March 31, 1980 James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens, Olympic track and field athlete, died. Owens was born September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama. Owens attended Ohio State University where he won a record eight individual NCAA championships. Despite that success, he had to live off campus and was never offered a scholarship for his efforts. At […]
Archive | March RSS feed for this section
March 31st in African American History – John Lenwood “Jackie” McLean
March 31, 2006 John Lenwood “Jackie” McLean, jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, died. McLean was born May 17, 1931 in New York City. During high school, he played in a band that included Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, and Andy Kirk, Jr. and at the age of 19 he played on Miles Davis’ “Dig” […]
March 30th in African American History – Nellie Walker
March 30, 1964 Nellie Walker (also known as Nallallitea “Nella” Larsen), nurse, novelist and short story writer, died. Walker was born April 13, 1891 in Chicago, Illinois. As a child, she lived for several years with her mother’s relatives in Denmark and in 1907 she briefly attended Fisk University. In 1915, Walker graduated from the […]
March 30th in African American History – Nathan Pinchback “Jean” Toomer
March 30, 1967 Nathan Pinchback “Jean” Toomer, poet and novelist, died. Toomer was born December 26, 1894 in Washington, D. C. Toomer attended six institutions of higher education between 1914 and 1917, studying agriculture, fitness, biology, sociology, and history but never earned a degree. After college, he published some short stories and served as principal […]
March 29th in African American History – Joe Williams
March 29, 1999 Joe Williams, jazz singer, died. Williams was born Joseph Goreed on December 12, 1918 in Cordele, Georgia. His family moved to Chicago in 1922 and by his early teens he had taught himself to play the piano and formed his own gospel group. By 1939, Williams had started to tour with established […]
March 29th in African American History – John Aaron Lewis
March 29, 2001 John Aaron Lewis, jazz pianist, composer and the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, died. Lewis was born May 3, 1920 in LaGrange, Illinois but raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He began to learn the piano and classical music at the age of seven. In 1942, he graduated from the University […]
March 28th in African American History – William Christopher “W. C.” Handy
March 28, 1958 William Christopher “W. C.” Handy, blues composer and musician, died. Handy was born November 16, 1873 in Florence, Alabama. At age 23, He became band master of Mahara’s Colored Minstrels and over the next three years toured throughout the United States and Cuba. From 1900 to 1902, he taught music at Alabama […]