People, Locations, Episodes

Mari Evans, Writer, and Teacher born

Mari Evans, an African American educator and writer, was born on this date in 1923.

Mayme Clayton, Historian, and Collector born

*Mayme Clayton was born on this date in 1923. She was an African American Librarian, researcher and historian.

From in Van Buren, Arkansas she graduated from high school at the age of sixteen. The daughter of Southern pioneers she was proud of her father being the only black business owner of a general store, dealing successfully with both black and white communities where she grew up. Her parents instilled in her a love of culture as well as a sense of adventure.

J. Ernest Wilkins Jr., Math Educator born

*J. Ernest Wilkins, Jr. was born on this date in 1923. He was an African American mathematician and teacher.

Morrison Warren, Educator born

*Morrison Warren was born on this date in 1923. He was an African American educator, activist and administrator.

From Marlin, Texas Morrison Fulbright Warren was raised in the neighborhood of 12th street and Abbot in Phoenix, AZ. He was valedictorian of the 1941 graduating class of Phoenix Union Colored High School, which had 17 students.

Herbert Hill, Labor Union Director born

*Herbert Hill was born on this date in 1924. He was a white Jewish-American public policy activist, professor, and labor director. Herbert Hill was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. He attended public schools. Hill earned a B.A. from New York University in 1945 and attended the New School for Social Research […]

Richard Mayhew, Artist born

*Richard Mayhew was born on this date in 1924. He is an Afro Native American landscape painter, illustrator, and arts educator. Richard Mayhew was born in Amityville, New York, to Alvin Mayhew, of African and Shinnecock tribe descent, and his mother, Lillian Goldman Mayhew, was of African and Cherokee-Lumbee descent. His mother would take him to New York City to see paintings, and George Inness’s […]

Coahoma Community College Begins Classes

*Coahoma Community College (CCC) is celebrated on this date in 1924. It is a public historically black community college (HBCU). It is located in unincorporated Coahoma County, Mississippi. The 99-acre (400,000 m2) campus lies in an agrarian setting along Clarksdale-Friars Point Road near the Mississippi River. The administration of CCC also operates Coahoma Early College […]

Bill Stewart, Architect and Administrative Activist born

*Bill Stewart was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black architect, administrator, author, activist, and educator.  William Bill Stewart was the son of Frannie (Blount) and Arthur Stewart, born in Hamtramck, Michigan. He grew up in Detroit and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1941. He served in the United States […]

Wilson O. Brooks, Teacher born

*This date in 1925 celebrates the birth of Wilson O. Brooks, a Black Canadian officer, teacher, and civil rights advocate. Born in Windsor, Ontario, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Brooks. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in April of 1943 and trained at No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School […]

Andrew Foster, Educator For The Deaf born

Andrew Foster was born on this date in 1925. He was an African American educator and administrator for the deaf.

Born in Ensley, Alabama, Foster lost his hearing at age 11 after suffering from spinal meningitis. Drawn to a career in education, he attended the Alabama School for the Negro Deaf in Talladega. In 1954, he was the first African American to graduate from Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C., and the first to earn a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University.

Essie Mae Washington-Williams, Teacher born

*Essie Mae Washington-Williams was born on this date in 1925. She was a Black teacher and author. She was the eldest child of Strom Thurmond, a segregationist Governor of South Carolina and United States Senator, and Carrie Butler, a 16-year-old black girl who worked as a domestic servant for Thurmond’s parents. Butler sent her daughter to […]

Stephen E. Henderson, Professor born

*Stephen Henderson was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black professor of African American literature and culture. Stephen E. Henderson was born in Key West, Florida. He served two years in the U.S. Army towards the end of the Second World War. In 1949, he graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor’s […]

James R. Ford, Tallahassee Educator born

*James R. Ford was born on this date in 1925.  He was a Black educator, politician, and businessman.   James Robert Ford was born in Leon County, Florida, and grew up there, attending local segregated public schools. He attended Florida A&M University, earning his B.S. in 1950 and his MEd in 1959. He served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army.  He […]

Geneva H. Southall, Musician, Author, and Teacher born

On this date in 1925, Geneva Handy Southall was born. She was an African American musician, educator, activist, and author.

Samuel Kelly, Soldier, and Administrator born

*Samuel Kelly was born on this date in 1926. He was a Black soldier and educator. Samuel Eugene Kelly was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, to James Handy Kelly, a minister, and Essie Matilda Allen-Kelly, a homemaker. Educated at Greenwich public schools, Kelly dropped out of high school in 1943 and joined the United States Army […]