People, Locations, Episodes

Alexandre Dumas, Writer born

Alexandre Dumas was born on this date in 1802. He was a Black French man who was one of the more prolific writers in the 19th century theater world.

Robert Benjamin Lewis, Author and Inventor born

*Robert Benjamin Lewis’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1802. He was an African and Native American author, ethnologist, and inventor. He was born in the portion of Pittston, Maine, which later became the city of Gardiner. He was the eldest son of Matthias Lewis and Lucy (Stockbridge) Lewis. Matthias Lewis was either a Mohegan from […]

Ira Frederick Aldridge, Stage Actor born

This date commemorates the birth of Ira Frederick Aldridge in 1807. He was a Black actor, considered one of the greatest interpreters of his day.

His place of birth has been listed as Africa, and Bel Air, Maryland. Some accounts of his life in the United States are inconsistent. Because of the lack of schools for African Americans in Maryland, Aldridge moved to New York and attended the African Free School and Schenectady College. The great British-American actor James William Wallack is believed to have hired him as a personal attendant while visiting the United States.

Sylvanus B. Lowry, Slave Owner and Politician born.

*Sylvanus B. Lowry was born on this date in 1824. He was a white-American 19th-century political boss, slave owner, newspaper publisher, and pioneer. Born in Princeton, Kentucky, Lowry’s father was David Lowry, a Scottish-American Cumberland Presbyterian minister and missionary to the Winnebago people in northeast Iowa. In 1847, the Lowry family followed the Winnebago as […]

Alice Ball, Chemist, and Researcher born

*Alice Ball was born on this date in 1892.  She was a Black chemist and researcher. Alice Augusta Ball was born to James Presley and Laura Louise (Howard) Ball in Seattle, Washington.  She was one of four children, with two older brothers, William and Robert, and a younger sister, Addie.  Her family was middle-class and […]

Charles S. Johnson, Sociologist born

This date marks the birth of Charles Spurgeon Johnson in 1893. He was an African American sociologist, and authority on race relations.

The St. Francis de Sales School Opens

*On this date in 1897, the St. Francis de Sales School was established. Located in Powhatan County, Virginia, it was built to educate young Black and Indigenous girls in America. The school was located near the James River and the Appomattox River on the Belmead plantation. Katharine Drexel opened St. Francis with a curriculum focused on academics and […]

Dr. George Kelsey, Theologian born

*George Kelsey was born on this date in 1910.  He was an African American educator, theologian and administrator.

The Robert Charles Race Riot Occurs

*The Robert Charles Riots began on this date in 1900. It occurred for three days in New Orleans, Louisiana, after a Black laborer, Robert Charles, fatally shot a white police officer during an altercation and escaped arrest. Charles had come to New Orleans from Mississippi. He was a self-educated activist for civil rights. He believed […]

Cootie Williams, Trumpeter born

On this date we mark the birth of Cootie Williams in 1908. He was an African American trumpeter whose mastery of mutes and expressive effects made him one of the most distinctive jazz musicians.

Martin A. Martin, Attorney born

*Martin A. Martin was born on this date in 1910. He was a Black criminal and civil rights attorney. Martin Armstrong Martin was born to Romey Orlando Martin and his wife Hattie Inge in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. The family included older sisters Costello Beatrice Martin and Willie Gladys Martin, older brothers, former Tuskegee Airmen pilot […]

Kenneth B. Clark, Educator, and Psychologist born

This date marks the birthday of Kenneth Bancroft Clark in 1914. He was an African American psychologist, educator, and social activist. His research, in particular his famous “doll study,” was crucial to the desegregation of public schools.

Frank Silvera, Actor born

Frank Silvera was born on this date in 1914. He was an African American actor.

He was born in Kingston, Jamaica, moved to the United States with his family, where he grew up and attended Boston Public Schools.

Billy Taylor, Pianist born

*Billy Taylor was born on this date in 1921.  He was an African American composer, educator, broadcaster and piano player.

From Greenville, NC, William Billy Taylor, Sr. graduated from Virginia State College in 1942. He moved to New York and played with such major musicians as Ben Webster, Eddie South, and Slam Stewart among others.   In 1944 he recorded with Stuff Smith. In 1951 he was the house pianist at Birdland and soon afterward Taylor formed his first of many trios.

Adele Addison, Opera Vocalist born

*Adelle Addison was born on this date in 1925. She is an African American concert soprano.