soundtrack of Thank God It's Frida y won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Summer's 1978 live album, entitled Live and More, became her first to reach No. 1 on the Billboard album charts and likewise featured her first No. 1 single in "MacArthur Park." A year later, she achieved the biggest commercial success of her career with the album Bad Girls, which instantly spawned two No. 1 singles, "Bad Girls" and "Hot Stuff," making Summer the first female artist to score three No. 1 songs in a single calendar year. As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, Summer briefly abandoned disco to release two R&B albums: The Wanderer (1980) and Donna Summer (1982). Returning to dance music in 1983, she scored her biggest hit of the decade with "She Works Hard for the Money." The title track, based on Summer's feelings upon encountering a sleeping bathroom attendant at a restaurant, has become something of a feminist anthem.

By the late 1980s, Summer's popularity began to wane and she achieved only one more Top 10 hit during the decade, 1989's "This Time I Know It's For Real" off the album Another Place in Time.

Summer released only two albums during the 1990s, Mistaken Identity (1991) and Christmas Songs (1994), neither of which made much of an impact. During these years, the multi-talented Summer also branched out into painting, holding several exhibitions per year and enjoying both critical acclaim and commercial success. She also became embroiled in controversy during the early 1990s, when New York magazine reported that Summer had made homophobic remarks and called the AIDS epidemic punishment for the sins of homosexuals. Summer vociferously denied making any such comments and sued the magazine for libel. The case was settled out of court. Summer released her first album in 14 years, Crayons, in 2008 to positive reviews and decent sales.

Summer married singer-songwriter Bruce Sudano in 1980, and they had two children.

Death

Summer died on May 17, 2012 at age 63, after a years-long battle with cancer.

Known as the "Queen of Disco," Summer will be remembered as perhaps the greatest singer in disco history. But she was so much more: a vocalist of incredible range and power whose voice was equally at home in German-language show tunes, racy disco dance tracks and powerful gospel ballads.

Not long before her death, Summer said that her foremost life aspiration was not related her singing. "What I aspire to in my life, truly, is to be loving," she said. "And I don't always achieve that, but that's my aspiration."

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Singer-songwriter Donna Summer, known as the "Queen of Disco," was born on December 31, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts. She died on May 17, 2012 at age 63, after a years-long battle with cancer. Donna Summer was born Donna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Donna Summer was a pop icon, five-time Grammy winner, and legendary songbird who scored 42 single hits on Billboard's Hot 100. Songs like "Love to Love You Baby" and "Hot Stuff" illuminate her tremendous songwriting and singing talent. Anyone growing up in the disco era is familiar with her music, but not many know her story behind the headlines.

To celebrate the "Queen of Disco," Stacker scoured news and biography sites to highlight 25 facts about Donna Summer that help paint a fuller picture of her life beyond the disco ball. Summer spoke German fluently, took up painting later in life, and battled depression, even surviving an attempt to end her life. Did you know that a sleeping bathroom attendant was the inspiration for "She Works Hard for the Money" or that she had a role in the TV series "Family Matters"?

Play your favorite Donna Summer songs as you breeze through our slideshow. You will discover fascinating facts behind the lyrics and life of Donna Summer.

You may also like: Freddie Mercury: The life story you may not know

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Donna Summer: The life story you may not know

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Donna Summer was a pop icon, five-time Grammy winner, and legendary songbird who scored 42 single hits on Billboard's Hot 100. Songs like "Love to Love You Baby" and "Hot Stuff" illuminate her tremendous songwriting and singing talent. Anyone growing up in the disco era is familiar with her music, but not many know her story behind the headlines.

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Donna summer sounds cool

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Who Is Ayanna Pressley?

A Chicago native, Ayanna Pressley moved to Boston to attend college, and began her political career working for Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, before working for then-Senator John Kerry in various roles for 13 years. Before her election to Congress, where she became part of a group known as " The Squad," Pressley served as the Boston City Council's first elected woman of color.

Early Life and Education

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 3, 1974, and raised in what she described as a "tough" Chicago neighborhood, Ayanna Soyini Pressley is the only child of tenants' rights organizer Sandra Pressley and Martin Terrell, who struggled with heroin addiction and spent 16 years in and out of prison. Pressley's father later overcame his addiction and became a published author.

She attended Chicago's private Francis W. Parker School, where she served as class president from 7th grade through her senior year. A cheerleader and debater, she was selected as her graduating class's commencement speaker, and was named "most likely to be mayor of Chicago."

While growing up Pressley also modeled and did voiceover work, even appearing in Planned Parenthood ads that ran on Chicago's city busses.

In 1992, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Boston University, but never graduated, withdrawing from the college in 1994 to support her family after her mother lost her job as an executive assistant at Time Warner. After leaving the University, Bush worked as a receptionist and a barback and served banquets at the Boston Marriott Copley Place.

Political Career

Pressley worked for Congressman Kennedy for two years, first as an unpaid intern in his Roxbury office while in college, and then as a paid staffer helping seniors access Social Security benefits.

After volunteering for then-Senator Kerry's 1996 reelection campaign, she went on to work for the eventual Secretary of State for 13 years in a variety of roles, including constituency director and political director. "Ayanna was a force," Kerry told The Boston Globe in 2018. "She had enormous focus and drive, a wonderful, outgoing personality, and believed in public service."

In 2009, she stepped down as Kerry's employee to launch an at-large campaign for Boston City Council. When Pressley was elected on November 3, 2009, she made history as the first woman of color ever elected to the council. With successful reelection campaigns in 2011 and 2013, she again made history as the first person of color and the first woman in 30 years to top the ticket. While serving in the role, she created the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities to spotlight stable families, reduce violence and poverty, and promote women's issues.

Pressley was elected to represent Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, unseating 10-term congressman, Michael Capuano. Along with fellow representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, she became known as one of The Squad.

"The Squad, as we define it, is anyone who is building a more equitable and just world," she told The Washington Post in 2020. "So that is more than four people. The Squad is big. Think of us as representatives of a larger community. The very first one-minute [speech] that I gave on the floor, I said, 'I come as one, and I stand as thousands.' That's Maya Angelou. That's what the Squad is to me. But it's something that some people have tried to negatively co-opt. And, again, to weaponize."

Alopecia

In January 2020, Pressley revealed in a video for The Root that she has alopecia, the official medical term for baldness, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. "I've only been bald in the privacy of my home and in the company of close friends," she explained, adding that she felt it was important to be transparent to help others dealing with the same diagnosis.

Pressley shared that her last bit of hair fell out in December 2019. "I am making peace with having alopecia," she said. "I am very early in my alopecia journey. But I'm making progress every day... It's about self-agency, it's about power, it's about acceptance."

Sexual Assault

Pressley revealed in 2011 that she had been raped both during childhood and when she was a 19-year-old Boston University student. According to The Boston Globe, she was working as a resident assistant the summer after her freshman year someone she knew raped her, but she never reported the assault because of the social isolation and shame she felt.

She described how the experience shaped her later life in Jessica Valenti and Jaclyn Friedman's January 2020-released anthology, Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World: "I want a world where survivors are believed and validated and supported. I also want a world where within a generation the number of those impacted by sexual violence plummets."

Personal Life

Pressley met husband Conan Harris, then the manager of an anti-violence initiative called StreetSafe Boston, in 2011, and the pair married three years later in 2014. She became a stepmom to Harris' daughter, Cora, calling her role as a "bonus mom" a gift. "It was inferred that by calling Cora my step-daughter, I am creating a distinction or a step down," she tweeted of her "healthy blended family" in 2019. "There is no distinction in my heart and she is without question my child."

Before meeting Pressley, Harris, who worked as a public safety aide to Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh before becoming executive director of My Brother's Keeper Boston, spent 10 years in prison for drug trafficking. In 2020, he testified before the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on barriers to making a successful return from prison and reintegrating into communities.

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A Chicago native, Ayanna Pressley moved to Boston to attend college, and began her political career working for Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, before working for then-Senator John Kerry in various roles for 13 years. Before her election to Congress, where she became part of a group known as " The Squad," Pressley served as the Boston City Council's first elected woman of color.