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Obituaries

In Memoriam : Harry Belafonte – Activist, Singer, Actor (1927 – 2023)

Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor and civil rights activist who broke down racial barriers, has died. He was 96.

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Harry Belafonte passes away
Photo by John Mathew Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0/Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com)/U.S. Information Agency. Press and Publications Service. (ca. 1953 - ca. 1978) Photograph by Rowland Scherman(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poitier_Belafonte_Heston_Civil_Rights_March_1963.jpg)

Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor and civil rights activist who broke down racial barriers, has died.

He was 96.

Harry Belafonte passes away

Belafonte died Tuesday morning of congestive heart failure, according to reports.

Legendary singer, actor, and activist

Born to Jamaican immigrants in Harlem, Belafonte was dubbed the “King of Calypso” after the groundbreaking success of his 1956 hit, “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O).” He also became a movie star after acting in the film adaption of the Broadway musical, “Carmen Jones.” He was also the first actor to be in an interracial relationship on-screen, starring in Island in the Sun in 1957.

But Belafonte’s biggest contributions was as an activist. After meeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the early ’50s, Belafonte developed a close friendship with the prominent civil rights leader. The two worked together on political and social causes, including a campaign against apartheid in South Africa, the for the fight against HIV/AIDS, and became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He also came up with the idea for recording the 1985 hit song, “We Are the World.”

Over the past two decades, he founded the Gathering For Justice in 2005 “to end child incarceration and eliminate racial inequities in the justice system.” He also co-founded Sankofa.org with his daughter Gina Belafonte and Raoul Roach in 2015 “to educate, motivate, and activate artists and allies in service of grassroots movements and equitable change.”

Harry Belafonte received multiple awards

He received multiple awards, including The Albert Einstein Award from Yeshiva University and the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize.

Belafonte was also the first recipient of the Nelson Mandela Courage Award. In 1994, President Clinton honored him at the White House with the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to our nation’s cultural life.

The last honor Belafonte received was in 2022 when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and took home the Early Influence Award.

Cherish his memory

Belafonte is survived by his wife Pamela, his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte, David Belafonte, and two stepchildren, Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren: Rachel Blue Biesemeyer, Brian Biesemeyer, Maria Belafonte McCray, Sarafina Belafonte, Amadeus Belafonte, Mateo Frank, Olive Scanga, and Zoe Frank.


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Unheard Voices Magazine LLC is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Keith Covin is a retired computer scientist turned social entrepreneur. He is the Founder and vice President of Unheard Voices Networks and Unheard Voices Magazine.

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Black Excellence

In Memoriam : Renée McMillan (1963 – 2024)

Renée McMillan was a well-respected educator, real estate agent, and community organizer, who will be sorely missed.

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Renée McMillan
Renée McMillan

Renée McMillan was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child, she was adopted and decades later, Renee was reunited with her biological family which brought her a great sense of joy and fulfillment.

She was a product of the New York City School System and would not hesitate to tell you that she was from Brooklyn, more specifically, “Do or Die Bed-Stuy” which signified the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

Highly educated

Renée was highly educated and every facet of the word excellence.

She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Office Management and Supervision from Buffalo State University, an Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Georgian Court University, and a Master of Arts in Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Career

She started her career as an Accounts Payable Bookkeeper for the Gamma Liaison Photo Agency in NYC. After that, she served as a Sales Representative for Nabisco before entering her calling: the field of Education.

Renee McMillan as an educator

Renée worked many years in the Asbury Park and Neptune Public School systems before finishing up her career as Vice Principal, at the School of Architecture, Construction, and Trades at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson, New Jersey. She had a passion for education and spent countless summers tutoring students in math. Renée received great satisfaction in inspiring her students to set goals and understand their purpose for their lives.

Real estate

After retiring from the Paterson Board of Education, Renée worked as a Real Estate Agent at Keller Williams Realty.

Renée McMillan served the community

She continued her service by being actively involved in the community. She held positions as Director of Neptune Township Biddy Basketball, a humble servant in the Women’s Ministry at St. Stephen AME Zion Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey, a former County Committee Member for District 10 in Neptune, a member of The PAC Program at Monmouth University, and also coordinated the GOTV activities for local, state, and national campaigns which provided the youth of Neptune with employment during the political season.

Renée’s hobbies were cooking and reading. She became well-known for her culinary and baking skills, extending her love towards others with her incredible gift.

Her legacy will live on forever

Renée leaves to mourn her memory to her loving and dedicated husband, her beloved children, two daughters and one son, her precious grandchildren, one girl and boy, a devoted and caring godmother, god sister and godbrother, godson and goddaughter, two doting sisters, three adoring brothers, two special brothers-in-law, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives as well as a countless number of friends and colleagues.

Renée was loved by the Unheard Voices community and she sorely be missed.

Visit James Hunt Funeral Home to read Renee McMillan’s obituary in full.


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Obituaries

O.J. Simpson, football Hall of famer, dies at 76 after cancer battle

O.J. Simpson, the football hall of famer and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend, has died. He was 76.

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O.J. Simpson dies at 76
OJ Simpson (Gerald Johnson, DOD, Public Domain Image | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:O.J._Simpson_1990_%C2%B7_DN-ST-91-03444_crop.JPEG)

O.J. Simpson, the football hall of famer and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of murder charges, has died.

He was 76.

Family announces passing

The family announced on Simpson’s official X account that Simpson passed Wednesday after battling prostate cancer. He died in Las Vegas, officials there said Thursday.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” the family posted on Simpson’s X account.

Life of ups and downs for O.J. Simpson

Simpson was a former NFL star, actor, and broadcaster whose athletic achievements and fame were eclipsed by his 1995 trial in the slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

The infamous case

Simpson assembled a “dream team” defense for the trial.

He didn’t testify, but the prosecution asked him to try on the gloves in court. He struggled to squeeze them onto his hands and spoke his only three words of the trial: “They’re too small.”

His attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. told the jurors, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

Acquitted

Simpson was acquitted of murder for both his ex-wife and Goldman.

The proceedings captivated the country, with tens of millions of viewers tuning in at home and at work and sparked heavy debates on race.

Though acquitted of murders, in 1997, a civil trial jury unanimously deemed Simpson liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages.

Served time

Years later at 61, Simpson served about nine years in prison for an unrelated case involving a memorabilia robbery in Las Vegas. He was released in 2017 on parole.

Football career

After graduating from high school, Simpson enrolled at City College of San Francisco for a year and a half before transferring to the University of Southern California for the spring 1967 semester to play football.

At USC, Simpson dominated the collegiate football and received the Heisman trophy in 1968.

NFL

Simpson went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where earning him the moniker “The Juice” and ran behind an offensive line known as “The Electric Company.”

He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards, the first running back to accomplish breaking the 2,000-yard rushing mark.

O.J. Simpson’s Legacy

Simpson leaves behind five children. He shared three children, Arnelle, Jason and Aaren, with his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, and welcomed two kids, Sydney and Justin, with his second wife Nicole Brown Simpson.


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Obituaries

Legendary DJ Mister Cee passes away

Mister Cee, the legendary New York City radio DJ, has died. He was 57 years old.

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Mister Cee (Facebook/MikaV • CC BY-SA 4.0 | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mister_Cee.jpg#mw-jump-to-license)

Calvin LeBrun, the legendary New York City radio DJ known as Mister Cee, has died. He was 57 years old.

DJ Mister Cee passes

Cee, who grew up in Brooklyn,was a prominent figure in the hip-hop scene in New York City.

He got his start as a DJ and producer for Big Daddy Kane, taking part in Kane’s debut album. Cee is also often credited with discovering another pillar of Brooklyn hip-hop, the Notorious B.I.G. He also played a role in launching the careers of  Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, 50 Cent, Drake among others.

Cee’s long-running “Throwback at Noon” show became one of the most listened to programs in NYC radio at Hot 97. At the time of his death, he was working for Audacy’s 94.7 The Block in New York.

“We have lost the iconic Mister Cee. I listened to him yesterday and am in complete shock. He was a dear friend to all of us, a wonderful man, and one of the most important and impactful DJs of all time. I love you Cee”, Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg said.

No cause of death has been revealed.


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Unheard Voices Magazine LLC is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

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