People, Locations, Episodes

Lou Bellamy, Theatrical Director born

*Lou Bellamy was born on this date in 1944. He is an African American Theatric Director, actor, entrepreneur and educator.

Gregory Hines, a Complete Entertainer born

*The birth of Gregory Hines is marked on this date in 1946. He was an African American tap dancer, choreographer, dramatic and comic actor, singer, and director.

Avery Clayton, Historian, and Collector born

*Avery Clayton was born on this date in 1947. He was an African American Educator, Artist, Entrepreneur and Historian.

Clayton was born in Los Angeles, CA to Mayme and Andrew Clayton. His mother was a librarian and his father owned a barbershop. He attended Los Angeles area schools and had two brothers, Renai and Lloyd Clayton. After serving in the Vietnam War, he returned to Los Angeles where he studied art at Los Angeles City College and the UCLA School of Fine Arts.

Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Artisan and Philanthropist born

*Peggy Cooper Cafritz was born on this date in 1947. She was a Black art collector, educator, activist, philanthropist, and socialite. Born Pearl Alice Cooper, Peggy Cafritz belonged to one of Mobile, Alabama’s wealthiest black families. She later changed her name legally to her childhood nickname, “Peggy.” The Cooper family gained their wealth through Peggy’s […]

Gil Scott Heron, Poet, and Musician born

Gil Scott Heron was born on this date in 1949. He was an African American poet, lyricist, musician, and activist.

Tina Allen, Sculptor born

*Tina Allen was born on this date in 1949. She was a Black sculptor. She was born Tina Powell in Hempstead, N.Y. Her father, Gordon “Specs” Powell, was a studio musician for CBS Records who played in “The Ed Sullivan Show” band. Her mother was a writer and a nurse, and one of Allen’s uncles […]

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Dancer, Teacher, and Choreographer born

*Jawole Willa Jo Zollar was born on this date in 1950. She is a Black dancer, teacher, and choreographer of modern dance. She was born Willa Jo Zollar in Kansas City, Missouri, the sixth child of Alfred Zollar Jr. and Dorothy Delores Zollar. From age seven to seventeen, Zollar received her dance education from Joseph […]

Carrie Mae Weems, Photographer, and Teacher born

*Carrie Mae Weems was born on this date in 1953. She is a Black artist who works in text, fabric, audio, digital images, and installation video. She is best known for her photography. Weems was born in Portland, Oregon, and was the second of seven children to Carrie Polk and Myrlie Weems. She began participating […]

Darwoud Bey, Photographer born

*The birth of Dawoud Bey is marked on this date in 1953.  He is a Black photographer and educator.  Born David Edward Smikle in New York City’s Jamaica, Queens neighborhood, Smikle attended PS 131 grade school and graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo High School.  He changed his name to Dawoud Bey in the early 1970s, […]

Hamid Drake, Drummer and Percussionist born.

*Hamid Drake was born on this date in 1955. He is a Black jazz drummer and percussionist. Hamid Drake (Henry Lawrence Drake) was born in Monroe, Louisiana, and when he was a child, his family moved to Evanston, Illinois. There, he started playing with local rock and R&B bands, eventually bringing him to the attention […]

Harolyn Blackwell, Vocalist born

*Harolyn Blackwell was born on this fate in 1955. She is an African American lyric coloratura soprano and educator.

Chi-Chi Nwanoku, Musican and Professor born.

*Chi-Chi Nwanoku was born on this date in 1956. She is a Black British double bassist and Historical Double Bass Studies professor. Chinyere Adah “Chi-Chi” Nwanoku was born in Fulham, London, and is of Nigerian and Irish descent. She is the oldest of her parents’ five children, Dr. Michael Nwanoku and his wife Margaret (née […]

The African Jazz-Art Society & Studio is formed

*The African Jazz-Art Society & Studio (AJASS) was formed on this date in 1956. It was initially called the Jazz-Art Society and later remained the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios. The organizers were young African American artists, designers, musicians, hairdressers, writers, and jazz enthusiasts. Elombe Brath, Kwame Brathwaite, Robert Gumbs, Afrank Adu, Chris Acemandese Hall, […]

James ‘Chip’ Thomas, Doctor and Artist born

*This date in 1957 is celebrated as the birth date of James “Chip” Thomas, a Black doctor and mural artist. Dr. Thomas graduated from the Meharry Medical College School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College School of Medicine in 1983. He works in TONALEA, AZ, and two other locations and specializes in Family Medicine. Dr. Thomas is […]

Julie Felix, Ballerina, and Teacher born

*Julie Felix’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1958. She is a retired Black British ballerina and teacher. Having grown up in Ealing, west London, in the 60s, Felix knew about racial distinction. She did not often notice any faces that weren’t white in the neighborhood or at college, she says. After her mother […]