Honoring those we lost on October 10 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Octavius V. Catto Born February 22, 1839 — died October 10, 1871 Educator, civil-rights activist, athlete, and military recruiter Catto taught at Philadelphia’s Institute for Colored Youth, helped recruit Black Union soldiers, organized for voting rights, […]
Honoring those we lost on October 9 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Sister Rosetta Tharpe Born March 20, 1915 — died October 9, 1973 Gospel singer, guitarist, songwriter, and recording innovator Tharpe fused gospel conviction with blues phrasing, electric-guitar power, and showmanship in recordings and performances that anticipated […]
Honoring those we lost on October 8 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Jack Trice Born May 12, 1902 — died October 8, 1923 College football player, Iowa State’s first Black athlete Born in Hiram, Ohio, Trice enrolled at Iowa State to study animal husbandry, hoping to go South […]
Honoring those we lost on October 7 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Benjamin W. Arnett Born March 6, 1838 — died October 7, 1906 AME bishop, educator, legislator, and civil-rights advocate Arnett served in the Ohio House of Representatives, supported Black education, and helped secure repeal of Ohio’s […]
Honoring those we lost on October 6 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. James E. Shepard Born November 3, 1875 — died October 6, 1947 Pharmacist, educator, college founder, and civic leader Shepard founded the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race in 1910 and guided […]
Honoring those we lost on October 5 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Oscar Charleston Born October 14, 1896 — died October 5, 1954 Negro leagues baseball player and manager; Hall of Famer Over a 43-year career Charleston played or managed with more than a dozen teams, including the […]
Honoring those we lost on October 4 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Henrietta Lacks Born August 1, 1920 — died October 4, 1951 Source of the HeLa cell line While Lacks was being treated for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1951, cells from her […]
Honoring those we lost on October 3 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Skip James Born June 9, 1902 — died October 3, 1969 Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter, and minister James developed the eerie falsetto, minor-key tunings, and intricate fingerpicking associated with the Bentonia school of blues. […]
Honoring those we lost on October 2 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. R. Nathaniel Dett Born October 11, 1882 — died October 2, 1943 Composer, pianist, organist, choral director, and music professor Born in Canada and raised in the United States from age eleven, Dett built choral and […]
Honoring those we lost on October 1 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Mary Logan Reddick Born December 31, 1914 — died October 1, 1966 Neuroembryologist and biology professor Reddick earned her PhD at Radcliffe College, Harvard University, in 1944, with a dissertation on chick embryos, and did tissue-culture […]