People, Locations, Episodes

James V. Herring, Artist, and Professor born

*James V. Herring was born on this date in 1887. He was a Black artist and professor. James Vernon Herring was born in Clio, South Carolina, to a Black mother and a white Jewish father who was an educator and visual artist. To ensure him a good education and protection from white racial violence, his family sent […]

Laura Waring, Artist born

On this date we remember the birth of Laura Wheeler Waring in 1887. She was an African American artist.

Horace Pippin, Folk Artist born

*This date marks the birth of Horace Pippin in 1888. He was an African American folk painter known for his primitivist depictions of Black life in America and on the horrors of war.

Hall Johnson, Vocalist, and Composer born

*Hall Johnson was born on this date in1888. He was an African American concert vocalist and composer.

From Athens, GA his father was a minister in the African Methodist Church and a college president. His earliest interest in music came from his grandmother. She was a former slave who exposed him to spirituals. Johnson graduated from Allen University and also studied at the University of Pennsylvania, the Julliard School and the University of Southern California.

The Tutt Brothers, Vaudeville Act is Formed

*The Tutt Brothers were celebrated on this date in 1888. They were a Black song and dance team that performed in the American Vaudeville era.  They were producers, writers, and performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Salem Tutt Whitney was born in Logansport, Indiana, and his brother J. Homer Tutt was born there. They […]

William W. Higgins, Vaudeville Entertainer born

*William Higgins was born on this date in 1888. He was a Black vaudeville entertainer, comedian, singer, and songwriter.  William Weldon Higgins was born in Columbia, South Carolina. Early on, he worked as a machinist. He began his career in 1912 on stage, often working in blackface and as a singer of ballads at private clubs in his hometown. […]

Noble Sissle, Lyricist born

Noble Sissle, an African American musician and lyricist, was born on this date in 1889.

The Harlem Opera House Opens

*On this date, in 1889, the Harlem Opera House opened. It was an American opera house in the Harlem community of Manhattan in New York City. It was built in 1875 and designed by architect John B. McElfatrick by Oscar Hammerstein; it was his first theater in New York City. An early work at the […]

Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Sculptor born

*Nancy Elizabeth Prophet was born on this date in 1890. She was an African American sculptor.

An only child from Providence, Rhode Island, her father, William H. Prophet, was employed by that city, and her mother, Rose Walker Prophet, was a housewife. Encouraged by family and friends after high school, Prophet enrolled in the renowned Rhode Island School of Design, working as a domestic to pay her tuition. Her graduation and the Harlem Renaissance occurred at the same time, where she lived briefly.

Florence Cole Talbert, Soprano, and Educator born.

*Florence Cole Talbert was born on this date in 1890. She was a Black operatic soprano, music educator, and musician. Florence Cole was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a family deeply rooted in music and the performing arts. Her mother, Sadie Chandler Cole, was a mezzo-soprano and member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Her father […]

Asadata Dafora, Musician born

*Asadata Dafora was born on this date in 1890. He was a Black multidisciplinary musician. He was among the first Africans to introduce African drumming music to the United States.   Austin Dafora Horton was born into the Creole ethnic group in Freetown, British Sierra Leone. The son of John ‘Johnnie’ Warner M. Horton, the […]

The World’s Fair Colored Opera Company Debuts

*On this date in 1892 the first African American performers appeared at Carnegie Hall.

The World’s Fair Colored Opera Company, with featured singer, soprano Matilda Sissieretta Jones, performed less than one year after the hall’s opening.

Dox Thrash, Artist, and Printer born

*Dox Thrash, born on this date in 1893, was an African American artist and printer.

Mabel Ridley, Mezzo-Soprano born

*The birth of Mabel Ridley is celebrated on this date in 1894. She was a Black mezzo-soprano singer who appeared in Broadway theatre and revues in the 1920s and 1930s. Mabel Ridley was born in Augusta, Georgia, to Charles and Katherine Ridley in January 1894. Back in 1843, on their marriage, her grandparents, Ulysses Ridley […]

Mary Dawson, Opera Singer, and Teacher born

*On this date in 1894, Mary Dawson was born. She was an African American musician, administrator, and teacher and the founding director of the National Negro Opera Company (NNOC).