People, Locations, Episodes

Master Juba, Minstrel Performer born

*The birth of Master Juba is celebrated on this date in 1825.  He was a Black stage entertainer specializing in dance and one of America’s first publicly recognized black performers.  Born William Henry Lane in Providence, RI, he began his career in the saloons and dance halls of the Five Points neighborhood of Manhattan in […]

Edward Bannister, Artist born

This date celebrates the birth of Edward Bannister, a Black artist born in 1826.

Edward Mitchell Bannister was the first of two sons born to Edward and Hannah Alexander Bannister in St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. He moved to New England in the late 1840s, where he remained for the rest of his life.

George L. White, Missionary, and Choral Conductor born

*George L. White was born on this date in 1838. He was a white-American soldier, missionary, and choral administrator. Born in Cadiz, New York, George Leonard White was the son of a blacksmith who played in a local band. He attended public school until age fourteen and moved to Ohio when he was twenty. Although […]

Mary E. Webb, Orator, and Actress born

*Mary E. Webb’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1828. She was a Black actress and orator known for her dramatic poetry and literature readings. Mary Espartero Webb was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, three weeks after her mother escaped slavery in Virginia. Her father, described as “a Spanish gentleman of wealth, had made […]

Adah Menkens, Actress, and Poet born

On this date, we recall the birth of Adah Menkens in 1835. She was a Black actress and poet of international renown in the mid-19th century.

Antonio C. Gomes, Composer born

Antonio Carlos Gomes was born on this date in 1836. He was an African Brazilian composer, one of the most distinguished 19th century operatic composers in the world.

Harriet Powers, ‘Story Quilt’ Artist born

Harriet Powers was born on this date in 1837. She was a Black artist who worked in textile needlework.

The Ethiopian Serenaders Are Formed

*The Ethiopian Serenaders are noted on this date in 1840. From Boston, they were a white-American Blackface minstrel troupe successful in the 1840s and 1850s. They were managed and directed by James A. Dumbolton through various line-ups and are sometimes mentioned as the Boston Minstrels, Dumbolton Company, or Dumbolton’s Serenaders. The group was formed in […]

Antonín Dvořák, Classical Composer born

*Antonín Dvořák was born on this date in 1841.  He was a white-European Czech composer and advocate of American Black Spiritual Music. Antonín Leopold Dvořák was born in Nelahozeves, near Prague, in the Austrian Empire, and was the eldest son of František Dvořák and his wife, Anna, née Zdeňková.  František worked as an innkeeper, a professional player of […]

Edmonia Lewis, Sculptor Artist born

Edmonia Lewis was born on this date in the mid-nineteenth century, a pioneering Black artist believed to be the first woman sculptor of African American and Native American heritage.

Sam Lucas, Stage Actor born

*Sam Lucas was born on this date in 1848.  He was a Black actor, comedian, singer, and songwriter.  Samuel Mildmay Lucas was from Washington Court House, Ohio, the son of free black parents. As a teenager, he showed a talent for guitar and singing, and while working as a barber, his local performances gained him a reputation. In 1858, he began his […]

Marie Selika Williams, Vocalist born

*On this date in 1849, we celebrate the birth of Marie Selika Williams. She was a African American concert vocalist and educator. 

Jennie Jackson, Choral Singer born

*Jennie Jackson is celebrated on this date in 1852.  She was a Black singer and voice teacher. She was one of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers, a cappella ensemble. Jennie Jackson was born in Kingston, Tennessee. Her grandfather was enslaved in Andrew Jackson’s household. Her parents were also enslaved, but she was raised in freedom from an early […]

Claudio Brindis de Salas, Musician born

*Claudio Brindis de Salas was born on this date in 1852.  He was an Afro Cuban violinist and double bass player.  Born in Havana, his father was the violinist and bandleader Claudio Brindis de Salas. Young de Salas studied under his father, and maestros José Redondo and the Belgian José Van der Gutch (who lived […]

Maggie Porter, Choral Singer born

*The birth of Maggie Porter is celebrated on this date in 1853. She was a first-generation freed slave, teacher, and choral singer.   Maggie Porter was one of three daughters born in Lebanon, Tennessee, to a slave family belonging to Henry Frazier. At the start of the American Civil War, Frazier moved to Nashville, taking Maggie’s family […]