People, Locations, Episodes

Ulysses S. Grant, Soldier, and Politician born

*On this date, in 1822, Ulysses S. Grant was born.  He was a white-American soldier and politician.   Hiram Ulysses Grant was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, to Jesse Root Grant, a tanner and merchant, and Hannah Simpson Grant.  Grant’s great-grandfather fought in the French and Indian War, and his grandfather, Noah, served in the American Revolution at Bunker Hill.  Their son Jesse (Ulysses’s father) was a Whig Party supporter and abolitionist.   […]

Moses Rodgers, Mining Engineer born

*Moses Rodgers was born on this date in 1845. He was a Black miner and mining engineer pioneer of California.

Jessie Fauset, Novelist, and Editor born

*On this date, Jessie Redmon Fauset, was born in 1882. She was an African American novelist, critic, poet, and editor known for her discovery and encouragement of several writers of the Harlem Renaissance.

Hubert Harrison, Activist born

*The birth of Hubert Harrison in 1883 is marked on this date. He was an African American activist, educator, and writer.

L. C. Bates, News Publisher born

*L.C. Bates was born on this date in 1904.  He was a Black newspaper publisher and civil rights activist.   Lucious Christopher Bates was born in Liberty, Mississippi, to Laura and Rev. Morris Bates, a farmer, carpenter, and minister.  The Bates family was some of the few Blacks in the area. Due to the position […]

Alice Dunnigan, Political Journalist born

*On this date in 1906, Alice Dunnigan was born. She was a journalist who was instrumental in establishing African American presence in political news coverage.

Born near Russellville, Ky., she attended Kentucky State College and later graduated from West Kentucky Industrial College. Dunnigan was the first Black woman accredited to the White House and the State Department and to gain access to the House of Representatives and Senate galleries. She was also the first Black woman elected to the Woman’s National Press Club.

Carl ‘Luz’ Long, Olympian and Soldier born.

*Carl ‘Luz’ Long was born on this date in 1913. He was a white German Olympic long jumper and soldier. Carl Ludwig ‘Luz’ Long was born in Leipzig, Stadtkreis Leipzig, Saxony, Germany.  He studied law at the University of Leipzig, and as a 21-year-old, 1.84-meter-tall (6’½”), Long had finished third in the 1934 European Championships […]

Basil Paterson, Lawyer, and Politician born

*Basil Alexander Paterson was born on this date in 1926. He is an African American labor lawyer and former politician.

Connie Kay, Jazz Drummer born

*Connie Kay was born on this date in 1927. He was an African American jazz drummer.

Self-taught on the drums, Kay played in the mid-’40s with Sir Charles Thompson, Miles Davis, and Cat Anderson. He was in Lester Young’s quintet off and on during 1949-55, a time in which he also worked with Beryl Booker, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker and others. In February 1955, he joined the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ), traveling the world with the band up until it called it “quits” in 1974.

Coretta Scott King, Human Rights Activist born.

*Coretta Scott King was born on this date in 1927. She was an African American civil rights activist and author.

From Heiberger, Alabama, Coretta Scott was the daughter of Bernice McMurry Scott, a housewife, and Obadiah Scott, a lumber carrier. Scott grew up walking three miles each day to school while school buses carrying white children drove by her. Such occurrences, while difficult, led her to strive for equality and the best for herself. Scott went on to graduate from high school and in 1945 entered Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio on a scholarship.

Bobb Vann, Artist born

*Bobb Vann was born on this date in 1939. He is a Black artist, teacher, and lecturer. Vann was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Timothy and Eleanor (Ashford) Vann. He started drawing at age six and, after high school, was a student at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1959-1962. Vann worked as a […]

August Wilson, Theatrical Playwright born

*On this date in 1945, August Wilson was born. He was an
African American Playwright and Activist.

Born in Pittsburgh to a white father (Frederick August Kittle, who never lived with his family) and a Black mother (Daisy Wilson) from North Carolina. His mother raised him along with five siblings. During the 1960s Wilson left school in the 9th grade and worked at menial jobs at age 16. He received his education in libraries and in town hubs. Wilson began writing plays in Pittsburgh and then took a job in St. Paul writing dramatic skits for the Science Museum of Minnesota.

The Civil Rights Congress (CRC) is formed.

*The Civil Rights Congress (CRC) was formed on this date in 1946. They were an American civil rights organization. The CRC began at a conference in Detroit with about 10,000 members at its peak. Around 1948, the CRC became involved in representing blacks sentenced to death and other highly prominent cases to highlight racial injustice […]

Togo Gains Independence From France

*On this date in 1960, Togo gained independence from France.  In Togo’s first presidential elections in 1961, Sylvanus Olympio became the first president of the Togolese Republic.  The opposition boycotted the elections. On April 9, 1961, the Constitution of the Togolese Republic was adopted, according to which the supreme legislative body was the National Assembly of Togo. Historically, the Berlin Conference resulted in Germany […]

Sierra Leone Gains Independence From The UK

*On this date in 1961, Sierra Leone gained independence from Great Britain.   In the 1800s, the colonial British settlement of Sierra Leone was unique in that the population was composed of displaced Africans who were brought to the colony after the British abolition of the slave trade in 1807. Upon arrival in Sierra Leone, each […]