People, Locations, Episodes

Allan Freelon Sr., Impressionist born

*Allan Freelon Sr. was born on this date in 1895. He was a Black artist (Impressionist), educator, and civil rights, activist.    Allan Randall Freelon Sr was born in Philadelphia to Douglas Freelon and Laura E. (Goodwin) Freelon, a “middle-class family, the oldest of three children.  He attended the South Philadelphia High School for Boys, followed by a four-year scholarship to the Pennsylvania Museum and School […]

Beulah Woodard, California Artist born

On this date in 1895, Beulah Woodard was born. She was an African American artist who specialized in sculpture.

Born near Frankfort, OH, Beulah Ecton Woodard was the youngest daughter in the William P. Ecton family. In , and none affected her more deeply than a native African she met when she was 12vyears old. This began her lifelong interest in the culture of Africa.

Florence Mills, Singer, and Dancer born

*On this date in 1896 Florence Mills was born. She was an African American singer, dancer.

From Washington D.C., she was raised in severe poverty. Her parents John and Nellie were illiterate migrants from Lynchburg, Virginia. A young Florence was on stage full-time as a child, first as a “pickaninny” in White vaudeville then as a sister act on the Black popular entertainment circuit.

Juano Hernández, Actor born

*Juano Hernández was born on this date in 1896.  He was an Afro Puerto Rican stage, television, and film actor.   He was born Juan G. Hernández in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to a Puerto Rican father and an Afro Brazilian mother. With no formal education, he worked as a sailor and settled in Rio […]

Albert A. Smith, Artist, and Musician born

*Albert Smith was born on this date in 1896.  He was a Black artist and musician.  Albert Alexander Smith was born in New York City, the son of parents who immigrated from Bermuda.  From an early age, his parents encouraged his artistic talents, paying for music lessons. Eventually, he became a banjo player and guitarist, […]

Marian Anderson, Contralto born

*On this date, Marian Anderson was born in 1897. She was an African American singer, one of the finest contraltos of her time.

Mom’s Mabley, Vaudeville, and Comic Artist born

*This date marks the birthday of Moms Mabley, born in 1897. She was a Black vaudeville performer and comedian, the first Black woman to establish herself as a single act in standup comedy in America.

Rudolph Fisher, Writer, and Gastroenterology Specialist born

Rudolph Fisher was born in Washington, DC on this date in 1897. He was an African American physician, roentgen logy specialist, novelist, short story writer, dramatist, musician, and orator.

Jules Bledsoe, Opera Singer born

Jules Bledsoe was born on this date in 1897. He was an African American classical baritone and composer.

Born in Waco, Texas, he was the son of Henry L. and Jessie (Cobb) Bledsoe. He attended Central Texas Academy in Waco from about 1905 until his graduation as class valedictorian in 1914. He then attended Bishop College in Marshall, where he earned a B.A. in 1918. He was a member of the ROTC at Virginia Union University in Richmond in 1918-19, and studied medicine at Columbia University in New York City between 1920 and 1924.

Paul Robeson, Athlete, Actor, Singer, and Activist born

On this date in 1898, Paul Robeson was born. He was a Black dramatic actor, singer, civil rights activist, political radical and one of the most gifted men of the 20th century.

Williams and Walker Debuts on Stage

*Williams and Walker’s stage show is celebrated on this date in 1898. The twosome George Walker and Bert Williams were two of the most renowned figures of the minstrel era. They debuted in New York at the Casino Theatre. Their act, “The Gold But,” consisted of songs and dance focused on Walker trying to convince […]

Heitor dos Prazeres, Composer, and Singer born

*On this date, in 1898, Heitor dos Prazeres was born.  He was an Afro Brazilian composer, singer, and painter. Heitor dos Prazeres was born in Rio de Janeiro to Eduardo Alexandre dos Prazeres, woodworker and clarinetist in the National Guard band, and the seamstress Celestina Gonçalves Martins, living in the Cidade Nova neighborhood. He was […]

The Stage Play ‘Cuba’ is Performed in Minneapolis

*On this date in 1898 a Black theatrical production of social consciousness was performed on a scale never before seen in Minnesota. It was titled “Cuba: a Drama of Freedom,” and took place at the Lyceum Theater in Minneapolis.

May Miller, Playwright, and Poet born

*On this date we celebrate the birth of May Miller in 1899. She was an African American playwright and poet associated with New York’s Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s.

Born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a Howard University sociologist, Miller grew up in an intellectual household in which W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were frequent guests. She graduated from Howard University in 1920, while there she earned an award for her one-act play Within the Shadows. Afterwards she taught secondary school and continued to write.

Leonard Harper, Stage Producer born

*Leonard Harper was born on this date in 1899; he was a Black producer, stager, and choreographer in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance.   He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, to William Harper, a performer, and his wife. Harper started dancing as a child to attract a crowd on a medicine show wagon, traveling throughout the South. In 1915, […]