September 17, 1983 Vanessa Lynn Williams made history as the first woman of African descent to be crowned Miss America. Williams reign was full of challenges and controversy. For the first time in pageant history, a reigning Miss America was the target of death threats and angry racist hate mail. On July 23, 1984, Williams […]
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September 16th in African American History – William Hendrick “Bill” Foster
September 16, 1978 William Hendrick “Bill” Foster, Negro League pitcher, died. Foster was born June 12, 1930 in Calvert, Texas. He pitched for various teams in the Negro League from 1923 to 1936 and had a career record of 132 wins and 62 losses.
September 16th in African American History – Henry Louis “Skip” Gates
September 16, 1950 Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, educator, writer, and scholar, was born in Keyser, West Virginia. Gates earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history summa cum laude from Yale University in 1973 and became the first African American to be awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship. He earned his Master of Arts […]
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 15th in African American History – The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama
September 15, 1963 The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed by members of the United Klan of America. Addie Mae Collins (14), Denise McNair (11), Carole Robertson (14) and Cynthia Wesley (14) were killed in the blast, and 22 other people were injured. Outrage at the bombing resulted in violence across Birmingham […]
September 14th in African American History – Abioseh Davidson Nicol
September 14, 1924 Abioseh Davidson Nicol, academic, diplomat and writer, was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Nicol graduated from Christ’s College, Cambridge University in 1946 and earned his Ph. D. in 1958. From 1960 to 1966, Nicol was the first native principal of Fourah Bay College in Freetown. He served as chairman and Vice Chancellor […]
September 14th in African American History – Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee
September 14, 1980 Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee, physician, educator, and social activist, died. Ferebee was born October 10, 1898 in Norfolk, Virginia. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Simmons College in 1920 and her medical degree with top honors from Tufts University Medical School in 1924. Not allowed to intern at white hospitals […]