People, Locations, Episodes

James R. Stewart, Teacher and Pan-Africanist born

*James R. Stewart was born on this date in 1903. He was a Black teacher, administrator, and Pan-African activist. James Robert Stewart was born in Moorhead, Mississippi, the son of a wealthy plantation owner; his uncle Professor William Stewart taught in Centreville, Mississippi. He began school in Morehead and moved to Cleveland in 1915, where he studied […]

Zelma George, Civic Leader born

Zelma Watson George was born on this date in 1903. She was an African American activist, a delegate to the U.N., an opera singer, speaker, and educator.

Ella Baker, Racial Justice Activist born

Ella Baker was born on this date in 1903. She was an African American social justice activist who was instrumental in founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

L. C. Bates, News Publisher born

*L.C. Bates was born on this date in 1904. He was a Black newspaper publisher and civil rights activist.   Lucious Christopher Bates was born in Liberty, Mississippi, to Laura and Rev. Morris Bates, a farmer, carpenter, and minister. The Bates family was one of the few Black families in the area. Due to the […]

Alfredia Duster, Social Worker born

*Alfreda Duster was born on this date in 1904.  She was a Black social worker, editor, and civic leader.  Alfreda Barnett was born in Chicago, the youngest daughter of civil rights activists Ida B. Wells and Ferdinand L. Barnett. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 1924 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree. She married Benjamin […]

Alberta Williams King, Teacher, and Activist born

*Alberta Williams King was born on this date in 1904. She was a Black educator, instrumentalist, and administrator. Alberta Christine Williams was born in Atlanta, GA. Her parents were Reverend Adam Daniel Williams, preacher of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jennie Celeste (Parks) Williams. Williams graduated from high school at the Spelman Seminary and […]

Enolia McMillan, Activist, and Educator born

*Enolia Pettigan McMillan was born on this date in 1904. She was an African American educator, civil rights activist, and community leader.

Una Marson, Feminist, writer and Publisher born.

*Una Marson was born on this date in 1905. She was an Afro Caribbean feminist, activist, and writer who produced poems, plays, and radio programs. Una Maud Victoria Marson was born in Sharon village, near Santa Cruz, Jamaica. She was the youngest of six children of Solomon Isaac Marson and Ada Wilhelmina Mullins. She had […]

Hartman Turnbow, Farmer, and Activist born

*Hartman Turnbow was born on this date in 1905. He was a Black farmer, orator, and activist during the 20th-century American Civil Rights Movement.   He was born in Mileston, Mississippi. His grandparents were former slaves, and he inherited their farm. Turnbow was married twice and had six children: Jewross and Hartman and daughters Mae Alice, Mae Bell, Mary, and Christine. He […]

Mother Hale, Humanitarian, and Activist born

*This date marks the birth of Mother Hale in 1905. She was an African American activist for civil and children’s rights and the founder of Hale House.

Rosey Pool, Author and Activist born

*Rosey Pool was born on this date in 1905. She was a white Jewish-Dutch poet and anthologist of African American poetry. Rosa Eva Pool was born and raised in a secular Jewish family in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In the 1920s, she participated in Dutch Popular Front youth movements, such as the socialist Arbeiders Jeugd Centrale (AJC) […]

The Texas Association of Women’s Clubs is Formed

*The Texas Association of Women’s Clubs (TAWC) was established on this date in 1905. They are an umbrella organization of African American women’s clubs in the state of Texas. It was first organized as the Texas Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs. The group’s purpose was to enable clubs to collaborate and enhance the social and […]

Ruby M. Forsythe, Educator born

Ruby Middleton Forsythe was born on this date in 1905. She was an African American educator from Charleston, SC.

Middleton earned her license of education instruction certificate Avery Institute, which had been created in 1865, in 1921. Avery Institute for grammar and high school Avery epitomized excellence and provided its students with the best liberal education and cultural experience. She received her BS from South Carolina State College and started her teaching career in 1924 in Mount Pleasant’s Laing School, run by the American Missionary Society.

The Harlem YWCA is Founded

*The Harlem YWCA in New York City was founded on July 7, 1905. The community’s founders were well connected to the networks of religious and practical organizations developed in Harlem, especially as the number of Black citizens increased. During the Great Migration, this YWCA played a crucial role in developing training and career opportunities for […]

Myles Horton, Socialist born

*Myles Horton was born on this date in 1905. He was a white-American educator, socialist, and administrator.  Myles Falls Horton was born in 1905 in Savannah, Tennessee, to a family of modest means. He had two brothers, Daniel and Demas, and one sister, Elsie Pearl. He grew up near Savannah; his parents were Elsie Falls Horton and Perry Horton, former schoolteachers […]