People, Locations, Episodes

Black History in Women’s Professional Basketball, a story

On this date, we explore African American women and professional basketball. The game of basketball had been created in 1891 and Black men entered the ranks of professional players (the NBA) in the 1950s.

The Negro Formation Flying Group Performs

*On this date in 1931, the Negro Formation Flying Group performed in Los Angeles. This event occurred before the Tuskegee Airmen and served to demonstrate to the public that Blacks were skilled enough to handle an airplane. Put together by William Powell, who had set the date for Labor Day that year; these were three black airplane pilots flying in […]

The Pittsburgh Crawfords Baseball Team is Formed

*On this date in 1932, we remember the Pittsburgh Crawfords.  They were one of the many Negro League Baseball teams in America.  Known as the Craws, they were based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team, previously known as the Crawford Colored Giants, was named after the Crawford Bath House, a recreation center in the Crawford neighborhood […]

New York Black Yankees Baseball Team formed

*On this date in 1932, we celebrate the forming of the New York Black Yankees. They were a Negro League Baseball organization.   Originally the New York Harlem Stars, they were co-owned by Tubby Scales.  After the change, the owner was financier James “Soldier Boy” Semler and Dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The Black Yankees originated […]

Meadowlark Lemon, Basketball Player, and Minister born

*Meadowlark Lemon was born on this date in 1932.  He was a Black basketball player, actor, and Christian minister.  Meadow Lemon III was born in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Lemon made his first basketball hoop out of an onion sack and a coat hanger, using an empty Carnation milk can to sink his first 2-point hoop. […]

Sonny Liston, Boxer born

Sonny Liston, an African American boxer, was born on this date in 1932.

He was born in Arkansas, the tenth of eleven children born into an impoverished family.

Ozzie Virgil, Baseball Player, and Coach born

*Ozzie Virgil was born on this date in 1932. He is an Afro Dominican retired professional baseball player and coach.  Osvaldo José Virgil Pichardo was born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 13 and settled in The Bronx, where Virgil graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School. […]

Roosevelt Grier, Athlete, and Minister born

*Roosevelt Grier was born on this date in 1932.  He is a Black actor, singer, minister, and former professional football player.   Born in Cuthbert, Georgia, as one of twelve children, Grier was named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  He played high school football at Abraham Clark High School in Roselle, New Jersey, graduating in 1951. […]

The First American Transcontinental Airplane Flight by Black Aviators is Completed

*On this date in 1932, the first American transcontinental airplane flight by Black aviators was completed. James Banning and Thomas Allen took off from Los Angeles’ Dycer Airport on September 19, 1932.   They made stops en route to New York. On October 9th, 1932, they circled Manhattan, looking down at what was “the biggest thrill […]

Cal Jones, Iowa Football Legend born

Cal Jones was born on this date in 1933. He was an African American college and professional football player.

John Roseboro, Baseball Player born

On this date in 1933, John Roseboro, an outstanding African American baseball player, was born in Ashland, OH.

Roseboro succeeded Roy Campanella as the Dodgers’ full-time catcher in 1957. For the next ten years he caught some of the greatest pitchers in the national league and was a four-time All-Star. He was the starting catcher in the 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1966 World Series, with the Dodgers winning the championship the first three times.

Edward Dwight Jr., Astronaut and Sculptor born

*Edward Dwight Jr. was born on this date in 1933.  He is a Black sculptor, author, former test pilot, and astronaut. Edward Joseph Dwight Jr. was born in Kansas City, Kansas area, to Georgia Baker Dwight and Edward Joseph Dwight Sr., a Negro League baseball player. At age 4, Dwight built a toy airplane from orange crates in […]

Pumpsie Green, Baseball Player born

*Pumpsie Green was born on this date in 1933.  He was a Black Major League Baseball player.   Elijah Jerry “Pumpsie” Green was born in Boley, Oklahoma, the eldest of five children.  Because the family moved, he grew up in Richmond, California.  Green was named Elijah after his father, but his mother called him “Pumpsie” from an early age.   He was a […]

Hank Aaron, Baseball Player, and Executive born

*On this date in 1934, Hank Aaron was born. Now an African American baseball executive, he remains one of major league baseball’s all-time home run hitters.

Bill Russell, Basketball Player, Coach, and Activist born

*Bill Russell was born on this date in 1934. He was an African American professional basketball player and coach.