People, Locations, Episodes

The ‘Lindy Hop’ Dance Goes Public

*On this date in 1927, the Lindy Hop dance was publicly introduced to the world. Lindy hop is an African American dance that was born in Harlem, New York City.    On that date, the Lindbergh Spirit of St. Louis airplane completed the first transatlantic flight by air; the Newspaper reported “Lindy Hops the Atlantic,” and the dance […]

Lilian Burwell, Sculptor born

*Lilian Thomas Burwell was born on this date in 1927.  She is a Black sculptor and painter. Lilian Thomas Burwell was born in Washington, DC., part of a creative family; her father was a photographer, her mother was an artist and craftsperson, and both taught art. Her aunt, Hilda Wilkinson Brown, was a renowned painter. She […]

Natalie Hinderas, Pianist, and Composer born

On this date we recognize the birth of Natalie Hinderas in 1927. She was an African American pianist and composer.

She was born Natalie Leota Henderson Hinderas, in Oberlin, Ohio to a musical family; her father (Abram) was a jazz pianist and her mother Leota Palmer was a classical pianist who taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Natalie began playing at the age of three, with formal lessons (piano and violin) beginning at six years of age. A child prodigy, Natalie gave her first full-length recital at eight years old.

Brock Peters, Actor born

Brock Peters, an African American actor, was born on this date in 1927.

Jimmy Slyde, Dancer, and Choreographer born

*Jimmy Slyde was born on this date in 1927. He was an African American tap dancer and choreographer.

Eartha Kitt, Stage, and Screen Singer born

On this date in 1928, Eartha Kitt was born. She was an African American cabaret singer, stage and screen performer, known for her seductive stage presence and her “sex kitten” style.

Betty Jackson King, Pianist and Choral Conductor born

*Betty Jackson King was born on February 17, 1928. She was a Black pianist, singer, teacher, choral conductor, and composer. Betty Jackson was born in Chicago. She first started learning music from her mother, Gertrude Jackson Taylor. King’s father, Reverend Frederick D. Jackson, a Community Church of Woodlawn pastor, helped expose her to church hymns […]

Alvin Hollingsworth, Comic Artist born

*Alvin Hollingsworth was born on this date in 1928. He was a Black painting artist and one of the first Black artists published in comic books. Alvin Carl Hollingsworth was born in Harlem, New York, to West Indian parents and began drawing at age 4. By 12, he was an art assistant on Holyoke Publishing’s Cat-Man Comics. He […]

Will Gaines, Dancer born

Will Gaines was born on this date in 1928. He is an African American dancer, the last in a long line of Jazz Hoofers.

He was born in Baltimore and grew up in Detroit where he learned his craft. At the age of 20 he saw The Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. From there Gaines worked with such greats as Lucky Thompson, Kenny Burrell, Tommy Flanagan and Sonny Stitt at the Apollo, NY 1954.

Leimert Park (Los Angeles), is Established

Leimert Park, an area is considered the center of the African American arts scene in Los Angeles, CA, is celebrated on this date’s Registry.

William Pleasant, Artist born

William Merriette Pleasant, Jr., an African American artist, was born on this date in 1928.

He was born in Savannah, GA, and a graduate of that cit’s Beach High School. Pleasant attended Savannah State College, Delaware State College, and Tyler School of Fine Arts of Philadelphia, PA. He is a graduate of York College of York, Pennsylvania. He was one of the first members of the Bahai Faith of Savannah, and served on its assembly. Pleasant was a 33 degree Mason, a corporal in the United States Air Force, and a member of the Mu Eta Kappa Fraternity.

Ted Joans, ‘Spoken Word’ Artist born

Ted Joans was born on this date in 1928. He was an African American painter, trumpeter, and a jazz poet.

From Illinois, He studied trumpet, sang bebop, and earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from Indiana University before moving to Greenwich Village in New York City in 1951. He was one of the first Beat poets, and authored over 30 books of poetry, prose, and collage, including Black Pow-Wow, Beat Funky Jazz Poems, Afrodisia, Jazz is Our Religion, Double Trouble, Wow, and Teducation.

T. J. Anderson, Musician, and Composer born

*T.J. Anderson was born on this date in 1928.  He is a Black musician and composer.  From Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson Anderson has received degrees from West Virginia State College, Penn State University, and a Ph.D. in Composition from the University of Iowa. He also holds several honorary degrees. During this time, Anderson married his […]

Lena McLin, Composer and Educator born

*Lena McLin was born on this date in 1928. She was a Black educator, composer, author, and pastor. Lena Mae Johnson was born in Atlanta, Georgia. At age five, she lived with her uncle, Thomas A. Dorsey. As a child, she attended the Pilgrim Baptist Church, where she was exposed to gospel music and served […]

Thorton Dial, Folk Artist born

On this date in 1928, Thorton Dial, Sr., was born. He is an African American painter and sculptor.

He was born in Livingston, AL, where he is a self-taught artist known best for his images of tigers challenging the world around them. As a folk artist, Dial has never desired a lot of attention. He worked for 30 years as a steelworker, and for much of that time he released his creative energies by producing painted objects, which were displayed or buried in his backyard.