People, Locations, Episodes

Andre Watts, Classical Pianist born

Andre Watts was born on this date in 1946. He is an African American concert pianist, and the first Black concert pianist to achieve international super stardom.

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 […]

Maren Hassinger, Artist born

*This date celebrates Maren Hassinger’s birth, which occurred in 1947. She is a Black artist and educator.   Maren Louise Jenkins was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Helen Mills Jenkins, a police officer and educator, and her late father, Carey Kenneth Jenkins, an architect. She showed a gift for art […]

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 […]

Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director born

*This date celebrates Virginia Johnson’s birth in 1950. She is a Black choreographer, former prima ballerina, journalist, and artistic director.   Virginia Johnson was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She began training in classical ballet at the age of three under Therrell Smith, a friend of her mother’s who had trained under Mathilde Kschessinska. When she was thirteen […]

Miriam Rose, Aboriginal Educator born

*This date in 1950 is celebrated as the birth date of Miriam Rose. She is a Black Aboriginal Artist and Educator.  Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann was born in the bush near Daly River in 1950.  She is a member of the Ngangiwumirr language group and speaks four other local languages. When she was about five years […]

The Ebony Showcase Theater and Cultural Arts Center Opens

 *On this date in 1950, we celebrate the Ebony Showcase Theatre and Cultural Arts Center (ESTCAC), Inc., which was initially opened in 1923 as the Rimpau Theatre on Washington & Rimpau streets in Los Angeles. The location was on the south side of the street, five blocks east of La Brea Avenue. Its seating capacity […]

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, […]

Julius Williams, Music Conductor born

*Julius Williams was born on this date in 1954. He is an African American composer, conductor, college professor, and pianist.

He is the son of Julius and Julia Williams and has one brother (Michael). From The Bronx, New York, Julius Penson Williams, was educated in the New York public school system and graduated in 1972 from Andrew Jackson High School, a performing arts school in Queens, New York. Williams attended Herbert Lehman College and the Hartt School, where he received his B.S. and M.M.E. respectively.

Patricia Smith, Writer, and Spoken Word Artist born

*Patricia Smith was born on this date in 1955. She is a Black poet, spoken-word performer, playwright, author, writing teacher, and former journalist. Patricia Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Southern Illinois University and the University of Northwestern. She has published poems in literary magazines and journals, including TriQuarterly, Poetry, The Paris Review, and Tin House, as […]

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 […]