People, Locations, Episodes

Minnie Evans, Artist born

Minnie Evans was born on this date in 1892. She was an African American artist.

Minnie Jones was born and raised in a log cabin in Long Creek, Pender County, North Carolina, to Ella Jones, later Ella Jones Kelly. She and her mother moved to Wilmington in early 1893. Minnie left school after the fifth grade to work as a “sounder,” selling oysters and clams door-to-door.

Emma Chambers Maitland, Dancer and Boxer born

*Emma Chambers Maitland was born on this date in 1893. She was a Black dancer, teacher, and boxer. Born Jane Chambers, she was from near Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Wyatt Chambers and Cora Chambers. Her parents were sharecroppers, and she had seven brothers. She was educated at a convent school in Rock Castle, Virginia, and […]

Lawrence Brown, Composer and Pianist born

*Lawrence Brown was born on this date in 1893. He was a Black Gay vocalist (tenor), composer and pianist. Lawrence Benjamin Brown was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and raised by his father, Clark Benjamin Brown, and his stepmother, Cenia Brown. Lawrence’s birth mother died when he was three years old. Clark and his father were […]

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 […]

Eulalie Spence, Playwright, and Actress born

*Eulalie Spence was born on this date in 1894.  She was a Black writer, teacher, stage director, actress, and playwright.  Eulalie Spence was born on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies to Robert and Eno Lake Spence, the oldest of seven girls. She spent her formative years on her father’s sugar plantation. […]

Mercedes Gilbert, Actress born

*Mercedes Gilbert was born on this date in 1894. She was a Black actress, novelist, and poet. Gilbert was a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Edward Waters College. She originally trained as a nurse before coming to New York and entering the entertainment profession, first as a songwriter and then as a stage actress. Career […]

Hector Hyppolite, Haitian Artist born

*Hector Hyppolite was born on this date 1894. He was a African Haitian painter.

Hilda Wilkinson Brown, Artist, and Teacher born

*This date in 1894 is celebrated as the birth date of Hilda Wilkinson Brown, a Black artist and teacher.   Hilda Rue Wilkinson was born in Washington, D.C., and was the only one of five grandchildren to have remained in Washington, D.C., where her great-grandmother first moved after being freed from slavery in 1835.   Brown […]

Susie Edwards, Vaudeville Actress born

*The birth of Susie Edwards is celebrated on this date in 1894. She was a vaudeville singer. As a young blues singer and actress from Pensacola, Florida, Susie Hawthornes met singer-dancer Jodie “Butterbeans” Edwards in the Black touring revue “The Smart Set.” She married Jody Edwards during a show in 1917 when a publicity agent offered them […]

William Grant Still, Symphonic Composer born

On this date in 1895, William Grant Still was born. He was an African American musician and composer.

William J. Rapp, Playwright born

*William Rapp was born on this date in 1895. He was a white-American playwright, author, and news writer.    Born in NYC, William Jourdan Rapp was the son of a cigar manufacturer and merchant.  He graduated from Cornell, Class of 1917, and volunteered for Army service. Rapp served in France and remained in Europe until 1924.  He worked […]

Manet Harrison Fowler, Classical Soprano and Musician born

*Manet Harrison Fowler was born on this date in 1895. She was a Black musician, dramatic soprano, artist, voice coach, piano teacher, conductor, music educator, and midwife. Manet Helen Harrison was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Taylor Henry Harrison, an African, and Carrie Vickers Harrison, a Creole, both Louisiana natives. She was a child […]

Allan Freelon Sr., Impressionist born

*Allan Freelon Sr. was born on this date in 1895. He was a Black artist (Impressionist), educator, and civil rights activist.    Allan Randall Freelon Sr was born in Philadelphia to Douglas Freelon and Laura E. (Goodwin) Freelon, a “middle-class family, the oldest of three children.  He attended the South Philadelphia High School for Boys, followed by a four-year scholarship to the Pennsylvania Museum and School […]

Beulah Woodard, California Artist born

On this date in 1895, Beulah Woodard was born. She was an African American artist who specialized in sculpture.

Born near Frankfort, OH, Beulah Ecton Woodard was the youngest daughter in the William P. Ecton family. In , and none affected her more deeply than a native African she met when she was 12vyears old. This began her lifelong interest in the culture of Africa.

Juano Hernández, Actor born

*Juano Hernández was born on this date in 1896.  He was an Afro Puerto Rican stage, television, and film actor.   He was born Juan G. Hernández in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to a Puerto Rican father and an Afro Brazilian mother. With no formal education, he worked as a sailor and settled in Rio […]