August 16, 1998 Dorothy West, novelist and short story writer, died. Dorothy West was born June 2, 1907 in Boston, Massachusetts. She wrote her first story at the age of seven and at the age of 14 won several local writing competitions. In 1926, West tied for second place with Zora Neale Hurston in a […]
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August 16th in African American History – Maxwell Lemuel Roach
August 16, 2007 Maxwell Lemuel Roach, jazz percussionist, drummer and composer, died. Maxwell Roach was born January 10, 1924 in Newland, North Carolina. At the age of 10, Roach was playing drums in gospel bands and by 18 he was playing in jazz clubs. Roach’s most significant innovations came in the 1940s when he devised […]
August 15th in African American History – The Republic of the Congo
August 15, 1960 The Republic of the Congo gained independence from France. The Congo is located in Central Africa and is bordered by Gabon to the west, Cameroon to the northwest, the Central African Republic to the northeast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.
August 15th in African American History – Jesse Brown
August 15, 2002 Jesse Brown, the first African American to serve as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, died. Brown was born March 27, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1963 and reached the rank of corporal. While serving during the Vietnam […]
August 14th in African American History – Maria Halle Berry
August 14, 1968 Maria Halle Berry, actress, former model, and beauty queen, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to becoming an actress, Berry won Miss Teen All-American in 1985, Miss Ohio USA in 1986, and she was first runner-up in Miss USA 1986. That same year, she became the first African American entrant in the […]
August 14th in African American History – Abbey Lincoln
August 14, 2010 Abbey Lincoln, jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress, died. Abbey Lincoln was born Anna Marie Wooldridge on August 6, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to California in 1951 to perform in nightclubs. In 1956, she began her recording career with “Abbey Lincoln’s Affair: A Story of a Girl in Love.” Other recordings […]
August 13th in African American History – Caterina Jarboro
August 13, 1986 Caterina Jarboro, the first black opera singer to sing on an opera stage in the United States, died. Jarboro was born Katherine Lee Yarborough in Wilmington, North Carolina. At the age of 13, she was sent to Brooklyn, New York to study music. Jarboro also studied in Paris and in 1929 made […]