People, Locations, Episodes

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.

The First Black Play On Broadway debuts

*On this date in 1903, In Dahomey opened, at the New York Theater. This was a landmark American musical comedy and was “the first full-length musical written, produced and performed by Blacks at a major Broadway Theater.

It featured music by Will Marion Cook from the book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The production was produced by McVon Hurtig and Harry Seamon and starred Black actors James Smith and George Sisay and one of the leading comedians in America at that time, Bert Williams.

In Dahomey ran for 53 performances.

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Dick Campbell, Stage Actor, and Theater Advocate born

*Dick Campbell was born on this date in 1903.  He was a Black actor, theater advocate, and community activist.   Born Cornelius Coleridge Campbell in Beaumont, Texas. Orphaned at six, he was raised by his maternal grandmother, Pauline Snow. He was a janitor at his local high school before attending Paul Quinn College in Waco, […]

“The Charleston” (Dance Style), a story

The Charleston is celebrated on this date. This is a dance style influenced by African culture and started durinhg Bblack slavery in America.

Buck Washington, Dancer born

Buck Washington was born on this date in 1903. He was an African American dancer, recognized as one of vaudeville’s best-known all-around entertainers and innovators.

Fredi Washington, Actress born

*On this date in 1903, Fredi Washington was born. She was an African American actress, writer, dancer, and singer.

From Savannah, Georgia, Fredericka Carolyn Washington’s education began at St. Elizabeth Convent in Cornwells Heights, Pennsylvania. She then attended the Egri School of Dramatic Writing and the Christopher School of Languages, where her attractions included casting, writing, dancing, singing, and civil rights. Washington’s career began dancing in nightclubs. From 1922 to 1926, she toured with Sissle and Blake’s Shuffle Along.

James Baskett, Actor born.

*On this date we point out the birth of James Baskett in 1904. He was an African American actor.

Pigmeat Markham, Comedian born

On this date we mark the birth of Pigmeat Markham in 1904. He was an African American comedian.

From Durham, North Carolina, Dewey Pigmeat Markham began his long career in 1917, dancing in traveling shows. He traveled the southern ‘race’ circuit with blues singer Bessie Smith and later appeared on burlesque bills with Milton Berle, Red Buttons, and Eddie Cantor. By the 50s, Markham was one of Black America’s most popular entertainers through his shows at the Regal in Chicago, the Howard in Washington, and in particular, New York’s famed Apollo.