September 9, 1934 Wilsonia Benita Driver (Sonia Sanchez), poet and playwright, was born in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1943, Sanchez moved to Harlem, New York to live with her father. In 1955, she earned a Bachelor of Art degree in Political Science from Hunter College. Later she completed postgraduate work at New York University.
Archive | September, 2011
September 9th in African American History – Otis Ray Redding, Jr.
September 9, 1941 Otis Ray Redding, Jr., singer and songwriter, was born in Dawson, Georgia. Redding grew up in Macon, Georgia where he sang in the church choir and won the local talent show 15 weeks in a row. In 1960, Redding began to tour the South and in 1962 recorded “These Arms of Mine”, […]
September 8th in African American History – Lemuel Joseph “Lem” Barney
September 8, 1945 Lemuel Joseph “Lem” Barney, hall of fame football player, was born in Gulfport, Mississippi. Barney played college football at Jackson State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in health and science in 1967. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 1967 NFL Draft and that year was named NFL […]
September 8th in African American History – L.C. Henderson Greenwood
September 8, 1946 L.C. Henderson Greenwood, former football defensive end, was born in Canton, Mississippi. Greenwood played college football at Arkansas AM & N where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1968. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1969 NFL Draft. Greenwood was one of the four members of the […]
September 7th in African American History – James Madison Nabrit, Jr.
September 7, 1900 James Madison Nabrit, Jr., civil rights lawyer, college professor, and deputy ambassador, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Nabrit earned his bachelor’s degree in 1923 from Morehouse College and a doctorate in law from Northwestern University in 1927. In 1936, Nabrit joined the faculty of Howard University Law School and established the first […]
September 7th in African American History – Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins
September 7, 1930 Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins, jazz tenor saxophonist and composer, was born in New York City. Rollins received his first saxophone at 13 and first recorded in 1949. By 1954, Rollins had recorded with such jazz giants as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. By 1956, Rollins was leading his own groups […]
September 6th in African American History – Allan Rohan Crite
September 6, 2007 Allan Rohan Crite, Harlem Renaissance painter, died. Crite was born March 20, 1910 in North Plainfield, New Jersey. He graduated from the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1936 and earned his Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Harvard University in 1968.