People, Locations, Episodes

Mahmoud al-Kati, Writer born

*On this date in c 1498, Mahmoud al-Kati was born.  He was a Black African historian and Soninke writer. Mahmoud al-Kati was born in Timbuktu, Mali.  Al-Kati was a member of the Soninke tribe who learned to read and write Arabic, the language of West African scholars in his time. Travel to Mecca.  As a […]

The Gullah Language of African America, a story

This date celebrates Gullah, an African American language, mainly spoken along the Southeastern coast of the United States, especially on the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina.

The word is also used for people who speak the language. Ancestors of people who were brought from West Africa to the West Indies and to America as slaves speak Gullah today. The language merges elements from a number of West African languages with elements from English.

African American, (the term); an article

*The term African American is celebrated on this dates Registry.

In August of 2005, an Ethiopian-born activist named Abdulaziz Kamus seemed to melt into the crowd; a sea of black professors, health experts and community leaders considering how to educate blacks about the dangers of prostate cancer. But when he piped up to suggest focusing some attention on African immigrants, the dividing lines were quickly and pointedly drawn.

Anton Amo, Philosopher born

*The birth of Anton Amo is celebrated on this date in c. 1703. He was a Black African professor and philosopher.  Anton Wilhelm Amo was a Nzema (an Akan people). He was born in Axim in the Western region of present-day Ghana, but at about four, he was taken to Amsterdam by the Dutch West India Company. He was […]

John Witherspoon, Slave Owner, and Minister born

*John Witherspoon was born on this date in 1723.  He was a white-Scottish American slave owner, a Presbyterian minister, and a Founding Father of the United States. John Witherspoon was born in Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland, as the eldest child of the Reverend James Alexander Witherspoon and Anne Walker, a descendant of John Welsh of […]

Francis Barber, Businessman, and Educator born

The birth of Francis Barber in 1735 is celebrated on this date. He was a Black slave who became a businessmen and educator.

Don Miguel Hidalgo, Revolutionary Leader born

*Don Miguel Hidalgo was born on this date in 1753. He was a Criollo Catholic priest, educator, and revolutionary military leader. Commonly known as Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo, he was the second-born child of Don Cristóbal Hidalgo y Costilla Espinoza de los Monteros and Doña Ana María Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor, both criollos. On […]

Primus Hall, Soldier, and School Master born

*Primus Hall was born on this date in 1756. He was a soldier and schoolmaster. He was born into slavery in Boston to Prince and Delia Hall, a domestic servant and an enslaved man owned by William Hall until his freedom in 1770. His father, Prince Hall, was an abolitionist, Revolutionary War soldier, and founder of […]

John Chavis, Teacher, and Abolitionist born

John Chavis, a Black educator was born on this date in 1763. He was born in North Carolina to a legally free family, which allowed him to pursue an education.

The African Free School (New York City) Opens

On this date in 1796, the first school for Blacks in America opened.

The African Free School was begun in New York City by the Manumission Society. The African Free School commenced as a one-room school and the first permanent build was erected in later that year. After a fire destroyed the building, African School No. 2 opened in 1815, with room for 500 pupils.

By 1834, there were seven African Free Schools and they were eventually incorporated into the public school system.

John B. Meachum, Minister born

*John B. Meachum was born on this date in 1789.  He was a Black minister, businessman, and educator. John Berry Meachum was born into slavery in Goochland County, Virginia. His master took him to North Carolina and then Kentucky. Meachum learned several trades, including carpentry. At 21, he earned enough money from carpentry to purchase […]

Francis LeMoyne, Abolitionist born

*Francis LeMoyne was born on this date in 1789.  He was a white-American Politician and physician.  Francis Julian LeMoyne was the son of John Julius LeMoyne, a Farmer, and Nancy McCally LeMoyne, an Educator.  Young LeMoyne was educated at Washington College (PA).  He was an abolitionist who served as president of the Washington Anti-Slavery Society […]

Thomas Dalton, Abolitionist and Education Advocate, born

*Thomas Dalton was born on this date in 1794. He was a free Black abolitionist and education advocate. Thomas Dalton was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. His father was Thomas Dalton. Thomas Dalton married Patience Young in 1818. She died in 1832. In his second marriage, Dalton married Lucy Lew Francis in 1834. Dalton worked as […]

Johns Hopkins, Abolitionist, and Philanthropist born

*Johns Hopkins was born on this date in 1795. He was a white-American 19th-century entrepreneur, investor, abolitionist, and philanthropist.  Johns Hopkins was one of eleven children born to Samuel Hopkins (1759–1814) of Crofton, Maryland, and Hannah Janney (1774–1864) of Loudoun County, Virginia. His home was Whitehall, a 500-acre (200-ha) tobacco plantation in Anne Arundel County. His first name was inherited from his grandfather, Johns Hopkins, who received […]

Alexander L. Twilight, Legislator, and School Principal born

This date marks the birth of Alexander Lucius Twilight in 1795. He was one of the the first Black college graduates in the United States.

Alexander Twilight was born in Corinth, Vt., to a free Black family. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1823, with his baccalaureate degree, making him, the first African American to receive a degree from an American college. He was licensed to preach by the Presbyterian Church and served several Congregational churches.