People, Locations, Episodes

Percival Borde, Choreographer born

*Percival Borde was born on this date in 1922. He was an Afro Caribbean dancer-choreographer, educator, and scholar. From Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Percival Sebastian Borde was the son of veterinarians George Paul Borde and Augustine Francis Lambie. He was raised in Trinidad and attended Queen Royal College. In his early career, he […]

Samella Sanders Lewis, Visual Artist, Professor, and Art Historian born

*Samella Sanders Lewis was born on this date in 1923. She was a Black visual artist, professor, and art historian. Samella Sanders was born to Samuel Sanders and Rachel Taylor Sanders in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. Her father was a farmer, and her mother was a domestic worker. Widely exhibited and […]

Clara Ledesma Terrazas, Afro Dominican Artist born

*Clara Ledesma Terrazas was born on this date in 1924. She was an Afro Dominican artist and teacher.   Clara Ledesma was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.   She initially studied art under Yoryi Morel in his academy in that city. Ledesma later enrolled in the National School of Fine Arts in Santo […]

Julia Perry, Classical Composer, and Teacher born

*Julia Perry was born on this date in 1924. She was a Black classical composer and teacher. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Julia Amanda Perry studied voice, piano, and composition at the Westminster Choir College from 1943–48. There, she received her B.M. and M.M. She continued her graduate studies at Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood and later studied at the Juilliard School of Music. Around this time, she was […]

Richard Mayhew, Artist born

*Richard Mayhew was born on this date in 1924. He is an Afro Native American landscape painter, illustrator, and arts educator. Richard Mayhew was born in Amityville, New York, to Alvin Mayhew, of African and Shinnecock tribe descent, and his mother, Lillian Goldman Mayhew, was of African and Cherokee-Lumbee descent. His mother would take him to New York City to see paintings, and George Inness’s […]

John Biggers, Artist born

On this date in 1924, John Biggers was born. He was a gifted, African American artist.

From Gastonia, North Carolina, he was born in a shotgun house built by his father Paul. His father was a Baptist preacher, schoolteacher, farmer, principal of a three-room school, and shoemaker. His mother, Cora, did laundry and cooked for white families. Biggers was the youngest of seven in a tightly knit family that valued education and creative endeavors.

Ed Wilson, Sculptor born

*This date marks the birth of Ed Wilson in 1925. A Black sculptor, he was known for figurative works that are typically created in metal.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Wilson became interested in art as a child while recovering from rheumatic fever. After serving in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946, he studied painting at the University of Iowa but eventually switched his focus to sculpture. After earning his M.A. degree from the University of Iowa in 1953, Wilson taught at North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central College) in Durham.

LeRoy Foster, Artist born

*LeRoy Foster was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black Gay painting artist. Foster was born in Detroit and lived there his entire life, except for a brief time when he studied Art in Europe in the 1940s. Foster began drawing at age five or six and was an exceptional art student, recognized by teachers […]

Mattiwilda Dobbs, Opera Singer born

*Mattiwilda Dobbs was born on this date in 1925. She was an African American operatic and gospel singer.

Adele Addison, Opera Vocalist born

*Adelle Addison was born on this date in 1925. She is an African American concert soprano.

Robert Colescott, Artist born

*Robert Colescott was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black painter. He is known for satirical genre and crowd subjects, often conveying his exuberant, comical, or bitter reflections on being African American. Robert H. Colescott was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and developed a deep love of music early on. His mother […]

Josephine Premice, Actress born.

*Josephine Premice was born on this date in 1926. She was an African American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage.

Born in Port a Prince, Haiti, Premice grew up in Brooklyn, New York and Haiti and studied dance with Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham. After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in Anthropology, she began her theatrical career in the 1945 production of ”Blue Holiday” at the Belasco Theater alongside Ethel Waters and Josh White, the folk singer.

Betye Saar, Artist, and Educator born

Betye Irene Saar was born on this date in 1926. She is an African American artist and educator, famous for collages that lampoon racist attitudes about blacks and for installations featuring mystical themes.

Leontyne Price, Opera Singer born

*Leontyne Price was born on this date in 1927. She is an African American operatic singer.

Sam Middleton, Artist born

*Sam Middleton was born on this date in 1927. He was a Black mixed-media artist.  Middleton was born and raised in Harlem, New York City. As a young boy, he often visited the nearby Savoy Ballroom, where jazz and classical music became important inspirations for his artistic endeavors. While working at the Savoy, Middleton designed costumes […]