Single Moms Who Raised Famous Black Men

Sean and Janice CombsThe media does a great job of giving kudos to the rich and famous.  When a young man becomes successful he deserves credit, but behind many of these men there is a foundation of family - often times a family of one.

Today we celebrate the single moms who raised famous black men that have achieved great heights in movies, music, politics and philanthropy.

The thing that all these women have in common is that they worked damned hard with little or no recognition to raise their sons to be the fine men they turned out to be.  Today we salute these single moms, all single moms, and all mothers in general who put so much effort into raising their children - famous or not.

If you’re a mom, leave a comment so we can celebrate you too!

Single Mom Janice Combs

Janice Combs raised Sean Combs on her own after his father was killed when he was 2.  Janice worked 3 jobs to support her family and Sean's grandmother worked 2.

Donda West and Kanye West

Donda West passed way in 2008, but was able to see the beginnings of her son Kanye's rise in the music industry.

Ann Dunham and Barack Obama

Ann Dunham passed away in 1995 before she could see her son Barack Obama become the first African American president of the United States.  Barack's father left the family when Barack was just 3 years old.

Coretta Scott King

Widowed after the assasination of her husband Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King went on to raise her 4 children to great levels of distinction in public service.

Chlora and Martin Lawrence

Chlora Lawrence was forced his mother to work numerous odd jobs in order to support her six children after Martin’s parents divorced when he was 8.

Tupac and Afeni Shakur

A revolutionary from day one, Tupac Shakur was born one month after his mother Afeni Shakur was acquitted in the infamous "Panther 21" case.

Jonetta Patton and Usher Raymond

Jonetta Patton guided the career of young Usher for much of his life. Usher Raymond's father left the family only 1 year after Usher was born.

Samuel L Jackson and Elizabeth Jackson

Elizabeth Jackson worked as a factory worker to raise her famous son and only child, Samuel L

Notorious BIG and Voletta Wallace

Voletta Wallace raised young Chris to be the Notorious One after his father left when Biggie was just 1 years old.

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