People, Locations, Episodes

Henry L. Johnson, Soldier born

*Henry Johnson was born on this date in 1892. He was a decorated African American soldier in WW1.

Frank Crosswaith, Union Activist born

On this date in 1892, Frank Crosswaith was born. He was an African American labor union organizer and political activist.

Halie Selassie, Ethiopian Ruler born

Halie Selassie was born on this date in 1892. He was an African dictator and political force in 20th century Ethiopia.

Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s First President born

On this date in 1893, we celebrate the birth of Jomo Kenyatta. He was an African political leader, and the first president of Kenya.

Charles C. Diggs Sr. born

*On this date in 1894, Charles Coles Diggs Sr. was born.  He was a Black politician.    Born in Tallula, Mississippi, to John Diggs and Etta Jones, Diggs moved to Detroit in 1913, where he owned a successful funeral home on the Lower East Side.  A follower of Marcus Garvey during the 1920s, Diggs became involved in politics as a Republican and […]

Moses Hardy Farmer and Soldier born

*Moses Hardy was born on this date in 1894. He was a Black farmer and soldier. Hardy was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi. His parents, Morris Hardy and Nancy Hardy were former slaves. After the American Civil War, his parents purchased 265 acres of land in Mississippi from a Chickasaw Native American for a dollar. The […]

Jesse E. Wilkins Sr., Lawyer, and Labor Activist born

*Jesse Wilkins Sr. was born on this date in 1894.  He was a Black lawyer and labor activist leader.  Jesse Ernest Wilkins Sr. was born into a working-class family in the town of Farmington, Missouri. After serving and experiencing racial discrimination as a soldier in the First World War, Wilkins studied mathematics at the University […]

Crystal B. Fauset, Politician born

On this date, Crystal Bird Fauset was born. She was the first African American woman to be elected to a state house of representatives.

Fauset was born in Princess Anne, Maryland, to Benjamin and Portia Bird, but was raised in Boston by her aunt, Lucy Groves. She attended public schools and graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1931. As a social worker for the YWCA in New York and Philadelphia, Fauset was named executive secretary of the Institute of Race Relations at Swarthmore College in 1933.

Mark Mathews, Buffalo Soldier born

*Mark Matthews was born this date in 1894. He was an African American Buffalo Soldier.

George McLaurin, Educator born

*George W. McLaurin was born on this date in 1894.  He was a Black educator.   His family moved to Oklahoma in 1910, and he received his BA from Langston University.  After marriage, he and his wife Peninah McLaurin sent their children out of state when they were 13 to complete their educations.  McLaurin received his master’s degree from the University […]

Eleanor Roosevelt, Political Emissary, and Writer born

*Eleanor Roosevelt was born on this date in 1884. She was a White American diplomat, First lady, writer, humanitarian and Civil Rights activist.

Inez C. Fields, Lawyer, and Activist born

*Inez C. Fields was born on this date in 1895. She was a Black lawyer and activist. Inez Catherine Fields was from Hampton, Virginia, the daughter of George Washington Fields, an attorney, and Sarah “Sallie” Haws Baker Fields. Her uncle, James Apostle Fields, a Newport News attorney, served one term in the House of Delegates. Fields […]

Willie Galloway, WW I Soldier born

*Willie Galloway was born on this date in 1895. He was a Black farmer and soldier who was born in Gilmore, MO, and later lived in adjacent Wentzville, MO. William “Willie” Galloway’s parents were Edward and Phoebe Galloway, who lived east of Hopewell Baptist Church on Highway N. He had two brothers, Moses and Louis. […]

Charles H. Houston, Lawyer born

*This date marks the birth of Charles Hamilton Houston in 1895. He was one of the most important African American lawyers of the twentieth century.

Eugene Bullard, Aviator born

Eugene Bullard was born on this date in 1895. He was an African American aviator and, according to many, the first Black military pilot.