People, Locations, Episodes

Margaret Burroughs, Writer, and Teacher born

*Margaret Burroughs was born on this date in 1917. She was an African American artist, historian, teacher and writer.

Pearl Bailey, Actress, and Entertainer born

*On this date, Pearl Bailey was born in 1918. This African American singer, actress and entertainer, known for her comedic timing and charm, was honored for her service to American troops, and named as special delegate to the United Nations (UN).

Charles White, Artist, and Instructor born

*On this date Charles White was born in 1918. He was an African American graphic artist, painter, and instructor.

Hilda Simms, Actress, and Media Talent Advocate

This date in 1918 marks the birth of Hilda Simms. She was an African American stage and film actress.

Born Hilda Moses in Minneapolis, MN she graduated from South high school. Sims joined the American Negro Theater at Harlem, NY, in 1943, and was given the title role in Anna Lucasta. When the production moved to Broadway in 1944, it became the first all-Black production to be performed on Broadway without a racial theme. It had a run of over 950 performances.

Gordon Heath, Actor born

*Gordon Heath was born on this date in 1918. He was a Black Gay actor and musician. Heath was born in New York City, his parent’s only child. His father, Cyril Gordon Heath, had emigrated from Barbados to the US, where he met and married Hattie Hooper. Young Heath showed an early talent for music and art but opted […]

Eugene Grigsby, Artist, and Professor born

*Eugene Grigsby Jr. was born on this date 1918. He was an African American artist, and educator.

Talley Beatty, Choreographer born

*Talley Beatty was born on this date in 1918. He was a Black dancer and choreographer. Talley Beatty was born in Cedar Grove, Louisiana, a section of Shreveport, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Beatty began studying dance at the age of fourteen with Katherine Dunham. He learned her style of dancing, which was heavily based […]

‘The Black Bottom’, African Roots in American Dance

*The Black Bottom dance is celebrated on this date. This is one of many dances brought from African culture through Blacks during and after slavery.

Originally starting in New Orleans the Black Bottom later worked its way to New York. Some say blues singer Alberta Hunter introduced the dance. Others say Perry Bradford in Nashville, Tennessee introduced it to white America in 1919 when he wrote the Song “The Black Bottom.” Bradford’s sheet music had the music as well as the dance instructions printed on them.

Lorenzo Fuller, Kansas Musician born

*Lorenzo Fuller was born on this date in 1919. He was an African American musician and entertainer.

Loften Mitchell, Playwright born

Loften Mitchell was born this date in 1919. He was an African American playwright, historian, and writer.

From Columbus, North Carolina, his parents were Ulysses Sanford Mitchell and Willia Spaulding Mitchell. In addition to having three brothers, he had one sister, Gladys. The family moved to Harlem before young Mitchell was a month old. His first stage productions were the shows that he and brothers Louis, Melvin, and Clayton performed in the backyard of their home in Harlem.

Lloyd Richards, Media, and Stage Producer born

Lloyd Richards was born this date in 1919. He was an African American film, theater, and video director.

He was born in Toronto, Canada, but at an early age his family moved to Detroit. Lloyd Richards was only nine years old when his father died, leaving his mother to raise five children during the Depression. To make matters worse, soon after his mother became blind. At 13, young Lloyd went to work to help support the struggling family.

Herbert Gentry, Artist born

*Herbert Gentry was born on this date in 1919. He was a Black artist and expressionist painter. Herbert Alexander Gentry was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the son of James Jentry of Madison Courthouse, Virginia, and Violet Howden of Kingston, Jamaica. By 1924, Gentry was living in Harlem, New York City, with his mother and her family. […]

Joe Nash, Choreographer, and Dance Historian born

*Joe Nash was born on this date in 1919. He was an African American dancer, archivist of African American dance and essayist.

Camilla Ella Williams, Operatic Vocalist born

*Ella Williams was born on this date in 1919. She was an African American operatic soprano, and the first African American to have received a contract with a major American opera company.

Ellen Stewart, Theater Director and Producer born

*Ellen Stewart was born on this date in 1919. She was a Black theatre director, producer, and theater owner. From Alexandria, Louisiana, Stewart said that her father was a tailor from Louisiana, her mother was a teacher, and they divorced during her youth. Her family then moved to Chicago, Illinois. She moved to New York […]