*Prince Hall was born (circa) on this date in 1748. He was an Afro Barbadian preacher, administrator, mason, and businessman. Prince Hall was born free in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies. His father, Thomas Prince Hall, was a white Englishman, and his mother was a free Black French woman. In 1765, at 17, he worked his […]
learn more*William Gladstone was born on this date in 1809. He was a white British statesman, slave owner, and politician. Born in Liverpool, William Ewart Gladstone was of Scottish ancestry. He was the fourth son of the wealthy enslaver John Gladstone and his second wife, Anne MacKenzie Robertson. In 1814, young “Willy” visited Scotland for the […]
learn more*Richard Rust was born on this date in 1815. He was a white-American Methodist preacher, abolitionist, educator, writer, and lecturer. Richard Sutton Rust grew up in Ipswich, Massachusetts. At ten years old, he became orphaned and went to live on his uncle’s farm. He attended Phillips Academy and became involved in anti-slavery activities. After hearing […]
learn more*James M. Williams was born on this date in 1833. He was a white-American lawyer, soldier, and merchant. James Monroe Williams was from Lowville (Lewis County), New York. Before the American Civil War, he was employed as a lawyer in his hometown. On July 12, 1861, Williams entered the Union Army as a captain in the 5th Kansas Cavalry Regiment and was appointed commander […]
learn moreThe birth of Mary Jane Patterson in 1840 is celebrated on this date. She was a Black teacher.
learn more*Hazel Augustus was born on this date in 1854. He was a Black Architect. Little is known about Augustus’ life. After marriage and starting a family in Orlando, Florida, he moved to Palm Beach County early in the century, according to an account given to The Post by his goddaughter, Hazel Augustus Driskell, in 1990. […]
learn more*On this date in 1858, the Oberlin Wellington Rescue occurred. Taking place in Lorain County, Ohio, this was a key episode in the history of the abolitionist movement in the United States.
learn moreFlorence Kelley was born on this date in 1859. She was a White American activist for civil rights and social reform.
learn moreThe founding of Avery Normal Institute in 1865 is celebrated on this date. Located in Charleston, SC, Avery Normal Institute was a nationally recognized African American educational institution that trained young adults in professional careers and leaderships roles for nearly 100 years.
learn more*Edwin Smalls was born on this date in 1882. He was a Black businessman. Edwin Alexander Smalls was from Charleston, SC, and joined the Great Migration north and came to New York with the waves of people who flowed into the city from Europe and the South. He settled in Manhattan but moved uptown as Harlem was […]
learn more*Marion Thompson Wright was born on September 12, 1902. She was a Black scholar, educator, and activist. Marion Manola Thompson was born in East Orange, New Jersey, to Minnie Thompson and Moses R. Thompson. Wright was the youngest of four children and had two older twin sisters and a brother. She attended Barringer High School […]
learn moreOn this date in 1909, the New York Amsterdam News was founded. It has been one of the leading Black weekly newspapers for almost 100 years.
learn moreThe birth of William T.V. Fontaine in 1909 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American educator and philosopher.
learn more*Eliza Atkins Gleason was born on this date in 1909. She was a Black librarian, university dean, and administrator. Eliza Valeria Atkins was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Simon Green Atkins and Olenona Pegram Atkins. Her parents were educators; her mother was a teacher, and her father was the founder and first president of […]
learn moreThis date marks the birth of Jesse Owens in 1913. He was an African American sprinter and businessman and one of the greatest track-and-field athletes of all time.
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