March 18, 1943 Willie King, blues guitarist, composer, and singer, was born in Prairie Point, Mississippi. Prior to recording, he worked at many occupations. King later became active with the Civil Rights Movement which inspired him to write socially conscious blues songs. He described his music as struggling blues because of its focus on the […]
March 18th in African American History – Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
March 18, 1968 Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, painter and sculptor, died. Fuller was born June 8, 1877 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her career as an artist began when one of her high school projects was chosen to be included in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Based on that work, she won a scholarship to the Pennsylvania […]
March 17th in African American History – Nathaniel Adams “Nat King” Cole
March 17, 1919 Nathaniel Adams “Nat King” Cole, jazz pianist and singer, was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Cole learned to play the organ from his mother and began performing in the 1930s with the King Cole Trio. They signed with Capitol Records in 1943 and revenue from Cole’s recordings accounted for so much of Capitol’s […]
March 17th in African American History – Bayard Rustin
March 17, 1912 Bayard Rustin, civil rights leader and the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1942, Rustin assisted in the founding of the Congress of Racial Equality. A declared pacifist, he was imprisoned from 1944 to 1946 for violating the Selective […]
March 16th in African American History – Charlaine Vivian Stringer
March 16, 1948 Charlaine Vivian Stringer, hall of fame college basketball coach, was born in Edenborn, Pennsylvania. In high school, Stringer sued her school for not allowing her to be a cheerleader because of her race. She won the case and was given a spot on the cheerleading squad. Stringer earned her Bachelor of Arts […]
March 16th in African American History – Ozzie Newsome, Jr.
March 16, 1956 Ozzie Newsome, Jr., hall of fame football player, was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Newsome played college football at the University of Alabama and was an All-American in 1977. He earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation administration in 1978. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1978 NFL Draft and […]
March 15th in African American History – Harriet E. “Hattie” Adams Wilson
March 15, 1825 Harriet E. “Hattie” Adams Wilson, considered the first female novelist, was born in Milford, New Hampshire. Wilson’s father died and her mother abandoned her when she was young. As an orphan, she was made an indentured servant. After the end of her indenture, Wilson worked as a house servant and seamstress. On […]