Those We Lost — October 29

Honoring those we lost on October 29 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Eva Beatrice Dykes

Born August 13, 1893 — died October 29, 1986

Scholar of English literature, educator, and choir director

A Washington, D.C., native and summa cum laude Howard graduate, Dykes completed the requirements for a Ph.D. in English at Radcliffe College in 1921. She was the first Black woman in the United States to complete a doctorate’s requirements. She taught at Howard University from 1929 to 1944 and then for decades at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, where she also led the Aeolians choir. She is one of the three Black women who earned doctorates in 1921, and Oakwood named its library in her honor in 1973.

Pearl Primus

Born November 29, 1919 — died October 29, 1994

Dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, educator, and activist

Primus brought rigorous research, athletic performance, African and Caribbean study, and protest against racial violence into modern dance works including Strange Fruit. She challenged racist assumptions about Black bodies and African dance, helped establish dance anthropology, and trained generations of performers.

Silas ‘Si’ Simmons

Born October 14, 1895 — died October 29, 2006

Negro leagues pitcher

A left-handed pitcher, Simmons played for Black professional teams in the early twentieth century, including the 1926 New York Lincoln Giants. Negro leagues researchers located him in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2006 and confirmed his career. At his death at 111, he was honored as the oldest professional baseball player on record, a living link to the era of segregated baseball.

Muhal Richard Abrams

Born September 19, 1930 — died October 29, 2017

Pianist, composer, improviser, educator, and arts organizer

Abrams cofounded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in Chicago and created music spanning jazz, blues, experimental improvisation, and large-scale composition. His commitment to original music, cooperative institution-building, and mentorship helped sustain one of the most influential communities in modern creative music.

John Witherspoon

Born January 27, 1942 — died October 29, 2019

Comedian and actor

Detroit-born Witherspoon began in stand-up comedy and built a long television and film career. He played Mr. Jones in Friday (1995) and its sequels and John ‘Pops’ Williams on The Wayans Bros. (1995-1999). He also voiced Robert ‘Granddad’ Freeman on The Boondocks. His characters became fixtures of Black film and television comedy from the 1990s onward.