People, Locations, Episodes

Saint Augustine, Doctor, and Philosopher born

The birth of Saint Augustine in 354 is celebrated on this date. He was a North African Saint, Philosopher, and Doctor.

He was the eldest son of Saint Monica of Saint Augustine. Aurelius Augustinus (his birth name) was born in the municipium of Thagaste (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) in Roman North Africa. His mother, Monica, was a devout Christian; his father Patricius was a Pagan who converted to Christianity on his deathbed. Scholars believe that Augustine’s ancestors included Berbers, Latins, and Phoenicians. He considered himself to be Punic and as “an African, writing of Africa.

The Hebrew Tribe of Dan, a story

*On this date in 1977, the Hebrew tribe of Dan is briefly described.  Though the community has existed since 1000 BCE, we chose this date because it was the date Israel formally acknowledged the tribe of Dan as Jewish.  According to the Torah (Hebrew Bible), the Tribe of Dan, also sometimes spelled as “Dann,” was […]

The Lemba (Religious Community), a story

*The Lemba religious community is celebrated on this date in this date in 1000.  They are a Bantu ethnic group native to Zimbabwe and South Africa, with smaller, little-known branches in Mozambique and Malawi. According to Tudor Parfitt, Professor of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, in 2002, they numbered an estimated 50,000.  They speak the Bantu languages their geographic neighbors speak and resemble them physically. […]

Pope Victor I, African Bishop born

*The birth of Pope Victor I is affirmed on this date in c 169. He was a Roman African bishop prelate of the early Christian Church who was Bishop of Rome in the late second Century. He was born in the Roman Province of Africa in Leptis Magna, present-day Libya. He was of Berber origin. The primary sources […]

Saint Gelasius I, Roman African Bishop born.

*The birth of Saint Gelasius I is celebrated on this date in c 450. He was the Black Roman African bishop of Rome. Gelasius was born in Africa and was one of the most prolific authors of the early bishops of Rome. Over 100 Gelasian letters survive; although 49 are fragmentary, some are relatively short. Additionally, six treatises are […]

Black History and Catholicism, an article

*Black Catholicism is celebrated on this date in 100. Catholicism in African America comprises Black people’s beliefs and practices in the Catholic Church.   Catholic Christianity among African-descended people has its roots in the earliest converts to Christianity, including Mark the Evangelist, the unnamed Ethiopian eunuch, a figure in the New Testament of the Bible; […]

The Santeria Religion, a story

This date from 1500, celebrates Santeria. Santeria is one of the many African syncretistic religions created in the Americas. The word syncretistic means to “draw together” or “combine.” In a religious situation, this involves the mixing of elements from different or independent religious traditions to create a new belief system.

Santeria is based on the West African religions brought to the new world by Black slaves imported mainly to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations.

Black Peter (Zwarte Piet), a ‘Black Face’ Dutch Folk Character

On this date, we reference the origin of Black Peter (Zwarte Piet) om approximately 500 A.D. He is a “Black Face” character of European folklore, a companion of Saint Nicholas (Dutch “Sinterklaas”).

Saint Benedict The Black, Patron Saint born

The birth of Benedict the Black in 1526 is celebrated on this date. He was a black patron saint.

He was born in Messina, Italy on the estate of Chevalier de Lanza a San Fratello. His parents, Christopher and Diana, were slaves who had been taken from Africa to Sicily. Granted his freedom at age 18, he stayed as an employee of his former master. Ridiculed and mocked by others due to his origin and skin color, he never forgot his humanity. He met with, and became enamored of, a group of Franciscan hermits near Palermo.

Macumba (African Spirituality), a story

This date in 1550 celebrates the Macumba/Candomble religion, one of many African-based faiths practiced in the Americas.

St. Martin de Porres, The First Black Saint in the Americas

*On this date in 1579, St. Martin de Porres was born. He was a Black patron saint.

From Lima, Peru he was often called Saint Martin of Charity; and the Saint of the Broom (for his devotion to his work, no matter how menial). De Porres was the Illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a young freed Black slave, he grew up in poverty. De Porres spent part of his youth with a surgeon-barber where he learned some medicine and how to care for the sick. At age 11 he became a servant in the Dominican priory.

Peter Claver, Patron Saint of Slaves born

*This date in 1581 marks the birth of Peter Claver. He was a Black patron saint.

From Verdu, Catalonia, Spain he was also known as Slave of the Blacks and Slave of the Slaves. Claver was a farmer’s son. He studied at the University of Barcelona and was a Jesuit Priest at age 20. Influenced by Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, Claver became a missionary in America. He ministered to slaves physically and spiritually when they arrived in Cartegena, converting an estimated 300,000. He worked for humane treatment on American plantations for over 40 years.

Umbanda, a Spiritual Faith From Africa

The Registry celebrates the Umbanda religion, which dates from 1600, on this date. This is one of several Black African faiths practiced in the Americas.

African Burial Customs in the United States, a story

On this date we celebrate the African American customs regarding cemeteries and funerals. One of the most direct and unaltered visual manifestations of African influence on the culture of African Americans in the United States is found in the social behaviors centered on funerals.

The Golden Stool of The Ashanti, a story

*The Golden Stool is celebrated on this date, c 1700. This is the royal and divine throne of kings of the Ashanti people and the ultimate symbol of power in Asante. The Golden Stool is a curved seat 46 cm high with a platform 61 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Its entire surface is […]