*Suzanne De Passe was born on this date in 1946. She is a Black media entrepreneur. De Passe was born in New York City to a Harlem-born mother of Jamaican descent and a father of Haitian and French descent. Raised in Harlem, she attended Manhattan High School and later Syracuse University. De Passe began her […]
learn more*Blackface in America is affirmed on this date in 1441. Blackface is a form of theatrical or media makeup. It is used mainly by white performers to portray a caricature of a black person of African descent. There is no agreement about a single moment that constitutes the origin of blackface. The journalist and cultural […]
learn more*The Hollywood Victory Committee Negro Division was created on this date in 1941. Chaired by Hattie McDaniel, this was a Black subcommittee of the white Hollywood Victory Committee. Both committees were associated with the Screen Actors Guild to support American troops during World War II. It provided a means for stage, screen, television, and radio performers […]
learn more*Robert E. Jones was born on this date in 1910. He was a Black actor and professional boxer. Robert Earl Jones was born in n Senatobia, or Coldwater, Mississippi, the son of Robert and Elnora Jones. He left school early to work as a sharecropper to help his family. Jones later became a prizefighter. Under the name […]
learn more*Byron Allen was born on this date in 1961. He is a Black businessman, comedian, television producer, philanthropist, and the head of the US entertainment company Entertainment Studios. Byron Allen Folks was born in Detroit but grew up in Los Angeles. His interest in show business began during childhood when he accompanied his mother, Carolyn […]
learn more*On this date in 1942, Lola Falana was born. She was an American singer, dancer, model, actress, and minister. Loleta Elayne Falana was Born in Camden, New Jersey; she was the third of six children born to Bennett, a welder, and Cleo Falana, a seamstress. Her father, an Afro Cuban, left his homeland of Cuba to […]
learn more*Meechy Monroe was born on this date in 1985. She was a successful blogger who provided beauty tips and hair tutorials for black women with natural hair. Monroe was born Tameka Moore; her parents are Alexander and Patricia Moore. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Monroe gained an international YouTube following for videos demonstrating African […]
learn more*Cleavon Little was born on this date in 1939. He was a Black stage, film, and television actor. Cleavon Jake Little was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, the son of Malachi Little and DeEtta Jones Little. He was the brother of singer DeEtta Little West; he had another sister, Rosemarie Little Martin, and two brothers, Everett […]
learn more*Nichelle Nichols was born on this date in 1932. She was a Black actress, singer, and dancer. Grace Dell Nichols was born the third of six children in Robbins, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Her father was Samuel Earl Nichols, a factory worker elected both town mayor of Robbins in 1929 and its chief magistrate, […]
learn more*The birth of William D. Foster is celebrated on this date in 1884. Sometimes referred to as Bill Foster, he was a pioneering Black film producer. William Foster was born in Chicago, Illinois. He started his career as a sportswriter for the Chicago Defender, writing under the name Juli Jones. Foster periodically wrote for other newspapers […]
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