People, Locations, Episodes

John Westley Gilbert, Archeologist born

*John Wesley Gilbert was born on this date in 1863. He was a Black archaeologist, educator, and missionary to the Congo. Gilbert was born enslaved in Hephzibah, Georgia, though he grew up near Augusta. He was named after John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church. Until he left Georgia, Gilbert “spent half the year […]

Kelly Miller, Historian, and Educator born

On this date, we mark the birth of Kelly Miller in 1863. He was a Black historian and educator, born in Winnsboro, S.C. to a mother who was a slave and his father a Confederate soldier.

Jesse Moorland, Minister, and Civic Leader born

On this date in 1863, Jesse Moorland was born. He was a Black minister, community executive, and civic leader.

Jesse Edward Moorland came from Coldwater, Ohio, the only child of a farming family. When he was an infant, his mother died and his father left him to be raised by his maternal grandparents.

The Albany Enterprise Academy Begins Classes.

*On this date in 1863, we celebrate the founding of the Albany Enterprise Academy.  This was an Ohio school created for the education of Blacks.  The paperwork issued on March 14, 1864, testifies to the intent of their curriculum. This broadsheet appeared in Albany, Ohio. It was distributed to “The Friends of the Colored People” […]

Susan Elizabeth Frazier, Teacher and Activist born.

*Susan Elizabeth Frazier was born on this date in 1864. She was a Black teacher and civic leader focused on women’s issues and the rights and capacity of African Americans. Susan Elizabeth Frazier was born in New York City to Helen Eldridge Frazier and Louis M. Frazier. She was the great-granddaughter of Black Revolutionary War […]

Lilian Wyckoff Johnson, Teacher born.

*Lilian Wyckoff Johnson was born on this date in 1864. She was a white-American history teacher and an advocate for rural reform and American civil rights. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to John Cumming Johnson and Elizabeth Fisher. Both of her parents valued education and were strong proponents of community service. Her mother headed […]

Emma Ransom, Civic Leader born

*Emma Ransom was born on this date in 1864. She was a Black clubwoman and civic leader. Emma Sarah Connor was born to Jackson and Beattie Connor, former slaves. The Connors moved their ten children to Selma, Ohio, where Emma attended school. As a young woman, she trained as a teacher at Wilberforce University. She taught […]

Bowie State University is Founded

*On this date, 1865, Bowie State University (BSU) was founded. Bowie State University is a public historically black university (HBCU) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Bowie State is Maryland’s oldest HBCU and one of the ten oldest in America. Bowie State is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.   Bowie State […]

Lincoln College is Founded

*Lincoln College was founded on this date in 1865. It is a private HBCU college in Lincoln, Illinois, with roots dating back to the 19th century. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church established it but is now independent and has no formal church affiliation. A few other sites were possibilities for the institution; however, in December 1864, […]

Robert S. Wilkinson, Educator and Administrator born.

*Robert S. Wilkinson was born on this date in 1865. He was a Black educator and administrator. Robert Shaw Wilkinson was born to Charles and Lavinia A. Wilkinson in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston. 1884, Wilkinson was appointed to West Point Military Academy but failed to pass the physical […]

Margaret Murray, Educator born

*On this date in 1865, Margaret Murray was born. She was an African American educator and clubwoman.

Central Tennessee College is Founded

*On this date in 1865, we celebrate Central Tennessee College.  This was a historically black college (HBCU) in Nashville, Tennessee, founded by missionaries on behalf of the Methodist Church to serve freedmen.   In 1876, the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College was established as the first medical school for Blacks in the South. In 1900, […]

Virginia Union University is Founded

*On this date, in 1865, Virginia Union University (VUU) was founded. This is a private, historically black university (HBCU) in Richmond, Virginia. It changed its name in 1899 after merging two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary. Both were founded by the American Baptist Home Mission Society after the end of the American Civil War. In 1932, Hartshorn Memorial College, a […]

Western University (Kansas) is Founded

*The founding of Western University (Kansas) is celebrated on this date in 1865. This was a historically black college (HBCU) established as the Quindaro Freedmen’s School.   Located in Quindaro, Kansas, it was the earliest school for Blacks west of the Mississippi River and the only one in Kansas. The town was founded in 1856 by […]

Janie Barrett, Educator, and Welfare Worker born

*On this date, Janie Porter Barrett was born in 1865. She was an African American welfare worker and educator. Barrett developed a school to rehabilitate previously incarcerated African American girls by improving their self-reliance and discipline.