People, Locations, Episodes

Howard Drew, Athlete and Lawyer born

Howard Drew was born on this date in 1890. He was an African American track and field athlete, and lawyer and judge.

He was born in Lexington, KY, the son of David Drew, a Baptist minister. Around the age of ten, he and his family moved and settled in Springfield, MA. Drew won his first track meet with home-made shorts, and non-spike shoes. From there he made his first pair of track shoes by driving six nails through his regular shoes and using leather pieces to protect his feet.

The ‘Mississippi Plan’ Begins

*On this date in 1890, The Mississippi Constitutional Convention began systematic exclusion of Blacks from the politics of South.

The Mississippi Plan (Literacy and “understanding tests”) lasted until November 1st of that year and was later adopted with embellishments by other states: South Carolina (1895), Louisiana (1898), North Carolina (1900), Alabama (1901), Virginia (1901), Georgia (1908), and Oklahoma (1910). Southern states later used “White primaries” and other devices to exclude Black voters.

Marian Fleming Poe, Lawyer born

*Marian Fleming Poe was born on this date in 1890. She was a Black lawyer and women’s advocate. Lavinia Marian Fleming was born in Warwick County, Virginia, to Archer R. Fleming, a blacksmith and formerly enslaved person, and Florence M. Carter. She grew up in Newport News, Virginia. In 1910, she married Abram James Poe […]

James Morris Sr., News Publisher born

*James B. Morris Sr. was born on this date in 1890. He was a Black lawyer and newspaper businessman.  From Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of twelve, he began working in a little print shop in Covington, a suburb of Atlanta,”‘ “After completing his grammar school in Atlanta, Morris moved to Baltimore, where he attended […]

Earl Dickerson, Chicago Civic Leader born

On this date in 1891, Earl B. Dickerson was born. He was an African American attorney, teacher, and businessman.

William L. Patterson, Activist born

*William Lorenzo Patterson was born on this date in 1891.  He was a Black activist.  Born in San Francisco, California, his father, James Edward Patterson, was from St. Vincent in the British Virgin Islands.  His mother, Mary Galt Patterson, was born a slave in Virginia.  She was the daughter of the organizer of a volunteer regiment of black soldiers who fought with the Union […]

Henry L. Johnson, Soldier born

*Henry Johnson was born on this date in 1892. He was a decorated African American soldier in WW1.

Frank Crosswaith, Union Activist born

On this date in 1892, Frank Crosswaith was born. He was an African American labor union organizer and political activist.

Halie Selassie, Ethiopian Ruler born

Halie Selassie was born on this date in 1892. He was an African dictator and political force in 20th century Ethiopia.

Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s First President born

On this date in 1893, we celebrate the birth of Jomo Kenyatta. He was an African political leader, and the first president of Kenya.

Charles C. Diggs Sr. born

*On this date in 1894, Charles Coles Diggs Sr. was born. He was a Black politician.    Born in Tallula, Mississippi, to John Diggs and Etta Jones, Diggs moved to Detroit in 1913, where he owned a successful funeral home on the Lower East Side. A follower of Marcus Garvey during the 1920s, Diggs became involved in politics as a […]

Jesse E. Wilkins Sr., Lawyer, and Labor Activist born

*Jesse Wilkins Sr. was born on this date in 1894. He was a Black lawyer and labor activist leader.  Jesse Ernest Wilkins Sr. was born into a working-class family in Farmington, Missouri. After serving and experiencing racial discrimination as a soldier in the First World War, Wilkins studied mathematics at the University of Illinois and […]

Crystal B. Fauset, Politician born

On this date, Crystal Bird Fauset was born. She was the first African American woman to be elected to a state house of representatives.

Fauset was born in Princess Anne, Maryland, to Benjamin and Portia Bird, but was raised in Boston by her aunt, Lucy Groves. She attended public schools and graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1931. As a social worker for the YWCA in New York and Philadelphia, Fauset was named executive secretary of the Institute of Race Relations at Swarthmore College in 1933.

Mark Mathews, Buffalo Soldier born

*Mark Matthews was born this date in 1894. He was an African American Buffalo Soldier.

George McLaurin, Educator born

*George W. McLaurin was born on this date in 1894.  He was a Black educator.   His family moved to Oklahoma in 1910, and he received his BA from Langston University.  After marriage, he and his wife Peninah McLaurin sent their children out of state when they were 13 to complete their educations.  McLaurin received his master’s degree from the University […]