*Peggy Cooper Cafritz was born on this date in 1947. She was a Black art collector, educator, activist, philanthropist, and socialite. Born Pearl Alice Cooper, Peggy Cafritz belonged to one of Mobile, Alabama’s wealthiest black families. She later changed her name legally to her childhood nickname, “Peggy.” The Cooper family gained their wealth through Peggy’s […]
learn more*Michael DeMond Davis was born on this date in 1939. He was a Black journalist and a pioneer in African American journalism, opening the doors for many African American writers. Michael Davis was born in Washington, D.C., the son of John P. Davis and Marguerite DeMond Davis, and grew up in a black middle class […]
learn more*John P. Davis was born on this date in 1905. He was a Black journalist, lawyer, and activist administrator. John Preston Davis was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Dr. William Henry Davis and Julia Davis. In the 1920s, his father was Secretary to the Presidential Commission investigating the economic conditions in the Virgin […]
learn more*Georg Stanford Brown was born on this date in 1943. He is an Afro Cuban actor and director. Brown was seven years old and born in Cuba when his family moved from Havana to Harlem, N.Y. At 15, he formed The Parthenon singing group. Brown quit high school at 16 and left New York to move to […]
learn more*Melba Joy Patillo Beals was born on this date in 1941. She is a Black journalist, educator, and member of the Little Rock Nine. Born in Little Rock, Ark., Patillo grew up in a family prioritizing education. Her mother, Lois Marie Pattillo, was one of the first black graduates of the University of Arkansas in 1954 […]
learn more*Dave Chappelle was born on this date in 1973. He is a Black stand-up comedian and actor. David Khari Webber Chappelle was born in Washington, D.C. His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor of vocal performance and the dean of students at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His mother, Yvonne Seon, worked […]
learn more*Orson Welles was born on this date in 1915. He was a white-American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. George Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was the son of Richard Head Welles and Beatrice Ives Welles. His parents separated and moved to Chicago in 1919. His father, who made a fortune as an […]
learn more*Louis Gossett was born on this date in 1936. He is a Black actor. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. was born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, to Hellen Rebecca Wray, a nurse, and Louis Gossett Sr., a Pulman porter. He is an alumnus of Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 and Abraham Lincoln High School. […]
learn more*Richard E. Norman was born on this date in 1891. He was a white-American filmmaker. From Middleburg, Florida, he was the son of Ricard and Katheryn Bruce Norman. Richard Edward Norman started his film career in the Midwest, making movies for white audiences in the 1910s. His early work was a series of “home talent” […]
learn more*Trevor Noah was born on this date in 1984. He is a Black South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Trevor Noah was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng), South Africa. His father, Robert, is of Swiss-German ancestry, and his mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, is a Black Xhosa woman. Under apartheid legislation, Noah […]
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