February 15, 1968 Marion “Little Walter” Jacobs, blues harmonica player, died. Jacobs was born May 1, 1930 in Marksville, Louisiana. Jacobs moved to Chicago in 1945 and from 1948 to 1952 played in Muddy Walters’ band. His harmonica is featured on most of Walters’ classic recordings from the 1950s.
Archive | African American History RSS feed for this section
February 15th in African American History – Charles Leroy Thomas
February 15, 1980 Charles Leroy Thomas, Medal of Honor recipient, died. Thomas was born April 17, 1920 in Alabama. Before World War II, he worked at Ford Motor Company and was a student at Wayne State University. On December 14, 1944 Second Lieutenant Thomas led a task force in the capture of Climbach, France. Thomas’ […]
February 14th in African American History – Warren “Baby” Dodds
February 14, 1959 Warren “Baby” Dodds, Jazz drummer, died. Dodds was born December 24, 1898 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He gained a reputation as a top drummer at an early age, working with Louis Armstrong on Mississippi River steamboat bands. In 1921, Dodds moved to California to work with Joe “King” Oliver and then followed […]
February 14th in African American History – Steve LaTreal McNair
February 14, 1973 Steve LaTreal McNair, former football quarterback, was born in Mount Olive, Mississippi. McNair played college football at Alcorn State from 1992 to 1994 and in 1994 won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA.
February 13th in African American History – Lucille Clifton
February 13, 2010 Lucille Clifton, writer and educator, died. Clifton was born Thelma Lucille Sayles on June 27, 1936 in Depew, New York. She graduated from the State University of New York in 1955 and worked as a claims clerk in the New York State Division of Employment and as a literature assistant in the […]
February 13th in African American History – The Negro National League
February 13, 1920 The Negro National League was established by a coalition of baseball team owners at a Kansas City YMCA. Led by Rube Foster, the NNL was the first African American baseball league to achieve stability and last more than one season. At first the league operated mainly in the Midwest with teams in […]
February 12th in African American History – August Nathaniel Lushington
February 12, 1939 August Nathaniel Lushington, the first person of African descent to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the United States, died. Lushington was born August 1, 1869 in Trinidad, British West Indies. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1894 and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the […]