People, Locations, Episodes

Joseph White, Psychologist, and Educator born

On this date in 1932, Joseph L. White was born. He is an African American educator, mentor, administrator, clinical supervisor, writer, consultant, and practicing psychologist.

He was born in Lincoln, NE, the son of Dorothy Lee and Joseph L. White. His family moved to Minneapolis when he was an infant, where he attended Catholic Schools and also grew up in Pillsbury Community House programs.

Clara Adams, Educator, and Chemist born

*The birth of Clara Adams is marked on this date in 1933.  She was a Black educator, administrator, chemist, and advocate for women’s equity.  From Baltimore, MD., Dr. Clara Isabel Adams was the daughter of William S. Adams Sr., a Bethlehem Steel Corp. longshoreman, and his wife, Mary Emma Cornish “Mimi” Adams, a domestic worker.  […]

Rod Paige, Educator born

*Rod Paige was born on this date in 1933.  He is a Black educator and administrator.  Roderick Raynor Paige was born in Monticello, Mississippi, and is the son of public school educators. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University. He earned a master’s and Doctor of Education degrees in Physical Education from Indiana […]

Joan Murrell Owens, Marine Biologist born

*Joan Murrell Owens was born on this date in 1933.  She was a Black educator and marine biologist.   Joan Murrell was born to William and Leola Murrell in Miami, Florida.  She was the youngest of their three daughters.  Her father was a dentist. Encouraged by her parents, Joan became interested in the life of […]

Jean Childs Young, Educator born

*Jean Childs Young was born on this date in 1933.  She was a Black educator activist for racial justice and equitable education.   Jean Childs was born in Marion, Alabama. Her father, Norman Lorenzo Childs, worked at a family-owned grocery store and bakery in Marion, sometimes traveling around Alabama to sell the store’s homemade peanut brittle […]

Katie Sample, Educator, and Child Advocate born

*Katie Sample was born on this date in 1933.  She is an African American educator, social worker and child advocate.

Asa Hilliard, Educator born

On this date in 1933, Asa Hilliard was born in Galveston, TX. He was an African American professor of educational psychology.

After completing high school, Asa Hilliard III attended the University of Denver, earning his B.A. in 1955, his M.A. in counseling in 1961, and his Ed.D. in educational psychology in 1963. Hilliard was a teacher in the Denver Public School system from 1955 until 1960.

Charles Blockson, Historian, and Author born

*Charles Blockson was born on this date in 1933. He is an African American educator, historian and author.

Leo Twiggs, Artist, and Educator born

*The birth of Leo Twiggs is celebrated on this date in 1934.  He is a Black artist and educator. Leo F. Twiggs was born in St. Stephens, South Carolina; as a child, he wanted to get a job where he could wear a collar and tie.  This was a modest goal and an extremely unlikely […]

Alvin Poussaint, Psychiatrist born

Alvin Francis Poussaint was born on this date in 1934. He is an African American psychiatrist, educator, and scientist who made several studies of psychological and social issues related to African Americans.

Miriam DeCosta-Willis, Educator born

*Miriam DeCosta-Willis was born on this date in 1934.  She is a Black University professor and author.  From Florence, Alabama, her parents were educators Beautine and Frank DeCosta, she is the older of their two children.   Her father was a college professor and administrator who served as Dean of the Graduate School at Morgan State University, and her […]

Earl Battey, Athlete, and Educator born

*On this date in 1935, Earl Battey was born. He was an African American baseball player and teacher.

Bob Moses, Activist, and Educator born

*On this date, in 1935, Bob Moses was born.  He was a Black educator and activist.  Robert Parris Moses grew up in Harlem, New York, and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1952.   He received his B.A. from Hamilton College in 1956. He earned an M.A. in philosophy at Harvard; in 1958, he began teaching at the Horace Mann School in the Bronx of New York City.  Moses began working […]

Barbara Johns, Student Activist born

*Barbara Johns Powell was born on this date in 1935.  She was a Black librarian and civil rights activist.   Barbara Rose Johns was born in New York City, New York, in 1935. Her family had roots in Prince Edward County, Virginia, where they returned to live. Her mother worked in Washington D.C. for the […]

Norfolk State University is Founded

*In 1935, Norfolk State University (NSU) was founded.   They are a public Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Norfolk, Virginia. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Virginia High-Tech Partnership. The institution was founded as the Norfolk Unit of Virginia State University.  Eighty-five students attended the first classes held in 1935.  Samuel Fischer Scott, an alumnus of Virginia Union […]