March 19, 1894 Loretta Mary Aiken (Jackie “Moms” Mabley), stand-up comedienne, was born in Brevard, North Carolina. At the age of 15, Mabley ran away to Cleveland, Ohio with a travelling minstrel show where she began singing and entertaining. By the 1950s, she was one of the top women doing stand-up and earning $10,000 per […]
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Charley Frank Pride – March 18th in African American History
March 18, 1938 Charley Frank Pride, country music singer, was born in Sledge, Mississippi. Pride’s initial love and life-long dream was to become a professional baseball player. However after a number of years in the minor leagues and several injuries, he turned to music. In 1966, Pride released “Just Between You and Me” which was […]
Ida Rebecca Cummings – March 17th in African American History
March 17, 1867 Ida Rebecca Cummings, educator and civic leader, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Cummings earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Morgan State College in 1922. Cummings began teaching in 1900 and taught for 37 years. In 1904, she and other members of the Colored YMCA established the Colored Empty Stocking and Fresh […]
Thomas Turner – March 16th in African American History
March 16, 1877 Thomas Wyatt Turner, biologist, educator and civil rights activist, was born in Hughsville, Maryland. Wyatt attended local Episcopal schools because Catholic schools refused to admit him because of his race. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Howard University in 1901 and 1905, respectively. From 1902 to […]
Cecil Percival Taylor – March 15th in African American History
March 15, 1929 Cecil Percival Taylor, jazz pianist and poet, was born in New York City. Taylor began playing piano at the age of six and studied at the New York College of Music and New England Conservatory. He formed his own band and released his first recording, “Jazz Advance,” in 1956. In 1964, Taylor […]
Luther Henderson – March 14th in African American History
March 14, 1919 Luther Henderson, arranger, composer, orchestrator, and pianist, was born in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1942, Henderson earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Juilliard School of Music. From 1944 to 1946, he served as staff orchestrator for the United States Navy School of Music. Henderson served as orchestrator, or arranger, or […]
Joe Walcott – March 13th in African American History
March 13, 1873 Joe Walcott (also known as Barbados Joe Walcott), hall of fame boxer, was born in Demerara, British Guyana. As a youngster, Walcott got a job as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to Boston, Massachusetts. After settling in Boston, he got a job at a gym and began boxing. Walcott made […]