Stephanie Tubbs Jones: The U.S. House Rep. Tubbs Jones, the first Black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, died at age 58. She chaired the ethics committee in the House and was the first Black woman to serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Gene Upshaw: Upshaw had a Hall of Fame career as a guard for the Oakland Raiders, which won two of three Super Bowls during his tenure. But his work as executive director of the NFL Players Association over a quartercentury was even more important. In 1987, Upshaw led the second players’ strike in five years, a short walkout that led to the embarrassing spectacle of games with replacement players. A new, seven-year contract was finally worked out in 1993, bringing in a new age of free agency and salary caps. He was 63.
Dr. Donda West: As a professor and chair of the Department of English, Communications, Media Arts and Theatre, Donda West was a fixture at Chicago State University for 24 years. Although she left academia in 2004 to work with her rapper son Kanye West, she maintained her devotion to education and creativity by creating the “Kanye West Fresh to Death Scholarship” for youth interested in studying the performing arts, English and writing. She was 58. Dana Forde contributed to this report, which also contains information from The Associated Press.
Dana Forde contributed to this report, which also contains information from The Associated Press.
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