People, Locations, Episodes

The Society of Black Composers is Formed

*The Society of Black Composers (SBC) is celebrated on this date in 1968.  It was an African American composer collective. The SBC began in New York City. The collective hosted several concerts showcasing the works of Black composers. Members of the Society have made significant contributions to American musical culture, including contemporary jazz, classical music, […]

The Last Poets, Musicians, and Nationalistic Group Formed

*The Last Poets were formed on this date in 1968. They were a progressive group of Black Nationalist poets and musicians that evolved from the late 1960s American Civil Rights movement. Their name was taken from a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile; the original users of that name were the trio […]

Franklin Meets Charlie Brown In The ‘Peanuts’ Cartoon

*On this date in 1968, Franklin appeared in the Peanuts cartoon. He was the first Black character created by Charles Shultz, the cartoonist who created Peanuts. In the episode, Charlie Brown lost his beach ball; it was found and returned to him by a Black boy named Franklin. The episode ended with the two building a […]

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters is Formed

*On this date in 1969, the “Black Academy of Arts and Letters (BAAL)” was founded.

The Dance Theater of Harlem is Founded

*This date in 1969 marks the founding of the Dance Theater of Harlem (DTH). Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook started this classical dance company.

Kara Walker, Artist born

Kara Walker was born on this date in 1969. She is an African American contemporary artist known for her exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and identity in her works.

She was born in Stockton, CA. Her father was a painter and a teacher. Walker’s education includes an Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at Rhode Island School of Design in painting/printmaking, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting/printmaking at Atlanta College of Art.

The Muntu Dance Theater Begins

Muntu Dance Theatre’s was founded on this date in 1972 in Chicago.

Stephen Wiltshire, Autistic Artist born.

*Stephen Wiltshire was born on this date in 1974. He is a Black British architectural autistic savant artist. Stephen Wiltshire was born in London. His father, Colvin, was a native of Barbados, and his mother, Geneva, is a native of St. Lucia. He grew up in Little Venice, Maida Vale, London. Wiltshire was non-verbal when young. At three, he was […]

Aïda Muluneh, Photographer born.

*The birth of Aïda Muluneh is celebrated on this date in 1974. She is a Black African photographer and contemporary visual artist. Muluneh was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She spent her childhood in Cyprus, Greece, the U.K., and Yemen before settling in Canada in 1985. As a teenager, Muluneh attended Western Canada High School in […]

Fabrice Monteiro, Photographer born.

*This date celebrates Fabrice Monteiro’s birth, which was in 1974. He is an Afro Brazilian photographer and visual artist. Fabrice Monteiro is an Agouda, the descendant of enslaved Brazilians with Portuguese names. He was born to a Beninese father and a Belgian mother. He was born in Belgium, grew up in Benin, and now lives and works in […]

Radmilla Cody, Model, and Singer born

*Radmilla Cody was born on this date in 1975. She is an African Native American (Navajo) model, singer, and activist.  Radmilla A. Cody was born into the Tłʼááshchíʼí clan of the Navajo Nation. Her father is Black. Her maternal grandmother raised her in the rural areas of the Navajo Nation, AZ, NM, and Utah.   Cody recalled her grandmother getting upset with her […]

Bubbling Brown Sugar Opens on Broadway

*Bubbling Brown Sugar opened on this date in 1976. This Black musical revue opened on Broadway at the ANTA Playhouse.  This stage performance, written by Loften Mitchell, is based on a concept by Rosetta LeNoire and features the music of numerous popular Black artists during the Harlem Renaissance. The revue included Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, […]

Kehinde Wiley, Artist born

*Kehinde Wiley was born on this date in 1977. He is a Black Gay portrait painter known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African America, frequently referencing the work of Old Master paintings. Wiley was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Isaiah D. Obot, is a Yoruba man from Nigeria, and his mother, Freddie Mae Wiley, is African […]

Angelbert Metoyer, Artist born.

*Angelbert Metoyer was born on this date in 1977. He is a Black Afrofuturism-themed artist. He is from Houston, Texas, and began his artistic career through Rick Lowe’s Project Row Houses in Houston. He held his first solo exhibition there in 1994. He moved to Atlanta to study drawing and painting at the Atlanta College […]

The Junior Black Academy of Arts, and Letters Begins

On this date in 1977, the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Inc. (JBAAL) was created.

It was formed by Curtis King with C. Eric Lincoln, John O. Killens, Margaret Walker Alexander, Frederick O’Neal, Jean Hutson, Romare Bearden, and Doris Saunders. Its home base was Dallas, Texas. The formation of JBAAL directly involves young and aspiring artists and scholars.