People, Locations, Episodes

Grace Hamilton, Woman’s Advocate, and Politician born

*On this date in 1907, Grace Towns Hamilton was born. She was an African American civil rights advocate, feminist, and politician.

From Atlanta, she was the eldest of four children to George and Nellis McNair Towns. Towns graduated from American University in 1927, enrolling in graduate school at Ohio State University where she paid her way through school as a secretary at the YMCA. In 1930, she married Henry C. Hamilton, dean and professor of education at Lemoyne College. Grace Hamilton was the first African American woman to serve in the Georgia legislature (1966-1984).

Helen Claytor, YMCA Administrator born

Helen J. Claytor was born on this date in 1907. She was an African American educator, YWCA administrator, and activist.

Leon Washington Jr., Newspaper Publisher born

*Col. Leon H. Washington Jr. was born on this date in 1907. He was a Black newspaper publisher. Washington was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and attended Washburn University. He began his career in journalism by working for several newspapers. In 1933, he founded the Sentinel, an African American newspaper in Los Angeles. During this time, Washington […]

Oliver W. Hill, Lawyer, and Activist born

Oliver W Hill, Sr., an African American attorney and activist, was born on this date in 1907.

Hazel Harvey Peace, Educator, and Humanitarian born

*Hazel Harvey Peace was born on this date in 1907. She was a Black educator, activist, and humanitarian. She was born Hazel Bernice Harvey in Waco, Texas, to Allen H. and Georgia Mason Harvey; the family moved to Fort Worth as a baby. Peace’s father was a Pullman Porter on the Missouri and Pacific Railroad, and her […]

Lulu Belle Madison White, Activist born

*Lulu Belle Madison White was born on this date in 1907. She was a Black teacher and activist in Texas during the 1940s and 1950s. Lulu Belle Madison was born in Elmo, Texas, to Samuel Henry Madison and Easter Madison. She was the tenth of their twelve children. Elmo was a predominately black community thirty-five […]

Shirley Graham DuBois, Composer, Novelist, and Activist born

On this date in 1907, Shirley Graham DuBois was born. She was an African American author, playwright, composer, and activist.

Oseola McCarty, Domestic worker, and Philanthropist born

*Oseola McCarty was born on this date in 1908. She was an African American domestic and philanthropist.

Vernon Dahmer born

*Vernon Dahmer was born on this date in 1908.  He was an African American business owner and civil right activist. Born in the Kelly Settlement, Forrest County, Mississippi, his parents were Ellen Louvenia (Kelly) and George Washington Dahmer. George Dahmer was a Caucasian man identified as being an honest, hardworking man with outstanding integrity. His occupation was […]

Dorothy Hall McFarland, Early Childhood Educator born

*Dorothy McFarland was born on this date in 1908. She was a Black teacher (music and early childhood) and community activist. Dorothy Hall was born at 996 Iglehart Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. Raised in the Rondo community, her home was later added to the National Register of Historic Places due to her father’s civic […]

Edler G. Hawkins, Activist, and Minister born

Edler Garnett Hawkins was born on this date in 1908. He was an African American minister and civil rights activist through the Presbyterian Church.

Erna P. Harris, Journalist and Activist born.

*Erna P. Harris was born on this date in 1908. She was a Black journalist, businesswoman, and activist. Erna Prather Harris was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, to Frances A. “Frankie” and James E. Harris. Her father was a postman. As an admirer of Mahatma Gandhi, he influenced his daughter’s later activism. Unlike most men in […]

The Empire States Federation of Women’s Clubs, a story

*On this date in 1908, we celebrate the beginning of the Empire State Federation of Women’s Clubs (ESFWC). Founded in Brooklyn by Alice Wiley Seay, the ESFWC is the umbrella organization of New York State African American women’s groups. The organization had two main goals: to do “uplift work among girls and young women” and care […]

The NAACP is Founded

*This date marks the anniversary of the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP) in 1909.

Virginia McLaurin, Community Advocate, born

*Virginia McLaurin was born on this date in 1909. She was a Black seamstress, community volunteer, and supercentenarian. McLaurin was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. McLaurin said she “was birthed by a midwife and the birthday put in a Bible somewhere.” She worked in the fields, sharecropping with her parents as a child, shucking corn, and picking […]