People, Locations, Episodes

May Miller, Playwright, and Poet born

*On this date we celebrate the birth of May Miller in 1899. She was an African American playwright and poet associated with New York’s Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s.

Born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a Howard University sociologist, Miller grew up in an intellectual household in which W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were frequent guests. She graduated from Howard University in 1920, while there she earned an award for her one-act play Within the Shadows. Afterwards she taught secondary school and continued to write.

Leonard Harper, Stage Producer born

*Leonard Harper was born on this date in 1899; he was a Black producer, stager, and choreographer in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance.   He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, to performer William Harper and his wife. Harper started dancing as a child to attract a crowd on a medicine show wagon, traveling throughout the South. In 1915, he […]

Lewis Alexander, Writer and Playwright born

*Lewis Alexander was born on this date in 1900. He was and African American writer and actor.

Hale Woodruff, Artist born

This date recalls the birth of Hale Woodruff in 1900. He was an African American artist and a true voice of civil rights through his work.

He was born in Cairo, Illinois, but after his father died when he was very young his mother, Augusta, moved the two of them to Nashville, TN. With encouragement from her, Woodruff began to copy newspaper cartoons and images in the family Bible, and at Pearl High School, he was the school’s newspaper cartoonist. After graduation and a brief summer job as a hotel houseboy in Indianapolis, he began art studies at Herron Art Institute.

Regina Anderson, Playwright, and Librarian born

This date celebrates the birth of Regina M. Anderson in 1901. She was an African American librarian, playwright, and patron of the arts.

Jester Hairston, Actor born

Jester Hairston was born on this date in 1901. He was an African American choral composer and actor.

The grandson of slaves from the Hairston plantation at Belew’s Creek, North Carolina, Jester Hairston often had to suffer the indignities of Hollywood racism. A cum laude graduate from Tufts Universit with a major in music, he also studied music at the famed Julliard School. He spent 13 years as assistant conductor of the Hall Johnson Negro Choir, where he often arranged and conducted choirs for Broadway.

Adelaide Hall, Stage Entertainer born

On this date in 1901, Adelaide Hall was born. She was an African American entertainer, dancer, and vocalist.

She was born in Brooklyn, where her father taught her to sing. She made her show business debut in a number of black musical shows in New York, including “Shuffle Along,” “Chocolate Kiddies,” “Desires Of 1927,” and “Black Birds of 1928.” The last of these introduced several songs sung by Hall, including “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Hall went to Paris and was married to a British seaman (Bert Hicks) who opened a club for her called La Grosse Pomme (the Big Apple).

Etta Moten Barnett, Stage Singer born

On this date in 1901, we mark the birth of Etta Moten Barnett. She was an African American vocalist and theater artist.

She was born in Weimar, TX, the daughter of Freeman (a Methodist minister) and Ida Norman Moten. During her senior year at the University of Kansas, Moten was discovered while singing in a recital, and she was invited to join the prestigious Eva Jessy Choir in New York, which she promptly did after graduation. She was married in the 1920s, and divorced six years later.

Juanita Hall, Singer, and Actress born

On this date in 1901, Juanita Hall was born. She was an African American singer and actress.

She was born in Keyport, N.J., educated in the public school system there, and developed her voice while singing in the local Catholic church choir. Hall attended Juilliard School of Music in New York City. When she was still a teenager she married Clement Hall, who died in 1920.

Her first successful performance was as Julie in “Show Boat” in 1928. Hall appeared in “Green Pastures” in 1930 with the Hall Johnson Choir and eventually became the assistant choir director.

Step’n Fetchit, Vaudeville, and Film Actor born

On this date in 1902, Step’n Fetchit was born. He was an African American actor known for his stereotypical film portrayal of Black minstrel characters.

Rex Goreleigh, Artist born

*On this date in 1902, Rex Goreleigh was born. He was an African American painter.

From Peullyn, Pennsylvania, Goreleigh became interested in art at an early age as images helped his communication overcome his own shyness, which came from a childhood speech impediment. When he was fifteen, his mother died and he left for Philadelphia. In 1918, he moved to Washington D. C., attending Dunbar High School for two years.

Theodore Ward, Playwright born

*James Theodore Ward was born on this date in 1902. He was an African American author and playwright.

Thelma D. Brown, Playwright, and Teacher born

*Thelma Duncan Brown was born on this date in 1902.  She was a Black writer, teacher, and stage producer.   A St. Louis, Missouri-born writer, she received her college education at Howard University, Washington, DC, and Columbia University, New York. At Howard, during the 1920s, she discovered her writing talents under the tutelage of Thomas […]

James Lesesne Wells, Artist, and Teacher born

*James Lesesne Wells was born on this date in 1902. He was an African American educator, artist and photographer.

Robert Todd Duncan, Singer, and Teacher born

*On this date in 1903, Robert Todd Duncan was born in Danville, KY. He was an African American singer.