November 12, 1984 Chester Bomar Himes, writer, died. Hines was born July 29, 1909 in Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1928, Himes was sent to prison for armed robbery. In prison, he wrote short stories and had them published in national magazines. His first stories were published in Esquire Magazine in 1934. Himes was released from […]
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October 18th in African American History – Cyril Valentine Briggs
October 18, 1966 Cyril Valentine Briggs, writer and political activist, died. Briggs was born May 28, 1888 in Nevis, West Indies. He moved to New York City in 1905 and got his first writing job at the Amsterdam News in 1912. In 1917, Briggs founded the African Blood Brotherhood to stop lynchings in the South […]
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 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 13th in African American History – Emmitt Perry, Jr. (Tyler Perry)
September 13, 1969 Emmitt Perry, Jr. (Tyler Perry), writer, director, producer and entrepreneur, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the age of 16, Perry had his first name legally changed to Tyler. Perry did not graduate from high school, but did earn his GED. Around 1990, he moved to Atlanta and two years later […]
September 12th in African American History – Varnette Patricia Honeywood
September 12, 2010 Varnette Patricia Honeywood, painter, writer and businesswoman, died. Honeywood was born December 27, 1950 in Los Angeles, California. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in art from Spelman College in 1972 and her Master of Science degree in education from the University of Southern California in 1974. As part of a […]
September 4th in African American History – Damon Kyle Wayan
September 4, 1960 Damon Kyle Wayans, comedian, writer and actor, was born in New York City. Wayans began doing stand-up comedy in 1982 and made his first film appearance in “Beverly Hills Cop” in 1984. During the 1980s, he briefly appeared as a featured performer on the television series “Saturday Night Live” and “Solid Gold.”