February 5, 1934 Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron, hall of fame baseball player, was born in Mobile, Alabama. Aaron started his professional baseball career in 1951 with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. In 1952, he signed a contract with the Boston (later to be the Atlanta) Braves and made his Major League Baseball […]
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Jacob Lawrence – September 7th in African American History
September 7, 1919 Jacob Lawrence, painter and educator, was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Lawrence attended classes at the Harlem Art Workshop and earned a scholarship to the American Artist School. In 1943, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and served with the first racially integrated crew. Throughout his artistic career, Lawrence […]
Frank Garvin Yerby – September 5th in African American History
September 5, 1916 Frank Garvin Yerby, novelist, was born in Augusta, Georgia. Yerby earned a B. A. degree in English from Paine College in 1932. Yerby was originally noted for writing romance novels set in the Antebellum South. In the 1940s, he embarked on a series of best selling historical novels ranging from the Athens […]
Richard Nathaniel Wright – September 4th in African American History
September 4, 1908 Richard Nathaniel Wright, author, was born in Roxie, Mississippi. At the age of 15, Wright penned his first story, “The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre” which was published in the local Black paper. In 1937, Wright won first prize from Story Magazine for his short story “Fire and Cloud” and in 1938 gained […]
Charles Hamilton Houston – September 3rd in African American History
September 3, 1895 Charles Hamilton Houston, former Dean of Howard University Law School and NACCP Litigation Director, was born in Washington, D. C. Houston graduated from Amherst College in 1915, where he was valedictorian. In 1917, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served in Europe during World War I until 1919. He earned […]