*Félix Houphouët-Boigny was born on this date in 1905. He was a Black African politician and physician. Houphouët-Boigny was born in Yamoussoukro, the Ivory Coast, to a family of hereditary chiefs of the Baoulé people. His first name, Dia, means “prophet” or “magician.” His father was N’Doli Houphouët. When N’Go was murdered in 1910, Dia […]
learn more*Herbert Bright was born on this date in 1883. He was a Black African doctor and political activist. Herbert Christian Bankole-Bright was born in Okrika, Sierra Leone, the son of Jacob Galba Bright and his wife Letitia (née Williams), Creole descendants of Sierra Leone Liberated Africans. Bright’s paternal grandfather, John Bright, was an ex-slave who […]
learn moreSylvia Drew-Ivie is an activist, lawyer, and mental health advocate. In this segment, she shares two episodes in her career that she is fond of.
learn more*Evelyn Mase was born on May 18, 1922. She was a Black African nurse. Evelyn Ntoko Mase was born in Engcobo, Transkei, South Africa. Her father was a mineworker, and her mother was his second wife; they had six children, three of whom died in infancy. Mase’s father died when she was still a child. […]
learn more*Dr. Nthato Harrison Motlana was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black South African businessman, physician, and anti-apartheid activist. He was born in Marapane, near Pretoria, South Africa. He attended Kilnerton High School in Pretoria and the University of Fort Hare, where he obtained a B.Sc. degree. He also took medicine at […]
learn more*The birth of Pattie Carter is celebrated on this date in 1875. She was a Black nurse and administrator. She was the daughter of Hawkins W. Carter, who served Warren County as a representative and state senator during the Reconstruction era. She obtained her education from Shaw University, St. Agnes Hospital, and Lincoln Hospital in […]
learn more*Miles V. Lynk was born on this date in 1871. He was a Black physician, author, and activist for science, specifically for medical doctors. Miles Vandahurst Lynk was born near Brownsville, Tennessee. He was named after two bishops, William Henry Miles and Richard H. Vandahurst, of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Jackson, Tennessee. Lynk […]
learn more*Abbie Voorhies was born on this date in 1915. She was a Black nurse and military officer. Abbie Edith Voorhies was born in Louisiana and graduated from Kansas City General Hospital Nursing School in Missouri. Her first job was with Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. She said she joined the military after hearing that […]
learn more*Jessie G. Garnett was born on this date in 1897. She was a Black Canadian dentist and activist. She was born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Her mother was a seamstress, and her father died when she was a child. At eleven, she moved to the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston with her mother, two older sisters, […]
learn more*Edwin Howard was born on this date in 1846. He was a Black doctor and medical administrator. Born in Boston, MA., Edwin C.J.T. Howard’s parents were Edwin Howard and Joanna Turpin. He was the brother of educator Joan Imogen Howard. He attended Boston Latin School from 1861 to 1865. He studied at Liberia College in […]
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