*The Freedman’s Saving and Trust Company opened on this date in 1865. Known as the Freedman’s Savings Bank, it was a private savings bank chartered by the U.S. Congress to collect deposits from the newly emancipated communities. At the end of the American Civil War, the poor economic conditions of the formerly enslaved freedmen were […]
learn more*On this date, in 1863, the 7th United States Colored Infantry was formed. This an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers. It was authorized by the Bureau of Colored Troops, which the United States War […]
learn more*Frederick Tillis was born on this date in 1930. He was a Black composer, jazz saxophonist, poet, and collegiate music educator. Born in Galveston, Texas, Frederick Charles Tillis was raised by his mother, Zelma Bernice Gardner Tillis, his stepfather, General Gardner, and his maternal grandparents, Willie Tillis and Jessie Tillis-Hubbard. His mother played piano and […]
learn more*Kermit Moore was born on this date in 1929. He was a Black conductor, cellist, and composer. Moore was born in Akron, Ohio. While still in high school, he studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In Manhattan, he studied the cello with Felix Salmond at the Juilliard School while simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree […]
learn more*Opera Ebony’s founding is celebrated on this date in 1974. Opera Ebony is an African American opera company that has performed in various programs and venues. Benjamin Matthews, Sister M. Elise Sisson, SBS, and Wayne Sanders founded Opera Ebony In New York City. Opera Ebony has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy […]
learn more*The Symphony of the New World’s first concert was on this date in 1965. It was the first racially integrated orchestra in the United States. They were a symphony orchestra based in New York City. They gave their debut concert at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Benjamin Steinberg, who told the orchestra: “We have a lot […]
learn more*Helen Walker-Hill was born on this date in 1936. She was a white-Canadian pianist and musicologist who specialized in honoring Black women composers’ music. Helen Siemens was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She received her early musical training from her mother, Margaret Siemens, and continued piano studies with Emma Endres Kountz in Toledo, Ohio. She […]
learn more*Purvis J. Williams was born on this date in 1907. He was a Black educator and administrator. Purvis James Williams was born in Norfolk, Norfolk City, Virginia. He was the son of Bascom J. Williams and Nannie Williams. On November 23, 1938, Williams married Blanche Marie Kyles in the District of Columbia. They had no […]
learn more*James W. Ford was born on this date in 1893. He was a Black labor activist and a politician. Ford was born in Pratt City, Alabama. His father, a former resident of Gainesville, Georgia, had come to Alabama in the 1890s to work in the coal mines and steel mills. He worked for 35 years […]
learn more*The 761st Tank Battalion saw combat on this date in 1944. It was a Black segregated tank battalion of the United States Army during World War II. The 761st were known as the Black Panthers after their distinctive unit insignia, which featured a black panther’s head. The unit’s motto was “Come out fighting.” The battalion […]
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