February 3, 1979 Aaron Douglas, painter and educator, died. Douglas was born May 26, 1899 in Topeka, Kansas. He developed an interest in art during his childhood. Douglas earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nebraska in 1922.
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William Ellisworth Artis – February 2nd in African American History
February 2, 1914 William Ellisworth Artis, sculptor, was born in Washington, North Carolina. In the early 1930s, Artis studied sculpture and pottery at the Augusta Savage Studios.
Henry McNeal Turner – February 1st in African American History
February 1, 1833 Henry McNeal Turner, bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was born in Newberry Courthouse, South Carolina. At that time, the law prohibited a black child to be taught to read or write, therefore Turner taught himself. In 1853, he received his license to preach and during the Civil War was appointed […]
Arnold Raymond Cream (Jersey Joe Walcott) – January 31st in African American History
January 31, 1914 Arnold Raymond Cream (Jersey Joe Walcott), Hall of Fame boxer, was born in Merchantville, New Jersey. Walcott made his professional boxing debut in 1930 and in 1951 won the heavyweight championship at the age of 37. At the time, he was the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship. Over his 23 […]
Sharon Pratt Kelly – January 30th in African American History
January 30, 1944 Sharon Pratt Kelly, the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city, was born in Washington, D.C. Pratt attended Howard University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1965 and her Juris Doctorate degree in 1968. From 1977 to 1990, she was […]
Zora Neale Hurston – January 28th in African American History
January 28, 1960 Zora Neale Hurston, author and playwright, died. Hurston was born January 7, 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama but raised in Eatonville, Florida, the first all-black town to be incorporated in the United States. Hurston described the experience of growing up in Eatonville in her 1928 essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me.” […]
Henry Jay Lewis – January 26th in African American History
January 26, 1996 Henry Jay Lewis, double-bass player and orchestra conductor, died. Lewis was born October 16, 1932 in Los Angeles, California. He began playing the piano at the age of five and later learned to play the clarinet and several string instruments.