September 6, 1972 Anika Noni Rose, stage, film and television actress and singer, was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut. After graduating from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre, Rose made her professional stage debut in 1998 in “Valley Song”. In 2001, she won an OBIE Award for her performance in the off-Broadway production […]
Archive | September, 2010
Frank Garvin Yerby – September 5th in African American History
September 5, 1916 Frank Garvin Yerby, novelist, was born in Augusta, Georgia. Yerby earned a B. A. degree in English from Paine College in 1932. Yerby was originally noted for writing romance novels set in the Antebellum South. In the 1940s, he embarked on a series of best selling historical novels ranging from the Athens […]
Claudette Colvin – September 5th in African American History
September 5, 1939 Claudette Colvin, civil rights pioneer, was born in Montgomery, Alabama. On March 2, 1955 while returning from high school on the bus, Colvin refused to give up her seat to a White person, in violation of local law. As a result, she was removed from the bus by two police officers and […]
Richard Nathaniel Wright – September 4th in African American History
September 4, 1908 Richard Nathaniel Wright, author, was born in Roxie, Mississippi. At the age of 15, Wright penned his first story, “The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre” which was published in the local Black paper. In 1937, Wright won first prize from Story Magazine for his short story “Fire and Cloud” and in 1938 gained […]
Lewis Howard Latimer – September 4th in African American History
September 4, 1848 Lewis Howard Latimer, inventor and draftsman, was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Latimer joined the U. S. Navy at the age of 15 and after receiving an honorable discharge joined a patent law firm as a draftsman at the age of 17. In 1874, Latimer co-patented an improved toilet system for railroad cars […]
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa – September 3rd in African American History
September 3, 1948 Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, the third President of Zambia, was born in Mufulira, North Rhodesia. After earning his law degree from the University of Zambia, he worked in private law firms. In 1991, Mwanawasa was elected to Parliament and from that year to 1994 served as Vice President of Zambia. In 2001, Mwanawasa […]
Charles Hamilton Houston – September 3rd in African American History
September 3, 1895 Charles Hamilton Houston, former Dean of Howard University Law School and NACCP Litigation Director, was born in Washington, D. C. Houston graduated from Amherst College in 1915, where he was valedictorian. In 1917, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served in Europe during World War I until 1919. He earned […]