People, Locations, Episodes

The St. James Methodist Episcopal Church, (Maryland) is Founded

*On this date in 1879, St. James Methodist Episcopal Church was incorporated.

Located in quaint and charming Oriole, Maryland, the house of worship was not built until 1885. The church community was comprised of free Blacks; freed slaves and watermen who desired a place to conduct social and spiritual matters.

Cameron Alleyne, Bishop born.

*Cameron Alleyne was born on this date in 1880. He was a Caribbean-American bishop. Cameron Chesterfield Alleyne was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, to Robert Henry Alleyne and Amelia Anna Alleyne. He attended Naparima College in Trinidad between 1899 and 1903 before traveling to the United States for a Bachelor of Arts degree at Tuskegee Institute in […]

The Sixth Avenue Baptist Church (Birmingham, Ala.) is Founded

*On this date, in 1881, the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church was founded. Located in Birmingham, Ala., it closely parallels the story of people freed from slavery following the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the ending of the American Civil War. Encouraged by Reverend M. Tyler, president of the Alabama State Convention, a small band […]

Grant AME Church (Albuquerque) Begins Services

*Grant AME Church of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is celebrated on this date in 1883. This is the oldest Black church in Albuquerque and the first in New Mexico, organized during the state’s territorial period.  In 1882 William Slaughter, Allen Carter, and Edward Clark organized the New Mexico Colored Religious Society, which the following year became […]

The Tuskegee Choir is Formed

*On this date in 1884, we celebrate the Tuskegee Choir.  Beginning as a quartet, this group was sent out by Booker T. Washington for several years to “promote the interest of Tuskegee Institutes” by acquainting benevolent audiences to the school and his philosophy. The original quartet consisted of students Hiram H. Thweatt, John F. McLeMore, […]

The Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church (Princess Anne, Maryland) is Founded

This date in 1884 marks the founding of the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church in Princess Anne, Maryland.

The Second Baptist Church (Los Angeles), is Founded

*On this date in 1885, Second Baptist Church, the first African American Baptist Church in Southern California was organized in Los Angeles.

The Tanner AME Church (Phoenix, Arizona), is Formed

The founding of Tanner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church of Phoenix in 1899 is celebrated on this date.

The Black Hebrew Israelites, a story

*The Black Hebrew Israelites are affirmed on this date in 1886. Also called Hebrew Israelites, Black Hebrews, Black Israelites, and African Hebrew Israelites are groups of African Americans who believe they are the descendants of the ancient Israelites. Black Hebrew Israelites are not associated with the mainstream Jewish community, and they do not meet the standards used […]

Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta) is Founded

The founding of Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1886 is celebrated on this date. This Atlanta house of worship is a unique landmark of Civil Rights in the Africa American community.

James Walker Hood Easton, Activist born

*Dr. James Walker Hood Eason was born on this date in 1887. He was a Black minister and activist. From Sunbury, North Carolina, he was the son of Douglass and Lucinda Eason, former slaves. His parents were members of the AME Zion Church and named him after their bishop, James Walker Hood. Young Eason was […]

St. Marks AME Church, (Duluth, Minnesota) is Founded

*On this date in 1888, celebrates the founding of Duluth’s St. Mark’s AME Church.   This was the first and only building in Duluth built by blacks, for blacks.   Founded by Rev. Richmond Taylor, the congregation first met at Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue West. Soon afterward, it moved to a newly constructed building at […]

Leonard Morse, Minister born

*Leonard Morse was born on this date in 1891. He was a Black minister and a founding member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. From Boston, MA., Leonard F. Morse was the son of a distinguished New England Family, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Morse of Boston, Massachusetts. Trained in the elementary and secondary schools of […]

The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament is Formed

*On this date in 1891, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a Roman Catholic order of nuns, was founded.  It is a Catholic charitable institute founded by Saint Katharine Drexel under the name Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People.   During her life, Saint Katharine Drexel used approximately 20 million dollars of her fortune to fund […]

Zema W. Hill, Evangelist, and Businessman born

*Zema W. Hill was born on this date in 1891. He was a Black evangelist and businessman. He was from Franklin County, in Asia near Winchester, Tennessee.  Hill joined the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church and became a teenage evangelist at an early age. In 1916, he moved to Nashville, where he preached and evangelized in […]