Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 7 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. John Merrick Born September 7, 1859 — died August 6, 1919 Entrepreneur and cofounder of North Carolina Mutual Life. Born enslaved, the Durham barber cofounded NC Mutual Life Insurance in […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 6 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Buddy Bolden Full name: Charles Joseph Bolden Born September 6, 1877 — died November 4, 1931 Cornetist, bandleader, and early jazz pioneer. The National Park Service identifies "King" Bolden’s New […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 5 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Frank Yerby Full name: Frank Garvin Yerby Born September 5, 1916 — died November 29, 1991 Novelist. The Foxes of Harrow made Yerby the first Black American to write a […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 4 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Lewis H. Latimer Full name: Lewis Howard Latimer Born September 4, 1848 — died December 11, 1928 Inventor, engineer, draftsman, and patent expert. The son of parents who escaped slavery, […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 3 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Bessie Delany Full name: Annie Elizabeth Delany Born September 3, 1891 — died September 25, 1995 Dentist, author, and centenarian witness to Black history. The second Black woman licensed to […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 2 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. James Forten Born September 2, 1766 — died March 4, 1842 Abolitionist, inventor, entrepreneur, and Revolutionary War veteran. Born free in Philadelphia, Forten built one of the city’s most successful […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 1 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Henry E. Baker Full name: Henry Edwin Baker Jr. Born September 1, 1857 — died April 27, 1928 Patent examiner, attorney, and historian of Black inventors. Baker spent decades at […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on August 31 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Frank Robinson Born August 31, 1935 — died February 7, 2019 Baseball Hall of Famer, Triple Crown winner, and Major League Baseball’s first Black manager. Robinson became the only player […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on August 30 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Roy Wilkins Born August 30, 1901 — died September 8, 1981 Civil rights leader, journalist, and longtime executive director of the NAACP. Wilkins guided the NAACP through major battles over […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on August 29 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Isabel Sanford Birth name: Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford Born August 29, 1917 — died July 9, 2004 Actress and groundbreaking Emmy Award winner. Sanford became iconic as Louise “Weezy” Jefferson on […]