September 19, 2008 Earl Cyril Palmer, hall of fame drummer, died. Palmer was born October 25, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He started his entertainment career at the age of five as a tap dancer on the black vaudeville circuit. He toured the country extensively with the Darktown Scandals Review. Palmer served in Europe for […]
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September 15th in African American History – William Pinkney
September 15, 1935 William Pinkney, the first African American to sail around the world solo, was born in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from high school, Pinkney was trained as an x-ray technician and served in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1960 as a hospital corpsman second class. In 1977, he bought his first […]
September 11th in African American History – James Charles Evers
September 11, 1922 James Charles Evers, the first African American elected mayor of a Mississippi city since the Reconstruction era, was born in Decatur, Mississippi. Evers served in the United States Army in Europe during World War II and graduated from Alcorn A&M University in 1950. In the early 1950s, Evers became active in the […]
September 10th in African American History – Garfield McConnell Langhorn
September 10, 1948 Garfield McConnell Langhorn, Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Cumberland, Virginia. Langhorn joined the United States Army in 1968 and by January 15, 1969 was serving as a private first class in Troop C, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade during the Vietnam War. On that date, his actions […]
September 6th in African American History – Charles Calvin Rogers
September 6, 1929 Charles Calvin Rogers, Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Claremont, West Virginia. Rogers joined the United States Army and by 1968 was serving as a lieutenant colonel in command of 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Division during the Vietnam War. On November 1, 1968, his battalion was manning […]
September 5th in African American History – Benjamin Brown
September 5, 1910 Benjamin Brown, Medal of Honor recipient, died. Brown was born in 1859 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. On May 11, 1889, he was serving as a sergeant in Company C of the 24th Infantry Regiment when his unit was involved in an engagement with robbers in Arizona during the Indian Wars. His actions […]
September 3rd in African American History – Jonathan David Samuel “Jo” Jones
September 3, 1985 Jonathan David Samuel “Jo” Jones, influential jazz drummer, died. Jones was born October 7, 1911 in Chicago, Illinois but raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He worked as a drummer and tap dancer at carnival shows until joining Walter Page’s band in the late 1920s. In 1933, Jones joined Count Basie’s band and he […]