September 28, 1914 Christian Abraham Fleetwood, Medal of Honor winner, died. Fleetwood was born July 21, 1840 in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his early education in the office of the secretary of the Maryland Colonization Society, went briefly to Liberia and Sierra Leone, and graduated in 1860 from Ashmun Institute (later Lincoln University). After the […]
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September 28th in African American History – Richard Berry Harrison
September 28, 1864 Richard Berry Harrison, actor, teacher and lecturer, was born in London, Ontario, Canada, the son of formerly enslaved parents who had escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad. As a young man, Harrison moved to Detroit and began dramatic studies at the Detroit Training School of Dramatic Arts. From 1892 to 1896, […]
September 27th in African American History – Francis Gregory Alan Morris
September 27, 1933 Francis Gregory Alan Morris, television and movie actor, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Morris began his acting career in the early 1960s with guest appearances on TV shows such as “The Twilight Zone” and “Ben Casey”. In September, 1966 he was cast in his most memorable role as the electronics expert in […]
September 27th in African American History – Stephanie Diana Wilson
September 27, 1966 Stephanie Diana Wilson, the second African American woman (after Mae Jemison) to go into space, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Wilson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Science from Harvard University in 1988 and her Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas in 1992. She […]
September 26th in African American History – Serena Jameka Williams
September 26, 1981 Serena Jameka Williams, World No. 1 female professional tennis player, was born in Saginaw, Michigan. Soon after her birth, Williams’ family moved to California where she started playing tennis at the age of four. Williams started playing professional tennis in 1995 but did not win her first professional singles title until 1999. […]
September 26th in African American History – Betty Carter
September 26, 1998 Betty Carter, jazz singer, died. Carter was born Lillie Mae Jones on May 16, 1929 in Flint, Michigan but grew up in Detroit. She studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory and by the age of 16 was singing with Charlie Parker. In 1958, Carter released her first solo album, “Out There with […]
September 25th in African American History – The Little Rock Nine
September 25, 1957 The Little Rock Nine successfully entered Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Brown v. Board of Education declaring all laws establishing segregated schools to be unconstitutional, and calling for the desegregation of all schools throughout the nation. By […]