*On this date in 1978, Ain’t Misbehavin’ debuted on stage. This was a Black musical revue named after the song by Fats Waller (with Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf). “Ain’t Misbehavin’” was also a book by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr. Thee shows music by various composers and lyricists as arranged and orchestrated by Luther Henderson. Ain’t Misbehavin’ opened in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s East 73rd Street cabaret. The cast […]
learn more*The founding of the Urban Bush Women (UBW) is celebrated on this date in 1984. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar founded Brooklyn, New York, a non-profit and the only professional Black women’s dance company. The ensemble performs choreography by Zollar and other choreographers, often focusing on the experiences of women of African descent. The company has […]
learn more*On this date in 1985, the world premiere of the opera ‘Frederick Douglass’ debuted. It is a full-length opera written and composed by Dorothy Rudd Moore. It is 180 minutes in duration and has three acts. The world premiere took place at the City College of New York’s Aaron Davis Hall. Opera Ebony commissioned the […]
learn more*Jodie ‘Butterbeans’ Edwards was born on this date in 1895. He was a Black Vaudeville performer. Jodie Edwards was from Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia; he began his career in 1910 as a singer and dancer. He took the name “Butterbeans” in honor of fellow performer Butler “Stringbeans” May, who died in 1917. He met Susie Hawthorne in […]
learn more*Kendrick Lamar was born on this date in 1987. He is a Black rapper and lyricist. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California. He is the first child of former gang hustler Kenneth “Kenny” Duckworth and hairdresser Paula Oliver. Both of his parents are African Americans from the South Side of Chicago. As teenagers, […]
learn more*The founding of the Sphinx Organization in 1998 is celebrated on this date. They are a national non-profit education organization whose vision is a world in which classical music reflects cultural diversity and plays a role in the everyday lives of youth.
learn more*On this date in 1999, the publication of The Boondocks is celebrated. This is an African American adult animated sitcom. Aaron McGruder created the Boondocks for the Cartoon Network’s late-night programming block, Adult Swim. It is based on his comic strip, which is the same name. The series premiered on November 6, 2005. The […]
learn more*African American quilt history is celebrated on this date in 1800. Today, the third Saturday in March, is National Quilting Day. Historic influences since the 17th century are the foundation of Black African cultural heritage in quilting. West African weavers called this cloth by its original name, Nsaduaso. In Ghana, Nsaduaso is also known […]
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