People, Locations, Episodes

The Island of Hispaniola is Founded

*Hispaniola was founded on this date in 1492.  It is an island of African, indigenous Taino people in the Caribbean archipelago, the Greater Antilles. It is the most populous island in the West Indies and the region’s second-largest after Cuba.  The island is divided into two sovereign nations: the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic to the east and French / Haitian Creole-speaking Haiti to the west. […]

Black History And The War of 1812, a story

*Black history and the War of 1812 are celebrated on this date in 1812. This was a conflict between England and the United States. Blacks fought on both sides though many fought for the same reason: freedom from chattel slavery. In the Revolutionary War, black and white patriots fought together, which helped convince many Northern states […]

Jane Swisshelm, News Publisher and Abolitionist born.

Jane Cannon Swisshelm was born in on this date in 1815. She was a White American educator, publisher, and abolitionist.

She was born in Pittsburgh, PA.,and when she was eight, her father died. She helped her mother support the family by lace making and, at the age of 14, as a schoolteacher. In 1836, she married James Swisshelm and moved to Louisville, Kentucky. It was here that she became involved in the campaign against slavery and became a member of the Underground Railroad. In 1848, Swisshelm established her own anti-slavery newspaper, the Pittsburgh Saturday Visiter.

The 13th Amendment Of America’s Constitution is Adopted

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified on this date in 1865.

Sharecropping In America, a story

*On this date in 1865, sharecropping is briefly described.  Sharecropping historically is a system of agriculture or agricultural production in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land (e.g., 50 percent of the crop). We chose this date because of the […]

The Colored National Labor Union, a story

*The Colored National Labor Union (CNLU) first met on this date in 1869. Established during a 4-day convention, the CNLU was formed by Blacks to organize their labor collectively nationally. The CNLU, like other labor unions in the United States, was created to improve the working conditions and quality of life for its members. During the […]

Emma C. Clement, Theological Educator born

*Emma Clarissa Clement was born on this date in 1874. She was an African American theological educator.

Emma Clarissa Williams was born in Providence, RI. She was a graduate of Livingston College and she later married George C. Clement, Bishop, and AME Zion Church.  She was named American Mother-of-the-Year on May 1, 1946, she was the first Black woman so honored. As the granddaughter of a slave, Clement accepted the award “in the name of million of Negroes in the United States and in the name of all mothers.” 

William Braithwaite, Author, and Publisher born

This date marks the birth of William S. Beaumont Braithwaite in 1878. He was an African American author.

He was born in Boston to an immigrant from British Guiana and the daughter of a former slave. He was educated at home until 1884, when his father’s death left the family impoverished. Braithwaite attended public school but left at 12 to work and help his family. He worked for several people before settling into an errand boy job with the publishing firm of Ginn & Co., where he soon became an apprentice and compositor.

Hellen Chesnutt, Teacher born

*Helen Chesnutt was born on this date in 1880. She was a Black teacher of Latin and the author of an influential biography and Latin textbook. Helen Maria Chesnutt was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Her parents were the author Charles Chesnutt, said to be the first important Black American novelist, and Susan Perry. She attended […]

Theodore Lawless, Dermatologist born

Theodore Lawless was born on this date in 1892. He was an African American dermatologist, philanthropist, and medical pioneer.

Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish Author, born.

*Gunnar Myrdal was born on this date in 1898. He was a white Swedish economist, author, and sociologist. Myrdal’s writing used social economics to shed light on 20th-century American racism. Karl Gunnar Myrdal was born in Skattungbyn, Sweden, to Karl Adolf Pettersson, a building contractor, and his wife, Anna Sofia Karlsson. He took the name Myrdal in […]

The Palmer Memorial Institute is Founded

*On this date in 1902, we celebrate the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute.  Also known as Palmer Memorial Institute, it was an American school for upper-class Blacks. Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown founded it in Sedalia, North Carolina, near Greensboro. Palmer Memorial Institute was named after Alice Freeman Palmer, former president of Wellesley College and benefactor of Dr. Brown, who died on this date.  More than 1,000 African […]

Nina McKinney, Actress born

*Nina M. McKinney is remembered on this date, born in 1912. She was an African American actress and entertainer; she was one of the first Black actress’ to make her name in American cinema.

Tennessee State University is Founded

On this date in 1912, Tennessee State University (TSU) opened its doors of higher learning. TSU is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Jimmy Bivins, Boxer, born.

*Jimmy Bivins was born on this date in 1919. He was an African American heavyweight boxer whose professional career ran from 1940 to 1955.