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 […]
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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 […]
August 13th in African American History – Shani Davis
August 13, 1982 Shani Davis, speed skater and the first black athlete to win a Gold Medal in an individual Olympic Winter Games sport, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Davis learned to roller skate at the age of two and at six years old was enrolled at the Evanston Speed Skating Club. At 16, Davis […]
August 12th in African American History – Jean-Michel Basquiat
August 12, 1988 Jean-Michel Basquiat, the first painter of African descent to become an international art star, died. Basquiat was born December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York. By the age of 11, he was fluent in French, Spanish, and English. Basquiat dropped out of high school and started as a graffiti artist. By 1982, […]
August 12th in African American History – Luther Allison
August 12, 1997 Luther Allison, blues guitarist, died. Allison was born August 17, 1939 in Widener, Arkansas but raised in Chicago, Illinois. Allison taught himself to play the guitar. During the 1950s and early 1960s, he worked the club circuit. He released his debut album, “Love Me Mama”, in 1968. In 1972, Allison was signed […]