People, Locations, Episodes

Albert A. Smith, Artist, and Musician born

*Albert Smith was born on this date in 1896.  He was a Black artist and musician.  Albert Alexander Smith was born in New York City, the son of parents who immigrated from Bermuda.  From an early age, his parents encouraged his artistic talents, paying for music lessons. Eventually, he became a banjo player and guitarist, […]

Rudolph Fisher, Writer, and Gastroenterology Specialist born

Rudolph Fisher was born in Washington, DC on this date in 1897. He was an African American physician, roentgen logy specialist, novelist, short story writer, dramatist, musician, and orator.

Paul Robeson, Athlete, Actor, Singer, and Activist born

On this date in 1898, Paul Robeson was born. He was a Black dramatic actor, singer, civil rights activist, political radical and one of the most gifted men of the 20th century.

Williams and Walker Debuts on Stage

*Williams and Walker’s stage show is celebrated on this date in 1898. The twosome George Walker and Bert Williams were two of the most renowned figures of the minstrel era. They debuted in New York at the Casino Theatre. Their act, “The Gold But,” consisted of songs and dance focused on Walker trying to convince […]

Heitor dos Prazeres, Composer, and Singer born

*On this date, in 1898, Heitor dos Prazeres was born.  He was an Afro Brazilian composer, singer, and painter. Heitor dos Prazeres was born in Rio de Janeiro to Eduardo Alexandre dos Prazeres, woodworker and clarinetist in the National Guard band, and the seamstress Celestina Gonçalves Martins, living in the Cidade Nova neighborhood. He was […]

The Stage Play ‘Cuba’ is Performed in Minneapolis

*On this date in 1898 a Black theatrical production of social consciousness was performed on a scale never before seen in Minnesota. It was titled “Cuba: a Drama of Freedom,” and took place at the Lyceum Theater in Minneapolis.

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 […]

Ellis Wilson, Artist born

The birth of Ellis Wilson in 1899 is marked on this date. He was an African American artist.

Aaron Douglas, Artist born

On this date we recall the birth of Aaron Douglas in 1899. He was an African American artist closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance.

The Cakewalk, a Black Expression Through Dance

*The Cakewalk is celebrated on this dates Registry. This is a couples dance originated by Blacks in North America around 1900.

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).