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 […]
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 […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 18 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Ben Carson Full name: Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. Born September 18, 1951 Neurosurgeon and former cabinet secretary. Carson led the first successful separation of twins conjoined at the head as […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 17 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Rube Foster Full name: Andrew Foster Born September 17, 1879 — died December 9, 1930 Father of Black baseball. Foster founded the Negro National League in 1920, building the institution […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 16 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. B.B. King Full name: Riley B. King Born September 16, 1925 — died May 14, 2015 King of the Blues. With Lucille and 250 shows a year, King carried the […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 15 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Claude McKay Full name: Festus Claudius McKay Born September 15, 1889 — died May 22, 1948 Jamaican American poet and novelist. "If We Must Die" became an anthem of Black […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 14 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Cachao Full name: Israel López Valdés Born September 14, 1918 — died March 22, 2008 Afro-Cuban bassist and composer. With his brother Orestes, Cachao co-created the mambo and pioneered the […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 13 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Alain Locke Full name: Alain LeRoy Locke Born September 13, 1885 — died June 9, 1954 Philosopher and "Dean of the Harlem Renaissance." The first Black Rhodes Scholar edited The […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 12 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Jesse Owens Full name: James Cleveland Owens Born September 12, 1913 — died March 31, 1980 Track and field legend. Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on September 11 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Euphemia Lofton Haynes Full name: Martha Euphemia Lofton Born September 11, 1890 — died July 25, 1980 Mathematician and educator. Haynes became the first Black woman to earn a PhD […]