People, Locations, Episodes

Morris Brown College is Founded

*On this date in 1885, Morris Brown College in Atlanta was founded. It is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Mary Loraine Europe, Pianist, and Teacher born

*The birth of Mary Loraine Europe is celebrated on this date in 1885.  She was a Black pianist, organist, and music educator.  Born in Mobile, Alabama, Mary Loraine Europe was a daughter of Henry J. Europe and Loraine (Saxon) Europe. Her father was a native of Alabama and a devoted Baptist Church of Mobile member. […]

Clara Belle Williams, Educator born

*The birth of Clara Belle Williams in 1885 is celebrated on this date. She was an African American educator.

Florence Read, College Administrator born

*Florence Read was born on this date in 1885. She was a white-American college president. From Delevan, New York, Florence Matilda Read was the daughter of William Ervin Read and Cornelia Minerva Waldo; she had a brother Harry. Read received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1909 and served as alumnae secretary. In 1911, […]

The St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind Opens

*This date in 1885 celebrates the opening of the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) is a state-supported boarding school for deaf and blind children established in St. Augustine, Florida. In 1882, Thomas Hines Coleman, a young deaf man, was preparing to […]

Willis N. Huggins, Educator born

*Willis Huggins was born on this date in 1886.  He was a Black historian, teacher, and social activist. He was among the earliest proponents of teaching African and African American history in American schools.   Willis Nathaniel Huggins was born in Selma, Alabama; his father, Reverend A. Z. Huggins, was a Baptist minister. Huggins received his first education at the Selma Training School as a youth. […]

Virginia University of Lynchburg is Founded

*The founding of Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) is celebrated on this date in 1886.  VUL is a private, historically Black Christian University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The university offers instruction and degrees, primarily in religious studies, including a Doctor of Ministry program. The campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Virginia University of Lynchburg is […]

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is Founded

*The University of Maryland Eastern was founded on this date in 1886,. It is one of over 100 Historical Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Opened through the Delaware Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, UMES began with nine students and one faculty. 37 students were enrolled by the end of the first year. Its first name was the Industrial Branch of Morgan State College. It was renamed the Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Agricultural College in 1919. In 1948, the school became Maryland State College, a Division of the University of Maryland.

Alain Locke, Philosopher, and Educator born

This date marks the birth of Alain Locke in 1885. He was an African American philosopher, intellectual, and educator, and credited with defining the Harlem Renaissance.

Born into Philadelphia’s Black elite, Alain Leroy Locke was the only child of an established free Black family. By high school, he was an accomplished pianist and violinist. In 1907, Locke received a B.A. in philosophy magna cum laude from Harvard.

Princess Anne Academy Begins Classes

*This date in 1886, marks the origin of Princess Anne Academy. This was one of the schools for Blacks that paved the way towards America’s many Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Founded as the Delaware Conference Academy, it can be found in Princess Anne on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, this school was organized by Morgan College.

Kittrell College is Founded

*The founding of Kittrell College is celebrated on this date in 1886. It was a two-year historically black college (HBCU).   History Kittrell College was initially chartered in 1885 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Kittrell, North Carolina, as Kittrell Normal and Industrial School. It was founded to train underprivileged Blacks as teachers and artisans. […]

Henry Lee Grant, Music Educator born

*Henry Lee Grant was born on this date in 1886.  He was a Black music educator and administrator. He was born in Washington, DC. He studied music with his father, Henry F. Grant, who was head of the music department in segregated schools. Grant taught music briefly at Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC, before returning to Washington, […]

Ethel Jones-Mowbray, Teacher and Sorority Founder born

*The birth of Ethel Jones-Mowbray is celebrated on this date in 1886. She was a Black teacher, culinary artist, and administrator. Born to Mr. and Mrs. George Jones in Baltimore, Maryland, she lost her mother at birth. Her father raised her alone until she was ten. Later, Jones was raised by a foster family, the […]

James V. Herring, Artist, and Professor born

*James V. Herring was born on this date in 1887.  He was a Black artist and professor. James Vernon Herring was born in Clio, South Carolina, to a Black mother and a white Jewish father who was an educator and visual artist. To ensure him a good education and protection from white racial violence, his family sent […]

Solomon D. Spady, Physics Teacher born

*Solomon D. Spady was born on this date in 1887. He was an African American teacher, scientist and administrator.