People, Locations, Episodes

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is Founded

*On this date in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT)’s beginning is affirmed. This is a modern dance company based in New York City. Choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey founded it. Ailey was the company’s director, choreographer, and principal dancer. The company started as an ensemble of only seven dancers, plus their choreographer and many guest choreographers. Initially, their […]

Revelations by Alvin Ailey Debuts

*On this date in 1960, Revelations, the best-known work of the modern dance choreographer Alvin Ailey. It is also the signature work of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which premiered an extended version of the work when Ailey was 29 years old. Set to spirituals, gospel, and blues music and influenced by the choreographer’s Christian upbringing, it presents a vision of the historically African American experience from […]

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Contemporary Artist born

This date marks the birth in 1950 of Jean-Michel Basquiat. He was an African American artist specializing in painting. Initially a street artist, his graffiti-inspired work won international acclaim during the 1980s.

Born to a Haitian father and a first-generation Puerto Rican-American mother, Basquiat grew up in Brooklyn. As a child, he created drawings inspired by comic books and television cartoons. His mother, who often took him to local art museums, nurtured his early interest in art. In May 1968, a car hit Basquiat. He suffered a broken arm and his spleen had to be removed.

Mark Bradford, Artist born

*Mark Bradford was born on this date in 1961. He is a Black gay artist born and raised in Leimert Park in South Los Angeles. Bradford moved with his family to a predominantly white neighborhood in Santa Monica when he was 11, but his mother still maintained her business in the old community. His mother […]

Beverly McIver, Artist born

*Beverly McIver’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1962. She is a Black contemporary artist, mostly known for her self-portraits. McIver was the youngest of three daughters and was raised by a single mother who worked as a maid to support their family. Born and raised in Greensboro, NC, her mother’s attention and resources were […]

Denyce Graves, Mezzo Soprano born

*Denyce Graves was born on this date in 1964. She is a Black Mezzo-Soprano vocalist. She was born in southwest Washington, D.C. Her father left her family when Graves was one year old, and her mother struggled to support the family through most of her childhood. Graves’ early musical education was limited to singing gospel […]

Awadagin Pratt, Classical Pianist born

*Awadagin Pratt was born on this date in 1966. He is a Black classical concert artist and pianist. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Awadagin Pratt began studying piano at six. Three years after moving to Normal, Illinois, he began studying violin. At 16, he entered the University of Illinois, studying piano, violin, and conducting. He subsequently […]

The First World Festival of Negro Arts is Held

*The first World Festival of Negro Arts was held on this date in 1966. Also known as FESMAN, it is a month-long culture and arts festival in Africa that takes place every ten years. The festival features poetry, sculpture, painting, music, cinema, theatre, fashion, architecture, design, and dance from artists and performers around the African Diaspora. […]

The Society of Black Composers is Formed

*The Society of Black Composers (SBC) is celebrated on this date in 1968.  It was an African American composer collective. The SBC began in New York City. The collective hosted several concerts showcasing the works of Black composers. Members of the Society have made significant contributions to American musical culture, including contemporary jazz, classical music, […]

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters is Formed

*On this date in 1969, the “Black Academy of Arts and Letters (BAAL)” was founded.

Kara Walker, Artist born

Kara Walker was born on this date in 1969. She is an African American contemporary artist known for her exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and identity in her works.

She was born in Stockton, CA. Her father was a painter and a teacher. Walker’s education includes an Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at Rhode Island School of Design in painting/printmaking, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting/printmaking at Atlanta College of Art.

Fabrice Monteiro, Photographer born.

*This date celebrates Fabrice Monteiro’s birth, which was in 1974. He is an Afro Brazilian photographer and visual artist. Fabrice Monteiro is an Agouda, the descendant of enslaved Brazilians with Portuguese names. He was born to a Beninese father and a Belgian mother. He was born in Belgium, grew up in Benin, and now lives and works in […]

Radmilla Cody, Model, and Singer born

*Radmilla Cody was born on this date in 1975. She is an African Native American (Navajo) model, singer, and activist.  Radmilla A. Cody was born into the Tłʼááshchíʼí clan of the Navajo Nation. Her father is Black. Her maternal grandmother raised her in the rural areas of the Navajo Nation, AZ, NM, and Utah.   Cody recalled her grandmother getting upset with her […]

Bubbling Brown Sugar Opens on Broadway

*Bubbling Brown Sugar opened on this date in 1976. This Black musical revue opened on Broadway at the ANTA Playhouse.  This stage performance, written by Loften Mitchell, is based on a concept by Rosetta LeNoire and features the music of numerous popular Black artists during the Harlem Renaissance. The revue included Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, […]

Kehinde Wiley, Artist born

*Kehinde Wiley was born on this date in 1977. He is a Black Gay portrait painter known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African America, frequently referencing the work of Old Master paintings. Wiley was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Isaiah D. Obot, is a Yoruba man from Nigeria, and his mother, Freddie Mae Wiley, is African […]