People, Locations, Episodes

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 […]

Sonny Liston, Boxer born

Sonny Liston, an African American boxer, was born on this date in 1932.

He was born in Arkansas, the tenth of eleven children born into an impoverished family.

Clyde Bellecourt, Activist born

*Clyde Bellecourt was born on this date in 1936. He was an Ojibwe Native American Civil Rights organizer. Clyde Howard Bellecourt was the seventh of 12 children born to Charles and Angeline) Bellecourt on the White Earth Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. Among his older siblings was his brother Vernon Bellecourt. White Earth was considered […]

Keith Jarrett, Jazz/Classical Pianist born

*Keith Jarrett was born on this date in 1945.  He is a white-American jazz and classical music pianist and composer.   Keith Jarrett was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to a mother of Slovenian-Hungarian descent from Prekmurjein, Slovenia, and a father of either French or Scots-Irish descent.  He grew up in suburban Allentown and had significant early exposure to music.  Jarrett possesses absolute pitch and displayed prodigious musical […]

Maren Hassinger, Artist born

*Maren Hassinger’s birth, in 1947, is celebrated on this date. 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 […]

Lovie Smith, Football Coach born

Lovie Smith was born on this date in 1958. He is an African American professional and college football coach.

Born in Gladewater, TX, Lovie Lee Smith was named after his great-aunt, Lavana. Raised in Big Sandy, TX, he earned all-state honors for three years as a defensive end and linebacker. His team won three state championships as well. He played at University of Tulsa and was a two-time All-American.

Black Archives of Mid-America is Founded

The Black Archives of Mid- America (BAMA), Inc. was founded on this date in 1974.

Hurricane Katrina Hits the Deep South

*On this date in 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall and began its devastation on Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; states that are 30% African American.   Formed on August 23rd, Katrina was a Category 5 hurricane that made landfall on Florida and Louisiana until August 31st, causing catastrophic damage, particularly in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, and over 1,200 deaths. Subsequent flooding caused largely as […]