People, Locations, Episodes

John L. Thompson, Lawyer born

The birth of John Lay Thompson in 1869 is marked on this date. He was an African American businessman and lawyer.

Thompson was a native of Iowa’s Decatur County, and a graduate of the Iowa Business College in 1896 and Drake University’s law school in 1898. He secured political positions considered especially prestigious for African Americans in an age of tokenism and unchecked discrimination. A Republican, Thompson was appointed file clerk for the Iowa Senate in 1894 and file clerk for the Iowa General Assembly in 1896.

The Colored National Labor Union, a story

*The Colored National Labor Union (CNLU) first met on this date in 1869. Established during a 4-day convention, the CNLU was formed by Blacks to organize their labor collectively nationally. The CNLU, like other labor unions in the United States, was created to improve the working conditions and quality of life for its members. During the […]

The Knights of Labor (Union) is Founded

*The Knights of Labor (KOL) began on this date in 1869. Founded in Philadelphia, the Knights of Labor was America’s largest labor union in the 19th century. Uriah Stephens founded it, and James L. Wright and a small group of Philadelphia tailors founded a secret organization, the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor. Created […]

Susie Revels Cayton, News Writer born

*Susie Revels Cayton was born on this date in 1870. She was a Black writer, editor, teacher, and community activist. Susie Sumner Revels was born in Mississippi, the same year her father, Hiram Revels, became the first Black senator in U.S. history. Revels’ middle name, “Sumner,” was a tribute to Charles Sumner, her father’s friend. At age […]

Amanda Gray Hilyer, Pharmacist, and Entrepreneur born

*Amanda Gray Hilyer was born on this date in 1870. She was a Black entrepreneur, pharmacist, civic worker, and activist.  Amanda Victoria Brown was born in Atchison, Kansas. She attended public schools in Kansas and married pharmacist Arthur S. Gray. In around 1897, the couple moved to Washington D.C., and she attended Howard University. She […]

The Pico House, and Hotel Opens

*The opening of the Pico House, which is located at 430 North Main Street in Los Angeles, California, was celebrated on this date in 1870. It sits across the old Los Angeles Plaza from Olvera Street and the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. Pio Pico, an Afro Mexican businessman and the last Mexican Governor of […]

Alexander D. Hamilton, Architect born

*Alexander D. Hamilton was born on this date in 1870.  He was a Black architect.  Alexander Daniel Hamilton was born in Eufaula, Alabama, and was the son of Alexander Hamilton Sr. and Martha Ann Coker, both from North Carolina.  The couple also had four other sons before Martha Hamilton’s death.  His father served in the […]

The Louisianan Newspaper is Published

*On this date, in 1870, the Louisianian newspaper was established. Also referred to as New Orleans Louisianian, it was a semi-weekly newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana.   Founded by Black politician P. B. S. Pinchback. The paper’s motto was “Republican at all times and under all circumstances.” It was among the few 19th-century Black […]

Eudora Johnson Binga, Socialite and Investor born

*Eudora Johnson Binga was born on this date in 1871. She was a Black Socialite and investor. Born to John and Ellen Johnson. Her father was a successful saloon keeper and property owner in Southside Chicago. Her brother, John “Mushmouth” Johnson, was the infamous gambling and policy (numbers) king of the Southside. She was a […]

The Jackson Ward District (Richmond, VA.), a story

*Jackson Ward is celebrated on this date in 1871. This historically Black district in Richmond, Virginia, has a long tradition of Black businesses. It is less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol, sitting west of Court End and north of Broad Street. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark District in 1978. […]

Oswald Villard, Journalist, and Activist born

*Oswald Villard was born on this date in 1872. He was a white-American journalist, editor, and civil rights activist.    Oswald Garrison Villard was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, on March 13, 1872, while his parents lived there. He was the son of Henry Villard, an American newspaper correspondent who had been an immigrant from Germany, and Fanny (Garrison) Villard, daughter of abolitionist William […]

Sherman Dudley, Stage Entrepreneur born

*The birth of Sherman Dudley is celebrated on this date, c1872.   He was a Black vaudeville performer and theatre entrepreneur.   Sherman Houston Dudley was born in Dallas, Texas, of humble parentage. A jockey early in his youth, he turned to theater and gained a reputation by singing in a medicine show on a Dallas street corner. By 1897, he had his […]

Delilah L. Beasley, Journalist born

Delilah L. Beasley was born on this date in 1872. She was an African American newspaper journalist.

Emmett Scott, Journalist, and Administrator born

*On this date in 1873, Emmett J. Scott was born. He was an African American author and administrator.

Casiville Bullard, Stone Mason, and Carpenter born

*Casiville Bullard was born on this date in 1873. He was an African American Stone Mason and Carpenter.