Today marks a grim period in Black history, and also marked the a major shift in the aims of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On this day 50 years ago, Black Memphis, Tennessee sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker were tragically killed, prompting their Black co-workers to strike in protest of their low […]
Etta Moten Barnett blazed a trail for Black women in entertainment, changing the perception of how her race and gender were seen on screen and stage. On this day in 1934, Barnett became the first African-American woman to perform inside the White House. Barnett was born Etta Moten on November 5, 1901 in Weimar, Texas. […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Clive Davis‘ pre-Grammy gala is so white-hot you can’t purchase tickets, and he said it has been hard letting some longtime attendees know they can’t be invited back. Davis’ Saturday night event, held a day before the 2018 Grammy Awards, launched the careers of Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, and have […]
Elijah Cummings, a longtime U.S. Congressman representing Maryland’s 7th District, has enjoyed a political career that spans well over three decades. The native Baltimorean is a known fixture in his hometown and made waves on the national stage as a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Cummings was born on this day in 1951 and […]
On this day in 1941, the War Department bent to the pressure from Black activists, forming an all-Black combat pilot division. The 99th Pursuit Squadron whose pilots received training at Tuskegee became one of the squadrons that became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Resistance to the formation of the 99th was expected, and they were […]
Charles W. Anderson was the first Black legislator in the state of Kentucky, and a proven champion for the state’s Black residents during his tenure as a lawmaker. In January 1936, Anderson was sworn into the Kentucky House of Representatives, serving several terms and making an almost immediate impact the moment he began his service. […]
The late Thelma White Camack occupies a small but important corner in the annals of Black history in the state of Texas. As a prospective student at Texas Western College, Camack was denied due to her race which prompted the NAACP to rally around her for their desegregation cause. Camack was born Thelma Joyce White […]
In the annals of Black history in the state of Colorado, late Boulder native Dr. Ruth Cave Flowers commands a lofty space. She was the one of the first African-American women to graduate from the University of Colorado. CU’s first Black female graduate was Lucile Berkeley Buchanan, a fact revealed in the early 90’s. Ruth […]
Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, the last living of the trio of women who played in the Negro Leagues, has died. The pitcher was a teammate of the pioneering Hank Aaron and amassed a respectable 33-8 record in her three seasons of play. Johnson was born September 27, 1935 in the small town of Ridgeway, South Carolina. […]
Dr. George Franklin Grant gained notoriety as Harvard University’s first Black professor, and one of the early Black dentists of his era. On this day in 1899, Dr. Grant received his patent for what is generally recognized as the modern golf tee.| Grant was born September 15, 1846 in Oswego, New York. He entered the Harvard […]
The late Dr. Roselyn Payne Epps was a pioneering pediatrician and medical administrator who achieved some notable firsts in her long career. Dr. Epps is the first Black national president of the American Medical Women’s Association, and we take a look back at her career on her day of birth. Epps was born on this […]
Reginald F. Lewis was the nation’s richest African-American in the ’80’s and the first to build a billion-dollar company. This morning in his hometown of Baltimore, the late pioneering Black tycoon’s life will be celebrated at the museum that bears his name on the day of his birth. Lewis was born December 7, 1942 in […]
