Birthday Celebrations — May 1

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on May 1 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Sterling A. Brown

Born May 1, 1901 — Died January 13, 1989

Field: Literature / Poetry / Black Folk Culture / Education

Sterling Allen Brown was a poet, scholar, critic, folklorist, and longtime Howard University professor. His work treated Black Southern speech, blues expression, labor, humor, and folk memory as serious American literature, not side material.

Why it matters: Brown helped preserve the sound and intelligence of everyday Black life. He belongs in the library because he was not only writing poetry — he was defending Black culture as a source of literary authority.

Evelyn Boyd Granville

Born May 1, 1924 — Died June 27, 2023

Field: Mathematics / Computer Science / Education / STEM

Evelyn Boyd Granville was a mathematician, computer scientist, and educator. She became one of the earliest Black women in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics, receiving her doctorate from Yale in 1949.

Why it matters: Granville gives May 1 a powerful Black women in STEM entry. Her career connects mathematical excellence, early computing, aerospace-era technical work, and education.

Jane Hinton

Born May 1, 1919 — Died April 9, 2003

Field: Veterinary Medicine / Science / Medical Research

Jane Hinton was a veterinarian and scientist connected to the development of Mueller-Hinton agar, an important tool used in antibiotic susceptibility testing. She was also one of the first African American women to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Why it matters: Hinton belongs in the Black science archive because her work contributed to medical testing and because her professional path opened space for Black women in veterinary medicine and laboratory science.

Max Robinson

Born May 1, 1939 — Died December 20, 1988

Field: Journalism / Television / Media Firsts

Max Robinson was a television journalist who became one of the first Black anchors of a national network evening newscast in the United States. Before reaching the national stage, he also broke ground in local Washington, D.C. news.

Why it matters: Robinson’s story belongs in the larger fight over who gets to tell America’s story on camera. His presence at the national news desk was a breakthrough in visibility, authority, and representation.