March 21, 2004 John William “Johnny” Bristol, musician, songwriter and record producer, died. Bristol was born February 3, 1939 in Morganton, North Carolina. After serving in the United States Air Force, Bristol recorded several singles before his label was absorbed by Motown Records in the mid-1960s. At Motown, he teamed with Harvey Fuqua to write […]
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March 20th in African American History – Ossian H. Sweet
March 20, 1960 Ossian H. Sweet, physician, committed suicide. Sweet was born October 30, 1895 in Orlando, Florida. At the age of six, Sweet witnessed the lynching and burning of a neighbor who had been accused of raping a white girl. That memory would haunt him throughout his life. In 1920, Sweet earned his Bachelor […]
March 20th in African American History – Gerald Sekoto
March 20, 1993 Gerald Sekoto, the father of South African art, died. Sekoto was born December 9, 1913 near Middelburg, Eastern Transvaal. After graduating from the Diocesan Teachers Training College, Sekoto taught school from 1934 to 1938. In 1938, he moved to Johannesburg to pursue a career as an artist. He held his first solo […]
March 19th in African American History – Mary Cardwell Dawson
March 19, 1962 Mary Cardwell Dawson, musician, teacher and founder of the Negro Opera Company, died. Dawson was born February 14, 1894 in Meridian, North Carolina but raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated from the New England Conservatory with degrees in piano and voice in 1925 and did additional training at the Chicago Musical College. […]
March 19th in African American History – Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
March 19, 1984 Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., civil rights activist and chief lobbyist for the NAACP, died. Mitchell was born March 8, 1911 in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1931 and later earned a law degree from the University of Maryland.
March 18th in African American History – Vanessa Lynn Williams
March 18, 1963 Vanessa Lynn Williams, model, singer, songwriter and actress, was born in Tarrytown, New York. Williams began competing in beauty pageants in the early 1980s and in September, 1983 was crowned Miss America 1984, the first Miss America of African descent. Her short reign was initially marred by the fact that she became […]
March 18th in African American History – Dana Elaine Owens (Queen Latifah)
March 18, 1970 Dana Elaine Owens (Queen Latifah), rapper, singer and actress, was born in Newark, New Jersey. Latifah started rapping in 1987 with the group Ladies Fresh and released her first album, “All Hail the Queen,” in 1989. Other rap albums include “Nature of a Sista” (1991) and “Order in the Court” (1998). In […]