James Brown, musician
May 3, 1933-Dec. 25, 2006
Shake, Rattle & Roll: The Founders of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, illustrated by Laura Levine (Houghton Mifflin, 2001)
"The Hardest Working Man in Show Business" picked cotton, shined shoes, boxed, and played baseball before making it big.
James Brown: Godfather of Soul offers information about the man, the message and the soul.
Septima P. Clark
May 3, 1898-Dec. 15, 1987
Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)
A teacher, Clark fought for equality in civil rights movement. Injustices done to her with regards to her lost job were repaid.
Read about Clark on the African American Registry
Golda Meir
May 3, 1898-Dec. 8, 1978
Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 2000)
One of the founders of the State of Israel as well as serving at its Prime Minister for five years, Meir made a remarkable contribution to Israel and the world.
The Jewish Virtual Library posts a bio of Meir on their site.