People, Locations, Episodes

The Second Baptist Church (Los Angeles), is Founded

*On this date in 1885, Second Baptist Church, the first African American Baptist Church in Southern California was organized in Los Angeles.

The Tanner AME Church (Phoenix, Arizona), is Formed

The founding of Tanner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church of Phoenix in 1899 is celebrated on this date.

The Black Hebrew Israelites, a story

*The Black Hebrew Israelites are affirmed on this date in 1886. Also called Hebrew Israelites, Black Hebrews, Black Israelites, and African Hebrew Israelites are groups of African Americans who believe they are the descendants of the ancient Israelites. Black Hebrew Israelites are not associated with the mainstream Jewish community, and they do not meet the standards used […]

Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta) is Founded

The founding of Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1886 is celebrated on this date. This Atlanta house of worship is a unique landmark of Civil Rights in the Africa American community.

James Walker Hood Easton, Activist born

*Dr. James Walker Hood Eason was born on this date in 1887. He was a Black minister and activist. From Sunbury, North Carolina, he was the son of Douglass and Lucinda Eason, former slaves. His parents were members of the AME Zion Church and named him after their bishop, James Walker Hood. Young Eason was […]

St. Marks AME Church, (Duluth, Minnesota) is Founded

*On this date in 1888, celebrates the founding of Duluth’s St. Mark’s AME Church.   This was the first and only building in Duluth built by blacks, for blacks.   Founded by Rev. Richmond Taylor, the congregation first met at Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue West. Soon afterward, it moved to a newly constructed building at […]

Leonard Morse, Minister born

*Leonard Morse was born on this date in 1891. He was a Black minister and a founding member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. From Boston, MA., Leonard F. Morse was the son of a distinguished New England Family, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Morse of Boston, Massachusetts. Trained in the elementary and secondary schools of […]

The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament is Formed

*On this date in 1891, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a Roman Catholic order of nuns, was founded.  It is a Catholic charitable institute founded by Saint Katharine Drexel under the name Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People.   During her life, Saint Katharine Drexel used approximately 20 million dollars of her fortune to fund […]

Zema W. Hill, Evangelist, and Businessman born

*Zema W. Hill was born on this date in 1891. He was a Black evangelist and businessman. He was from Franklin County, in Asia near Winchester, Tennessee.  Hill joined the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church and became a teenage evangelist at an early age. In 1916, he moved to Nashville, where he preached and evangelized in […]

Joseph Ritter, Prelate and Activist born

*Joseph Ritter was born on this date in 1892. He was a white-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and a racial justice activist. Born in New Albany, Indiana, Elmer Joseph Ritter was the fourth of Nicholas and Bertha (née Luette) Ritter’s six children. His father owned and operated the Ritter Bakery (where the family […]

Brown’s Chapel (Minnesota) Begins Services

*Brown’s Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church held its first service on this date in 1892. Brown’s Chapel was a black church located in Hastings, Minnesota. Brown’s Chapel was the center of religious and social activities for Blacks in the area, with many weddings and funerals. Former Hastings residents visited the church after moving away, demonstrating their lasting […]

St. Peter Claver Church (St. Paul, Minnesota) is Founded

On this date, we celebrate the founding of Saint Peter Claver Catholic Church in 1892. For over 100 years it has served a large percentage of the African American community in St. Paul, MN.

Rev. Glenn Settle, Minister, and Choir Director born

*On this date, in 1894, Glenn T. Settle was born.   He was a Black minister and choral director.   Born in Reidsville, North Carolina, to Rubin and Mary Settle, Glenn Thomas Settle moved with his family to Uniontown, Pa., and attended public school. Settle then moved to Elyria, beginning his pastorate as assistant pastor of Mount Haven […]

William Stuart Nelson, Activist born

*William Stuart Nelson was born on this date in 1895.  He was a Black theologian and human rights activist. William Nelson was born in Paris, Kentucky, and graduated from Lincoln High School in Paducah, KY. He served in World War I and received his BA from Howard University in 1920. After attending schools in France and Germany, […]

Stephen Spottswood, Bishop born

On this date in 1897, Stephen Gill Spottswood was born. He was an African American Bishop, religious leader, and a civil and human rights activist.

He was from Boston where he attended Albright College, Gordon Divinity School, and then received a Doctor of Divinity from Yale University. Bishop Spottswood was president of the Ohio Council of Churches and served on the boards of numerous interfaith conferences. He joined the NAACP in 1919 and was appointed to their board in 1955. He was elected Chairman of the Board in 1961, and that he held that position for ten years.