Honoring those we lost on September 20 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. J. California Cooper Full name: Joan California Cooper Born November 10, 1931 — died September 20, 2014 Playwright and fiction writer. Discovered by Alice Walker, Cooper wrote folk-wise stories of ordinary Black women — collections like […]
What happened on this day. These are the September 20 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1830 — The first National Negro Convention gathers in Philadelphia On September 20, 1830, Bishop Richard Allen convened the first National Negro Convention at Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia. Delegates from seven states organized […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 20 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Jean-Jacques Dessalines Born September 20, 1758 — died October 17, 1806 Leader of the Haitian Revolution and first ruler of independent Haiti. Dessalines defeated Napoleon’s armies and declared Haitian independence […]
Audre Lorde “Revolution is not a one-time event.” — Audre Lorde Lorde’s voice calls for continual transformation. Her words remind us that liberation is a lifelong practice.
Honoring those we lost on September 19 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Rex Ingram Full name: Clifford Rex Ingram Born October 20, 1895 — died September 19, 1969 Actor of Hollywood’s golden age. Ingram commanded rare major roles for a Black actor of his era — De Lawd […]
What happened on this day. These are the September 19 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1865 — Atlanta University is founded On September 19, 1865, months after the Civil War’s end, Atlanta University was founded to educate freedpeople. It grew into a center of Black scholarship where W. E. B. […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 19 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Sadie Delany Full name: Sarah Louise Delany Born September 19, 1889 — died January 25, 1999 Educator and author. The first Black woman to teach domestic science in New York’s […]
Booker T. Washington “Great men cultivate love and only little men cherish a spirit of hatred.” — Booker T. Washington Washington saw love as strength, not weakness. His message reminds us that true leadership is rooted in empathy.
Honoring those we lost on September 18 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Blind Willie Johnson Born in 1897 — died September 18, 1945 Gospel-blues singer and slide guitarist. Johnson’s "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" — a wordless moan over slide guitar — is among the […]
What happened on this day. These are the September 18 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1850 — The Fugitive Slave Act turns the whole nation into slave country On September 18, 1850, President Millard Fillmore signed the Fugitive Slave Act, compelling citizens and officials in free states to help capture […]