Honoring those we lost on August 21 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Julia Hayden Born c. 1857 — died Aug 21, 1874 Reconstruction-era teacher and martyr to Black education. Hayden traveled from Nashville to teach formerly enslaved children in rural Tennessee during Reconstruction. White supremacists murdered the 17-year-old […]
Honoring those we lost on August 20 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Sathima Bea Benjamin Birth name: Beatrice Bertha Benjamin Born Oct 17, 1936 — died Aug 20, 2013 South African jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist, and longtime New York recording artist. Benjamin carried the musical memory of Cape […]
Honoring those we lost on August 19 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Dick Gregory Birth name: Richard Claxton Gregory Born Oct 12, 1932 — died Aug 19, 2017 Comedian, writer, civil rights activist, social critic, and health advocate. Gregory broke racial barriers in mainstream comedy by turning segregation, […]
Honoring those we lost on August 18 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Albert Murray Full name: Albert Lee Murray Born May 12, 1916 — died Aug 18, 2013 Essayist, novelist, critic, biographer, educator, and interpreter of Black American culture. Murray argued that Black culture—especially blues and jazz—was central […]
Honoring those we lost on August 17 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Pearl Bailey Full name: Pearl Mae Bailey Born Mar 29, 1918 — died Aug 17, 1990 Singer, actor, comedian, author, and Broadway star. Bailey’s warmth, timing, and improvisational ease carried her from Black nightclubs to Broadway, […]
Honoring those we lost on August 16 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Robert Johnson Full name: Robert Leroy Johnson Born May 8, 1911 — died Aug 16, 1938 Delta blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and foundational recording artist. Johnson recorded only 29 songs, but his voice, guitar technique, and […]
Honoring those we lost on August 15 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Erbie Bowser Born May 5, 1918 — died Aug 15, 1995 Blues and jazz pianist, singer, bandleader, and keeper of the Texas piano tradition. Bowser spent decades performing boogie-woogie, blues, and jazz across Texas, including the […]
Honoring those we lost on August 14 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Alice Childress Birth name: Alice Herndon Born Oct 12, 1916 — died Aug 14, 1994 Playwright, novelist, actor, director, and chronicler of working-class Black life. Childress wrote with rare attention to Black women, domestic workers, artists, […]
Honoring those we lost on August 13 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Caterina Jarboro Birth name: Katherine Lee Yarborough Born Jul 24, 1898 — died Aug 13, 1986 Opera singer and pioneering Black prima donna on the American opera stage. Jarboro built an international career in Europe before […]
Honoring those we lost on August 12 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Luther Allison Full name: Luther Sylvester Allison Born Aug 17, 1939 — died Aug 12, 1997 Blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, bandleader, and Chicago blues powerhouse. Allison carried the electric Chicago blues tradition onto international stages with […]