People, Locations, Episodes

Alberta Grimes, Educator born

*The birth of Alberta Tucker Grimes in 1910 is celebrated on this date. She was a Black educator, who was a native of Elyria, Ohio, and received her early education in Kentucky and Ohio.

North Carolina Central University Opens

*On this date in 1910, we celebrate to opening of North Carolina Central University. This is one of the many Historical Black Colleges and Universities in America.

The Holmes Avenue Elementary School, (Los Angeles) Opens

On this date, we celebrate the opening of Holmes Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles in 1910. It was the first school in that city where Black teachers who had teaching experience could secure a job.

Originally called Fifty First Street School, it was built next to the Furlong Tract, a Black settlement established in a subdivided area. Holmes was also the first school in Los Angeles specifically built for a Black area. Holmes Avenue Elementary School was rebuilt in 1922 after a fire and was remodeled in 1933 after the earthquake.

St. Clair Drake, Anthropologist born

On this date we mark the birth of St. Clair Drake, African American anthropologist and educator, born in 1911.

He was from Suffolk, Virginia. After graduating from Hampton Institute, he worked for the Society of Friends at a number of schools and in movements in the South. St. Clair Drake then got involved in an anthropological study and later published his findings as “Deep South.”

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity is Founded

Kappa Alpha Psi was founded on the campus of Indiana University on this date in 1911. The fraternity’s fundamental purpose was (and is) achievement.

Augusta Baker, Librarian, and Educator born

Augusta Braxton Baker, an African American librarian and storyteller, was born on this date in 1911.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Braxton was the only child of parents who introduced her to the joys of reading at an early age. In 1917, she enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh. She married at the end of her sophomore year, transferring to the New York College for Teachers in Albany, New York. Baker received a B.A. (1933) in education and a B.S. (1934) in library science from that college, moving to New York City soon after.

The National Training School for Girls Graduates Its First Class

*On this date in 1911 the first Commencement Exercise for the National Training School for Women and Girls occurred.

This was one of the earliest vocational educational institutions for Black women. Taking place in Lincoln Heights, Washington, D.C., the school was started by Nannie Helen Burroughs. She was an educator, public speaker, and churchwoman, was an ardent follower of Booker T. Washington’s philosophy. She established a school for girls in the District of Columbia in 1909 to provide women with vocational and missionary training.

Black History, and the American Boy Scout Movement, a story

The Scout Oath: “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”

East Tennessee State University Begins Classes

*On this date in 1911, East Tennessee State University (ETSU) began classes. ETSU is a public (HBCU) research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. East Tennessee State University was founded as East Tennessee State Normal School in 1911 to educate teachers; the K-12 training school was called University School. East Tennessee State officially became a college […]

Melvin Alston, Educator, and Activist born

*Melvin Alston was born on this date in 1911. He was a Black educator and activist. From Norfolk, Virginia, Melvin Ovenus Alston’s father was Sonny Alston, and his mother was Elizabeth Smith, who was born in Long Island, New York. Alston had many brothers and sisters, and the family attended First Calvary or First Baptist […]

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity is Founded

On this date in 1911, Omega Psi Phi fraternity was incorporated by three Howard University undergraduate black students, with the assistance of their faculty advise, Ernest E. Just. The three liberal arts students were Edgar A. Love, Oscar J. Cooper and Frank Coleman. .

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity has over 100,000 members and 659 chapters currently.

Helen Gray Edmonds, Educator, and Public Policy Administrator born

*Helen Gray Edmonds was born on this date in 1911. She was a Black educator and political activist.  From Lawrenceville, Va., she was the daughter of John Edward Edmonds and Ann Williams. She attended St. Paul’s High School and St. Paul’s College. Edmonds graduated from Morgan State University in 1933. After this, she earned a master’s degree from […]

ZerNora Stewart Black, Educator born

*ZerNona Stewart Black was born on this date in 1912. She was an African American educator and activist.

Born in Muskogee, Okla., she was living in New York when she accepted a three-month transfer in 1943 to the San Antonio YWCA-USO for Black Military, a group formed to help morale for African American service members and their families. A graduate of Emerson College in Boston, she taught communication, drama, speech, radio and physical education at Langston College in Oklahoma.

E. Oscar Woolfolk, Chemist born

*E. Oscar Woolfolk was born on this date in 1912.  He was a Black chemist and Professor.  From Tupelo, Mississippi, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Talladega College, Alabama, in 1934 and a Master of Science from Ohio State University in 1939. Ten years later, Woolfolk earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University […]

Tennessee State University is Founded

On this date in 1912, Tennessee State University (TSU) opened its doors of higher learning. TSU is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.