5 Black Celebrities Who Taught Children Before Becoming Famous

Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on May 21, 1952, in Chicago. He graduated from Dunbar Vocational High School and attended Prairie View A&M University on a football scholarship but was expelled after his freshman year. In the mid-1970s, Mr. T taught gym in Chicago as well as drama to sixth-grade students in Sonora, Texas, prior to his successful acting career. Actor Jesse Williams was born Aug. 5, 1981, in Chicago. He graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia. After graduation, he taught English, African Studies and American Studies in Philadelphia Public Schools for six years. While teaching, he auditioned for acting roles, landing his first big break on Law & Order in 2006. He currently stars on the ABC TV show Grey's Anatomy. Singer Roberta Flack was born Feb. 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She entered Howard University at the age of 15, making her one of the youngest students to enroll. After graduating from Howard, she began her graduate studies in music, but her father's sudden death forced her to postpone those plans. She accepted a job teaching music in Farmville, North Carolina, and later in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu. He worked as a community organizer in Chicago prior to attending Harvard Law School where he graduated magna cum laude in 1991. He returned to Chicago and accepted a two-year position as a Visiting Law and Government Fellow. He went on to teach at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. Author and activist Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928, in St. Louis. After pursuing singing, dancing, acting and writing, she accepted an administrator position at the University of Ghana in 1965. In the early 1980s, she accepted a lifetime Reynolds Professorship of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

Related Stories

‘His Ex Wife Leaked the Story’: Actor Jesse Williams Put on Blast After Details About His Secret Marriage Spills Out Following Contentious Divorce

‘Something About Him’: Jesse Williams’ Grey Shorts Leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Drooling After Taking a Closer Look

‘One of the Greats’: ‘Killing Me Softly’ Singer Roberta Flack Passes Away Years After ALS Diagnosis Which ‘Made It Impossible to Sing and Not Easy to Speak’