People, Locations, Episodes

Horace Greeley, abolitionist with pen in hand

*Horace Greeley was born on this date in 1811. He was a White American journalist and abolitionist.

From in Amherst, New Hampshire, he trained as a printer moving to New York City where he became a journalist. Greeley worked for the New Yorker and in 1841 established the New York Tribune, a newspaper he edited for over thirty years. Greeley took a strong moral tone in his newspaper and campaigned against alcohol, tobacco, gambling, prostitution and capital punishment. However, Greeley’s main concern was the abolition of slavery.

Rebecca Crumpler born

*Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born on this date in 1831. She was a Black physician and author.

Willim Washington Browne born

*William Washington Browne was born on this date in1849. He was a Black teacher, minister and businessman.

Ella Sheppard, an original Jubilee Singer

*Ella Sheppard was born on this date in 1851. She was a Black musician, vocalist, and educator.

Joseph Seamon Cotter, a poetic pioneer

*Joseph Seamon Cotter, Sr., was born on this date in 1861. He was a Black poet, educator, and playwright.

Composer Jelly Roll Morton, ragtime to early jazz

Jelly Roll Morton was born on this date in 1890. He was an African American jazz composer and pianist who pioneered the use of prearranged, semi-orchestrated effects in jazz-band performances.

Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta

On this date in 1893, we celebrate the birth of Jomo Kenyatta. He was an African political leader, and the first president of Kenya.

Rex Ingram, 20th century actor on stage, films, and TV

Rex Ingram, an African American actor, was born on this date in 1895.

He was born on a houseboat on the Mississippi River near Cairo, IL, when his mother, who was on her way home from a visit with relatives in Natchez, MS, went into labor.

The son of a riverboat fireman, Ingram is said to have grown up working with his father on the steamer Robert E. Lee. He enrolled in Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, in 1912, where he became the first black man to earn a Phi Beta Kappa key at the school.

Adelaide Hall was a versatile performer

On this date in 1901, Adelaide Hall was born. She was an African American entertainer, dancer, and vocalist.

She was born in Brooklyn, where her father taught her to sing. She made her show business debut in a number of black musical shows in New York, including “Shuffle Along,” “Chocolate Kiddies,” “Desires Of 1927,” and “Black Birds of 1928.” The last of these introduced several songs sung by Hall, including “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Hall went to Paris and was married to a British seaman (Bert Hicks) who opened a club for her called La Grosse Pomme (the Big Apple).

Enolia McMillan, activist for education

*Enolia Pettigan McMillan was born on this date in 1904. She was an African American educator, civil rights activist, and community leader.

Fayad Nicholas, eldest Nicolas dancer born

*Fayard Nicholas was born on this date in 1914. He was an African American dancer and choreographer.

Evelyn White born

*Evelyn White was born on this date in 1921. She was an African American vocalist, choral instructor, author and educator.

Morris Miller, nurse, administrator, and health care advocate

Morris Miller was born on this date in 1927. He was an African American nurse and health care advocate.

Racial incident in college football game

On this date in 1951, a racial incident of, during the college football game between Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) and Drake University.

During the first quarter of the game, Drake’s Johnny Bright, a black running back and the nation’s leading rusher, was knocked out of the game with a broken jaw by Oklahoma A&Ms defensive tackle Wilbanks Smith, who was white. With Bright gone, A&M erased an early deficit and won the game over previously unbeaten Drake.

Kamala Harris born

*Kamala Harris was born on this date in 1964. She is an African American politician and community advocate. From Oakland, California, Harris is the daughter of a Tamil Indian mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a breast cancer researcher who emigrated from Chennai, India, in 1960 and a Jamaican American father, Donald Harris, a Stanford University economics professor. She has one younger sister, Maya. The family moved to Berkeley, […]