People, Locations, Episodes

Julie Felix, Ballerina, and Teacher born

*The birth of Julie Felix is celebrated on this date in 1958. She is a retired Black British ballerina and teacher. Having grown up in Ealing, west London, in the 60s, Felix knew about racial distinction. She did not often notice any faces that weren’t white in the neighborhood or at college, she says. After […]

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is Founded

*On this date in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT)’s beginning is affirmed.  This is a modern dance company based in New York City. Choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey founded it.  Ailey was the company’s director, choreographer, and principal dancer. The company started as an ensemble of only seven dancers, plus their choreographer and many guest choreographers. Initially, their young Black […]

“A Raisin in the Sun” Debuts on Broadway

*On this date in 1959 “A Raisin in the Sun,” became the first Broadway play written by a Black woman.

The show opened at the Barrymore Theater with Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil in the starring roles. Lorraine Hansberry’s drama ran for 530 performances and received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award.

Revelations by Alvin Ailey Debuts

*On this date in 1960, Revelations the best-known work of the modern-dance choreographer Alvin Ailey. It is also the signature work of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which premiered an extended version of the work when Ailey was 29 years old.  Set to spirituals, gospel, and blues music and influenced by the choreographer’s Christian upbringing, it presents a vision of the historically African American experience from a black church perspective. […]

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Contemporary Artist born

This date marks the birth in 1950 of Jean-Michel Basquiat. He was an African American artist specializing in painting. Initially a street artist, his graffiti-inspired work won international acclaim during the 1980s.

Born to a Haitian father and a first-generation Puerto Rican-American mother, Basquiat grew up in Brooklyn. As a child, he created drawings inspired by comic books and television cartoons. His mother, who often took him to local art museums, nurtured his early interest in art. In May 1968, a car hit Basquiat. He suffered a broken arm and his spleen had to be removed.

LaMaMa Experimental Theater Club Opens

*La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club opened on this date in 1961. Also known as La MaMa ETC, they are an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded by Ellen Stewart, theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan’s East Village, the theatre began in the basement boutique where Stewart sold her fashion designs. Stewart turned the space into […]

Mark Bradford, Artist born

*Mark Bradford was born on this date in 1961. He is a Black gay artist born and raised in Leimert Park in South Los Angeles. Bradford moved with his family to a predominantly white neighborhood in Santa Monica when he was 11, but his mother still maintained her business in the old community. His mother […]

‘Black Nativity’ Debuts on Broadway

On this date in 1961, “Black Nativity” opened on Broadway. Langston Hughes’ self-described “gospel song play” was staged at New York City’s Lincoln Theater.

The Christmas story performed in dialog, narrative, pantomime, gospel song, and folk spirituals is an expression of Hughes’ late-in-life interest in African American spirituality and the oral traditions of the African American church.

Beverly McIver, Artist born

*The birth of Beverly McIver is celebrated on this date in 1962. She is a Black contemporary artist, mostly known for her self-portraits. McIver was the youngest of three daughters and was raised by a single mother who worked as a maid to support their family. Born and raised in Greensboro, NC, her mother’s attention and […]

Andre Braugher, Actor born.

*Andre Braugher was born on this date in 1962. He was a Black actor. Andre Keith Braugher was born in Chicago, the youngest of four children born to Sally, a postal worker, and Floyd Braugher, a heavy equipment operator. He lived in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago’s West Side. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep […]

The Kamoinge Workshop is Formed

*On this date in 1963, we celebrate the Kamoinge Workshop.  Kamoinge, Inc. was founded as a collective of Black photographers seeking artistic equality and empowerment. It is a forum where members view, nurture, critique, and challenge each other’s work in an honest and understanding atmosphere. In 1963, two groups of African American photographers held a […]

The Free Southern Theater is Formed

*The Free Southern Theater (FST) is celebrated on this date in 1963. FST was a community theater group founded in 1963 at Tougaloo College by Gilbert Moses, Denise Nicholas, Doris Derby, and John O’Neal.  In White America, their first production toured 16 towns and cities ranging in size from Mileston in Holmes County, Mississippi, to New Orleans. Gilbert Moses […]

Jennifer Beals, Actress born

*Jennifer Beals was born on this date in 1963. She is a Black actress and photographer. Early life Beals was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, in the Bronzseville community. She’s the daughter of Jeanne Anderson, an elementary school teacher, and Alfred Beals, who owned grocery stores. Beals’ father was Black, […]

Denyce Graves, Mezzo Soprano born

*Denyce Graves was born on this date in 1964.  She is a Black Mezzo-Soprano vocalist.  She was born in southwest Washington, D.C. Her father left her family when Graves was one year old, and her mother struggled to support the family through most of her childhood. Graves’ early musical education was limited to singing gospel […]

The Symphony of the New World Debuts

*The Symphony of the New World’s first concert was on this date in 1965. It was the first racially integrated orchestra in the United States. They were a symphony orchestra based in New York City. They gave their debut concert at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Benjamin Steinberg, who told the orchestra: “We have a lot […]