March 24, 1907 Janet Harmon Waterford Bragg, the first African American female to hold a commercial pilot license, was born in Griffin, Georgia. Bragg became interested in flying as a young girl, but attended Spelman College and qualified as a registered nurse in 1929. After graduating, she moved to Chicago, Illinois to work as a [...]
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Channing E. Phillips – March 23rd in African American History
March 23, 1928 Channing E. Phillips, minister, social activist and the first African American placed in nomination for President of the United States by a major party, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Phillips was a founding member of the Coalition of Conscience, a conglomeration of local organizations working to alleviate social problems in Washington, [...]
Loretta Mary Aiken (Moms Mabley) – March 19th in African American History
March 19, 1894 Loretta Mary Aiken (Jackie “Moms” Mabley), stand-up comedienne, was born in Brevard, North Carolina. At the age of 15, Mabley ran away to Cleveland, Ohio with a travelling minstrel show where she began singing and entertaining. By the 1950s, she was one of the top women doing stand-up and earning $10,000 per [...]
Charley Frank Pride – March 18th in African American History
March 18, 1938 Charley Frank Pride, country music singer, was born in Sledge, Mississippi. Pride’s initial love and life-long dream was to become a professional baseball player. However after a number of years in the minor leagues and several injuries, he turned to music. In 1966, Pride released “Just Between You and Me” which was [...]
Ida Rebecca Cummings – March 17th in African American History
March 17, 1867 Ida Rebecca Cummings, educator and civic leader, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Cummings earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Morgan State College in 1922. Cummings began teaching in 1900 and taught for 37 years. In 1904, she and other members of the Colored YMCA established the Colored Empty Stocking and Fresh [...]
Thomas Wyatt Turner – March 16th in African American History
March 16, 1877 Thomas Wyatt Turner, biologist, educator and civil rights activist, was born in Hughsville, Maryland. Wyatt attended local Episcopal schools because Catholic schools refused to admit him because of his race. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Howard University in 1901 and 1905, respectively. From 1902 to [...]
Cecil Percival Taylor – March 15th in African American History
March 15, 1929 Cecil Percival Taylor, jazz pianist and poet, was born in New York City. Taylor began playing piano at the age of six and studied at the New York College of Music and New England Conservatory. He formed his own band and released his first recording, “Jazz Advance,” in 1956. In 1964, Taylor [...]