February 14, 1959 Warren “Baby” Dodds, Jazz drummer, died. Dodds was born December 24, 1898 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He gained a reputation as a top drummer at an early age, working with Louis Armstrong on Mississippi River steamboat bands. In 1921, Dodds moved to California to work with Joe “King” Oliver and then followed […]
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February 14th in African American History – Steve LaTreal McNair
February 14, 1973 Steve LaTreal McNair, former football quarterback, was born in Mount Olive, Mississippi. McNair played college football at Alcorn State from 1992 to 1994 and in 1994 won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA.
February 13th in African American History – Lucille Clifton
February 13, 2010 Lucille Clifton, writer and educator, died. Clifton was born Thelma Lucille Sayles on June 27, 1936 in Depew, New York. She graduated from the State University of New York in 1955 and worked as a claims clerk in the New York State Division of Employment and as a literature assistant in the […]
February 13th in African American History – The Negro National League
February 13, 1920 The Negro National League was established by a coalition of baseball team owners at a Kansas City YMCA. Led by Rube Foster, the NNL was the first African American baseball league to achieve stability and last more than one season. At first the league operated mainly in the Midwest with teams in […]
February 12th in African American History – August Nathaniel Lushington
February 12, 1939 August Nathaniel Lushington, the first person of African descent to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the United States, died. Lushington was born August 1, 1869 in Trinidad, British West Indies. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1894 and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the […]
February 12th in African American History – James Herbert “Eubie” Blake
February 12, 1983 James Herbert “Eubie” Blake, composer, lyricist and pianist, died. Blake was born February 7, 1887 in Baltimore, Maryland. He began taking music lessons at the age of 7 and at 15 was playing piano in a bordello. In 1912, he began playing in vaudeville and shortly after World War I joined forces […]
February 11th in African American History – Jonathon Jasper Wright
February 11, 1840 Jonathon Jasper Wright, lawyer and judge on the South Carolina Supreme Court, was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. After studying the law for three years and feeling himself qualified for the legal profession, Wright applied for admission to the Bar but was refused an examination because of his race. In 1865, he […]