People, Locations, Episodes

Vivian E. J. Cook, Educator born

*Vivian E. J. Cook was born on this date in 1889. She was a Black educator and activist. Vivian Cook, née Johnson, was born in Collierville, Tennessee. Her parents, Caroline Alley and Spencer Johnson were both born into slavery. Caroline Alley became the first African American school teacher in Fayette County, Tennessee, and her four […]

Mordecai Johnson, Educator born

On this date in 1890, Mordecai Johnson was born. He was an African American educator, clergyman, administrator, and public speaker.

Wyatt Mordecai Johnson was born in Paris, TN, the son of a former slave. Johnson learned through his parent’s example the muscle of self-determination, discipline, scholarship, and integrity. His father, a minister and laborer, was a stern man who worked at a mill six days a week, twelve hours a day, for forty years. His mother, Carolyn, offset his father’s firmness with patience and nurturing for her only child.

Blanche Armwood, Educator born

*Blanche Armwood was born on this date in 1890. She was an African American teacher, lawyer and activist.

Harris-Stowe St. College is Founded

The founding of Harris-Stowe State College (HSSC) in 1890 is celebrated on this date. It is one of over 100 historical Black Colleges and Universities in America.

HSSC traces its origin before the Civil War when it was created by the St. Louis Public Schools as a normal school and thus became the first public teacher education institution west of the Mississippi River and the twelfth such institution in the United States. The earliest predecessor of Harris-Stowe State College was a normal school established for white students only by the Public School System of the City of St. Louis.

L. Viola Kinney, Pianist, and Educator born

*The birth of L. Viola Kinney is celebrated on this date, c.1890.  She was a Black composer, pianist, and teacher active during the first half of the twentieth century.   Born Lady Viola Kinney in Sedalia, Missouri, she was one of the five children of Patrick and Lillian Kinney. Her father was a cook, and […]

Nellie Pratt Russell, Teacher, and Administrator born

*Nellie Pratt Russell was born on this date in 1890.  She was a Black teacher and an incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Nellie Pratt was born in Macon, Georgia. in 1907; Pratt entered Howard University’s College of Arts and Sciences. She attended when only .33% of African Americans and 5% of whites of eligible age participated at any […]

Vivian G. Harsh, Librarian, and Historian born

Vivian Harsh was born on this date in 1890. She was an African American librarian, historian, and administrator, who made an important contribution to saving African American history.

Savannah State University is Founded

*On August 30, 1890, Savannah State University was founded.  They are a public Historically Black University (HBCU) in Savannah, Georgia.  It is the oldest public historically black university in the state. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.  Savannah State operates three colleges (College of Business Administration, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and College of Sciences and Technology) and […]

Martha E. Lofton Haynes, Mathematician born

The birth of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes, an African American mathematician and teacher in 1890, is celebrated on this date.

She was born in Washington, D.C. as Martha Euphemia Lofton, to Dr. William S. Lofton, a prominent Black D.C. dentist and investor in Black businesses in the area, and Lavinia Day Lofton, who was active in the Catholic Church. Euphemia (she rarely used Martha) graduated from Washington’s Miner Normal School in 1909, and five years later, she received a B.A. in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Smith College.

Lorenzo Turner, Linguist born

*Lorenzo Turner was born on this date in 1890.  He was a Black academic and linguist.  Born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Lorenzo Dow Turner was the youngest of four sons of Rooks Turner and Elizabeth Freeman. His father completed his master’s degree at Howard University, although he had not begun first grade until he was twenty-one. His mother gained the […]

Minnie Smith, Teacher and Sorority Founder, born

*The birth of Minnie Smith is celebrated on this date in 1890. She was a Black teacher and administrator. Minnie Beatrice Smith graduated from Howard University in 1912 when only 1/3 of 1% of African Americans and 5% of whites of eligible age attended college. She taught at the Mott School while attending college. When hearing plans […]

Elizabeth City State University is Founded

*Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) was founded on this date in 1891. ECSU is one of over 100 historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

This took place when House Bill 383 was enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly, establishing a Normal School for the specific purpose of “teaching and training teachers of the colored race to teach in the common schools of North Carolina.” When it first began operation on January 4, 1892, ECSU had 23 students, two faculty members, rented quarters, and a budget of $900.

North Carolina A&T University Begins Classes

*On this date in 1891, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University was founded. They are one of over 100 historically Black colleges and unversities in America.

West Virginia State University is Founded

*On this date in 1891, West Virginia State University was founded. It is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Bessie Burke, Los Angeles Educator born

*The birth of Bessie Bruington Burke, in 1891, is celebrated on this date. She was a Black educator and administrator, from Los Angeles, California.