People, Locations, Episodes

Cab Calloway, Musician, and Singer born

This date marks the birth of “Cab” Calloway, who was born on Christmas day in 1907. He was an African American vocalist and band leader.

Robert C. Weaver, Economist born

This date marks the birth of Robert Clifton Weaver in 1907. An African American economist and administrator, he was the first Black to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.

Frances Wills, Naval Officer born

*This date in 1910 is celebrated as the birth date of Frances Wills, a Black writer and naval officer.  Frances Eliza Wills was born in Philadelphia; after high school, she attended Hunter College in New York City.  She was a Hunter College graduate who had worked with poet Langston Hughes while pursuing her MA in […]

Beah Richards, Actress born

The birth of Beah Richards in 1920 is celebrated on this date. She was an African American actress and poet.

Bill Cosby, Actor, and Comedian born

Bill Cosby, an African American entertainer, author, educator, and businessperson, was born on this date in 1937.

Les Payne, Journalist born

*Les Payne was born on this date in 1941.  He was a Black journalist and editor. Leslie Payne was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. According to DNA analysis, he was descended partly from people from Cameroon.  The first member of his family to attend college, Payne graduated from the University […]

Denise Nicholas, Actress, and Writer born

*Denise Nicolas was born on this date in 1944.  She is a Black retired actress and writer.  From Detroit, MI, Nicholas attended the University of Michigan and studied acting in New York.  Her stage career began as an apprentice with the Free Southern Theater, touring rural Louisiana and Mississippi during the American Civil Rights Movement.  […]

Reavis Mitchell Jr., Historian and Educator born.

*Reavis Mitchell was born on this date in 1947. He was a Black historian and academic administrator. Reavis Lee Mitchell Jr. was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School and Pearl High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fisk University, a Master of Science from Tennessee State University, and a PhD […]

A Mobile Refrigeration Unit is Patented by a Black Man

On this date in 1949, one of the first mobile refrigeration units in the United States was patented by a Black man.   Frederick M. Jones’ designs for mobile refrigeration units positively impacted many industries, his patent number was # 2475,841.

Ruth M. Garnett, Poet, and Arts Administrator born

*Ruth-Miriam Garnett was born on this date in 1954. She is an African American poet, writer, and workshop coordinator.

Tonya Williams, Actress, and Media Advocate born

*Tonya Williams was born on this date in 1958. She is a Black Canadian actress, producer, director, and media activist. Williams was born in London, England, to Jamaican parents. As a child, she lived in London and Kingston, Jamaica. At age five, she contracted rheumatic fever; she and her mother then moved to Birmingham, England. […]

The Newark Race Riot Occurs

*On this date in 1967, the Newark Race Riots occurred. The four-day riot left 26 people dead including Edward Moss, a 10-year-old boy.

Over 1,000 others were injured, and the city incurred more than $10 million in property damaged. In 1967, Newark, NJ had the nation’s highest percentage of substandard housing, and the second highest rates of crime and infant mortality. That July, purported police brutality involving the arrest of an African American cab driver charged with assaulting a police officer plunged the city into four days of violence and destruction.

The African National Congress Elects Jacob Zuma as President

On this date in 2007, Jacob Zuma was elected leader of the governing African National Congress (ANC).

Zuma, a populist whose political career survived rape and corruption charges, received 2,329 votes, ahead of incumbent Thabo Mbeki’s 1,505 votes, following one of the most divisive campaigns the party has seen. The win put Zuma into a position to become South Africa’s president in 2009. As the results were announced, chaos erupted in the hall; then Mbeki and Zuma, both 65-year-old veterans of the ANC in exile, mounted the stage together and embraced.