People, Locations, Episodes

Aaron Dworkin, Classical Violinist, and Educator born

*Aaron Dworkin was born on this date in 1970. He is an African American violinist and music educator.

Aaron Paul Dworkin was born in Monticello, New York to Vaughn and Audeen Moore, but they were forced to give their son up for adoption. When he was two weeks old, Barry and Susan Dworkin, who both were New York City College professors, with a specialization in neuroscience, adopted him. His biological mother is of Irish descent and his biological father is African American, while his adoptive family is Jewish. Barry and Susan had another son as well.

Thomasina Petrus, Singer, and Actress born

Thomasina Petrus was born on this date in 1970. She is an African American actress, singer, dancer, and entrepreneur.

Petrus’s parents’ family was from the South, from Charleston, MS. Her grandmother brought up her father and his five siblings. They picked cotton and had little schooling before he came up North to Minneapolis, MN, where Thomasina was born. Her father Hugh joined the military when her mother, Patricia, was pregnant with Petrus’s sister Jean who is a year older (she has another sister Joyi).

The Muntu Dance Theater Begins

Muntu Dance Theatre’s was founded on this date in 1972 in Chicago.

Maya Rudolph, Actress, and Singer born

*Maya Rudolph was born on this date in 1972.  She is a Black actress, comedian, and singer.   Maya Khabira Rudolph was born in Gainesville, Florida, to singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph. Her mother was black, and her father is white-Ashkenazi Jewish. Her paternal grandfather was Sidney Rudolph, a philanthropist who once owned all […]

Savion Glover, Dancer, Choreographer, and Actor born

Savion Glover was born on this date in 1973. He is an African American actor, tap dancer, and choreographer.

Glover was born in Newark, N.J., where as a young child he displayed an enthusiasm for rhythms and at age four he began taking drumming lessons. At age seven he began taking tap lessons and quickly developed a passion for rhythm tap, a form that uses all parts of the foot to create sound. Glover is a graduate of the Newark Arts High School.

George Osodiis, Photographer born

*The birth of George Osodiis is celebrated on this date in 1974.  He is a Black African photographer.  George Osodi is from Lagos, Nigeria, and works there. He studied Business Administration at the Yaba College of Technology in Lagos before working as a photojournalist for the Comet Newspaper in Lagos from 1999- 2001. He joined the Associated […]

Opera Ebony is Founded

*Opera Ebony’s founding is celebrated on this date in 1974.  Opera Ebony is an African American opera company that has performed in various programs and venues. Benjamin Matthews, Sister M. Elise Sisson, SBS, and Wayne Sanders founded Opera Ebony In New York City. Opera Ebony has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy […]

Stephen Wiltshire, Autistic Artist born.

*Stephen Wiltshire was born on this date in 1974. He is a Black British architectural autistic savant artist. Stephen Wiltshire was born in London; his father, Colvin, was a native of Barbados, and his mother, Geneva, is a native of St. Lucia. He grew up in Little Venice, Maida Vale, London. Wiltshire was non-verbal when young. At three, he was […]

Aïda Muluneh, Photographer born.

*The birth of Aïda Muluneh is celebrated on this date in 1974. She is a Black African photographer and contemporary visual artist. Muluneh was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She spent her childhood in Cyprus, Greece, the U.K., and Yemen before settling in Canada in 1985. As a teenager, Muluneh attended Western Canada High School in […]

Fabrice Monteiro, Photographer born.

*The birth of Fabrice Monteiro is celebrated on this date in 1974. He is an Afro Brazilian photographer and visual artist. Fabrice Monteiro is an Agouda, the descendant of enslaved Brazilians with Portuguese names. He was born to a Beninese father and a Belgian mother. He was born in Belgium, grew up in Benin, and now lives and works […]

The Mixed Blood Theater (Minneapolis) Opens

On this date in 1976, the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis held its first stage performance.

Mixed Blood Theatre Company is a multi-racial theater promoting cultural pluralism and individual equality through artistic excellence. Through productions for artistry, entertainment, education, and social change, Mixed Blood addresses artificial obstacles that keep people from succeeding in American society. Since its founding, Mixed Blood has performed plays ranging from intimate chamber theater to irreverent political satires to technical extravaganzas.

Penumbra Theater, St. Paul is Formed

Penumbra Theatre Company opened with its first productions on this date in 1976. It was founded by artistic director Lou Bellamy to create a forum for African American voices in the St. Paul-Minneapolis theater community. From the beginning, it has been committed to providing realistic, inspirational works that inform and redefine the consciousness of its audience.

Chadwick Boseman, Actor born

*Chadwick Boseman was born on this date in 1976.  He was a Black actor and director.   Chadwick Aaron Boseman was born and raised in Anderson, South Carolina, to Carolyn and Leroy Boseman.   His DNA testing indicates that his ancestors were Krio people from Sierra Leone, Yoruba people from Nigeria, and Limba people from Sierra […]

Kehinde Wiley, Artist born

*Kehinde Wiley was born on this date in 1977. He is a Black Gay portrait painter known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African America, frequently referencing the work of Old Master paintings. Wiley was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Isaiah D. Obot, is a Yoruba man from Nigeria, and his mother, Freddie Mae Wiley, is African […]

The Junior Black Academy of Arts, and Letters Begins

On this date in 1977, the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Inc. (JBAAL) was created.

It was formed by Curtis King with C. Eric Lincoln, John O. Killens, Margaret Walker Alexander, Frederick O’Neal, Jean Hutson, Romare Bearden, and Doris Saunders. Its home base was Dallas, Texas. The formation of JBAAL directly involves young and aspiring artists and scholars.