People, Locations, Episodes

Howard Thurman, Theologian, and Educator born

On this date in 1899, Howard Thurman was born. He was an African American author, theologian, civil and human rights activist, and educator.

Thurman was from Daytona Beach, FL, and he studied at Morehouse College, Rochester Theological Center, and Haverford College. He was named by Life magazine as one of the 12 great preachers of the 20th century. He served as a pastor at a Baptist church in Ohio and as the dean of the chapel at Howard University from 1932 to 1944. Until 1953 he served at an interracial and interdenominational Fellowship Church he founded in San Francisco.

Sarah Williamson, Missionary born

Sarah Williamson was born on this date in 1899. She was an African American teacher, administrator, and missionary.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Williamson was sent to boarding school at Hampton Normal School (now Hampton University). There she completed four years of high school and two years of normal school. After graduation she attended the University of Rochester in New York for two years training for missionary work in Africa.

Martin Luther King Sr., Pastor born

*Martin Luther King Sr. was born on this date in 1899. He was a Black Baptist pastor, missionary, and early figure in the 20th-century American Civil Rights Movement.   He was born Michael King in Stockbridge, Georgia, the son of Delia Linsey and James Albert King. He was a member of the Baptist Church and decided to become a preacher after being inspired […]

Dr. George Kelsey, Theologian born

*George Kelsey was born on this date in 1910.  He was an African American educator, theologian and administrator.

Decatur Nichols, Minister born

Decatur Nichols was born on this date in 1900. He was an African American minister, deacon, and bishop.

He was from Georgetown, SC, the son of Reverend Ruffin and Anna Nichols. Decatur Ward Nichols was educated in the public schools of Charleston. He received his AB degree from Howard University, Washington, DC, and BD degree from Drew University, Madison, NJ.

The Hymn “We Shall Overcome” is Published

*On this date in 1901 we celebrate the song We Shall Overcome. “We Shall Overcome” is a protest song that became a key anthem of the African American civil rights movement during the 20th and 21st century.

Joachim Prinz, Rabbi, and Activist born

*Joachim Prinz was born on this date in 1902. He was a White German American Rabbi outspoken against Nazism and an activist for the American Civil Rights movement.

St. Stephen Baptist Church (Kansas City) holds its first service.

*On this date in 1903, St. Stephen Baptist Church held its first service. This church began with a courageous young preacher, Reverend James Wesley Hurse. Preaching from a tent and a few dedicated followers, they worked, prayed, and sacrificed on a street corner in “Bellevidere Hollow.” As a prominent leader, he became the second President of […]

The New Hope Baptist Church (Newark) Opens

*On this date in 1903, The New Hope Baptist Church of Newark was organized. The New Hope Baptist Church is one of the oldest Black churches in the state of New Jersey.

Denzil Carty, Minister, and Civic Leader born

*Denzil Carty was born in St. John’s Antigua, British West Indies on this date in 1904. He was an African American minister and civic leader.

William Holmes Borders Sr., Minister born

*On this date in1905, Rev. William Holmes Borders was born. He was an African American minister and activist and writer.

Noah Smith, Minister born

*Reverend Noah Smith was born on this date in 1908. He was a Black musician, businessman, and minister.  From Marion, Indiana, after high school, Smith played the drums in bands, moving in 1930 to Minneapolis, where he also ran a business painting signs on buildings and vehicles. Smith was a cartoonist briefly before getting a […]

Edler G. Hawkins, Activist, and Minister born

Edler Garnett Hawkins was born on this date in 1908. He was an African American minister and civil rights activist through the Presbyterian Church.

Alexander Memorial Baptist Church (DC) is Founded

Alexander Memorial Baptist Church began on this date in 1908 when a group of worshipers left the First Baptist Church in Georgetown, Washington D.C., because they did not like the way the church was managed.

John Burgess, Bishop born

*On this date in 1909, John Burgess was born. He was an African American bishop.

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, John Melville Burgess’ father was Theodore T. Burgess, a dining car waiter on the Pierre Marquette Railroad. His mother was Ethel I. (Beverly) Burgess. In 1930, he graduated from the University of Michigan and received his master’s degree in sociology a year later. He graduated from the Episcopal Theological School in 1934 and returned began his ministry in Grand Rapids.