Those We Lost
Those We Lost — May 4
May
Honoring those we lost on May 4 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.
James Presley Ball
Born 1825 — Died May 4, 1904
Field: Photography / Abolition / Black Business / Visual History
James Presley Ball was a photographer, daguerreotypist, abolitionist, and businessman whose work helped document Black life and anti-slavery history in the 19th century.
Why it matters: Ball matters because photography was power. His work helped shape how Black people, abolitionists, and public figures could be seen in an era when visual representation carried political weight.
Jennie Jackson
Born 1852 — Died May 4, 1910
Field: Music / Spirituals / Fisk Jubilee Singers
Jennie Jackson was a singer and member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the group that helped bring Black spirituals to national and international audiences.
Why it matters: Her story belongs in the library because the Fisk Jubilee Singers helped preserve and elevate spirituals as a serious musical and cultural tradition.
Kabby Mitchell III
Born c. 1950s — Died May 4, 2017
Field: Ballet / Dance / Arts Education
Kabby Mitchell III was a dancer and teacher remembered as the first Black dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Why it matters: His story adds an arts-institution barrier-breaking lane, especially useful for showing Black presence in ballet and professional dance spaces that historically excluded Black performers.
