People, Locations, Episodes

The Krigwa Players is Formed

*This March (National Theater Month), 1925, we celebrate the Krigwa Players.  Also known as the Krigwa Players Little Negro Theatre and named for the acronym CRIGWA: Crisis Guild of Writers and Artists) was one of the most prominent and popular theatre groups based out of Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance. Though it only lasted three […]

Ed Wilson, Sculptor born

*This date marks the birth of Ed Wilson in 1925. A Black sculptor, he was known for figurative works that are typically created in metal.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Wilson became interested in art as a child while recovering from rheumatic fever. After serving in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946, he studied painting at the University of Iowa but eventually switched his focus to sculpture. After earning his M.A. degree from the University of Iowa in 1953, Wilson taught at North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central College) in Durham.

LeRoy Foster, Artist born

*LeRoy Foster was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black Gay painting artist. Foster was born in Detroit and lived there his entire life, except for a brief time when he studied Art in Europe in the 1940s. Foster began drawing at age five or six and was an exceptional art student, recognized by teachers […]

Mattiwilda Dobbs, Opera Singer born

*Mattiwilda Dobbs was born on this date in 1925. She was an African American operatic and gospel singer.

Adele Addison, Opera Vocalist born

*Adelle Addison was born on this date in 1925. She is an African American concert soprano.

Robert Colescott, Artist born

*Robert Colescott was born on this date in 1925.  He was a Black painter. He is known for satirical genre and crowd subjects, often conveying his exuberant, comical, or bitter reflections on being African American. Robert H. Colescott was born in New Orleans, Louisiana developed a deep love of music early on. His mother was […]

Charles Gordone, Actor, and Playwright born

Charles Gordone was born on this date in 1925. He was an African American playwright, director, actor, and educator.

Born Charles Edward Fleming in Cleveland, OH, he was the son of William Fleming and Camille Morgan Fleming. With a racial heritage of black, Native American, and white, Gordone said of himself that he descended from “three races and five nationalities.” He grew up in Elkhart, IND, with two brothers, Stanley and Jack. In 1930, his mother married William L. Gordone and they had a daughter, Leah Geraldine.

Josephine Premice, Actress born.

*Josephine Premice was born on this date in 1926. She was an African American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage.

Born in Port a Prince, Haiti, Premice grew up in Brooklyn, New York and Haiti and studied dance with Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham. After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in Anthropology, she began her theatrical career in the 1945 production of ”Blue Holiday” at the Belasco Theater alongside Ethel Waters and Josh White, the folk singer.

Betye Saar, Artist, and Educator born

Betye Irene Saar was born on this date in 1926. She is an African American artist and educator, famous for collages that lampoon racist attitudes about blacks and for installations featuring mystical themes.

Earle Hyman, Actor born

*Earle Hyman was born on this date in 1926. He was a Black and Native American stage and television actor. George Earle Hyman was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He was the son of a son of Zachariah and Maria Lilly (maiden name, Plummer). His Native heritage included (Tuscarora, Haleiwa-Saponi/Nottoway).  His life was a […]

Leontyne Price, Opera Singer born

*Leontyne Price was born on this date in 1927. She is an African American operatic singer.

Sidney Poitier, Actor, and Bahamian Ambassador born

*Sidney Poitier was born on this date in 1927. He is an African American actor.

Betty Allen, Mezzo-Soprano and Teacher born

*Betty Allen was born on this date in 1927.  She was a Black operatic mezzo-soprano and teacher. She was born Elizabeth Louise Allen (or Betty Lou) in Campbell, Ohio, near Youngstown. Her father was a college-educated math teacher who worked in a steel mill as racial segregation during the 1930s. Her mother earned extra money […]

Sam Middleton, Artist born

*Sam Middleton was born on this date in 1927. He was a Black mixed-media artist.  Middleton was born in Harlem, New York City, and grew up there. As a young boy growing up in Harlem, he often visited the nearby Savoy Ballroom, and music – jazz and classical – became important inspirations for his artistic endeavors. Working at […]

Artis Lane, Sculptor, and Printmaker born

On this date in 1927, Artis Lane was born. She is an African Canadian sculptor, painter, and printmaker.

Born Artis Marie Shreve in North Buxton, Ontario, Canada, when she was six, she was kneeling in the clay of her grandmother’s farm and fashioning dolls. Ever since, she has been capturing souls and conjuring them into images of unfolding life. A descendant of abolitionist, educator, and publisher Mary Ann Shadd, the soft-spoken painter and sculptor, is an advocate for freeing the human spirit.