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The Church of St. Mark, Brooklyn, New York (1838- )
The Church of St. Mark in Brooklyn, New York was originally established by a group of black Episcopalians in 1838.  The next year, Dr. Samuel M. Haskins was asked to be rector (pastor), the role he would maintain for 60 years.  By April 1841 the congregation completed a Gothic style edifice in
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Boston Professional Chapter
From the Slave Quarters to the Courtroom: The Story of the First African American Attorney in the United States
Since J. Clay Smith’s publication of Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, it has been taken as gospel that Boston resident Macon Allen in 1844 became was the first African-American admitted to the bar to practice law in the United States.  Recently, as part of the celebration of the 150th
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Source: Black Past
Smythe, Hugh Heyne (1913-1977)
Diplomat, scholar and author Hugh Heyne Smythe was born on August 19, 1913 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother was a housemaid and his father, who died when Smythe was three years old, was a mailman. One of five siblings, at age six Smythe was forced to start work as a paperboy to help support
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Source: Black Past
On this day, Lorraine Hansberry's 'A Raisin in the Sun'opened at the Ethel Bar
On this day, Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Mar
11
1959
Definition of Abolitionist
An abolitionist was a dedicated opponent to slavery in the early 19th century
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Source: ThoughtCo
20 Reasons Why Luther Vandross Is the King of Male Vocalists
Born on April 20, 1951 in New York City, Luther Vandross was one of the greatest male vocalists of all-time, winning eight Grammys, nine American Music Awards, and six NAACP Image Awards. He was also inducted into the BET Walk of Fame, and received the Soul Train Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding
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Source: ThoughtCo
Sponsored by New York University
10 Famous Jazz Saxophonists
Whod have thought when Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone back in 1846 that it would become one of the most widely played and fervently loved instruments in the world of jazz. Over the past 160-some years, the saxophone has been both an ensemble instrument - as was the case with the big bands of
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Source: ThoughtCo
Mercer, Mabel Alice Wadham (1900-1984)
Mabel Mercer was one of the most important jazz cabaret singers of the 20th Century. Her personal singing style emphasizing interpretation, diction, lyrics, and projection over vocal proficiency influenced numerous leading singers including Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Nat
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Source: Black Past
Cullen, Countee (1903-1946)
Although the facts regarding his birthplace and biological parents are inconclusive, Countee Cullen’s formative years were spent in New York City. The adopted son of Reverend Dr. Frederick A. Cullen, pastor of Salem Methodist Episcopal Church and president of the Harlem branch of the National
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Source: Black Past
The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed | An Online Reference Guide to African American History by Professor Quintard Taylor, University of Washington
1603 Mathieu Da Costa, a free black explorer, guides the French through parts of Canada and the Lake Champlain region of what is now New York state. 1603
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Source: Black Past
Death of Ralph J. Bunche
Death of Ralph J. Bunche (67), Nobel Peace Prize winner and undersecretary of the UN from 1955 to his retirement in October, 1971, in New York City.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Dec
9
1971
Arthur Ashe
Born: 7/10/1943 Richmond, VirginiaDied: 2/6/1993 New York City, New YorkArthur Ashe was an American World No. 1 professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles, ranking him among the best tennis players from the United States.Ashe was the first black player selected to the United States
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts
A Biography of Marcus Garvey and His Views Defined
No Marcus Garvey biography would be complete without defining the radical views that made him a threat to the status quo. The life story of the Jamaican-born activist starts well before he came to the United States following World War I, when Harlem was an exciting place for African-American
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Source: ThoughtCo
Amanda Smith
Amanda Smith , née Berry (born Jan. 23, 1837, Long Green, Md., U.S.—died Feb. 24, 1915, Sebring, Fla.), American evangelist and missionary who opened an orphanage for African-American
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Source: Brittanica
Tupac in Sarajevo: The Rise of Rebellion Rap in Eastern Europe
Vildana Muratovic, a native of Bosnia-Herzegovina and now a citizen of the United States, describes the impact of hip-hop music on the people of the Balkans following her 1997 return to Sarajevo.  Her paper was written in
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts
Rangel, Charles Bernard (1930- )
Democratic representative of New York City, Charles Bernard Rangel, first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970, is now one of the longest serving members of Congress. Rangel was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1930. He attended De Witt Clinton High School but dropped out in 1948
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Source: Black Past
A. Philip Randolph
Asa Philip Randolph[1] (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, the American labor movement, and socialist political
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Source: ThoughtCo
W. C. Handy
Born: /6/873 Florence, AlabamaDied: 3/28/958 New York City, New YorkW. C. Handy was an American blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the Father of the BluesAwards / Achievements:
  • The Blues Music Award, widely recognized as the most prestigious award for blues artists was
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Museum of African American History in Massachusetts
American Black Film Festival returns to Miami in 2016
The American Black Film Festival is returning to its former Miami Beach home in time for its 20th
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Source: Savoy Network
Lynch, Loretta Elizabeth (1959- )
Attorney and public prosecutor Loretta Elizabeth Lynch was born on May 21, 1959 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her father was a Baptist minister and her mother was an English teacher and school librarian. Lynch received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Source: Black Past
Muhammad, Khalid Abdul (1948-2001)
Khalid Abdul Muhammad was an African-American activist, a one-time member of the Nation of Islam  and national chairman of the New Black Panther Party. Muhammad was born Harold Moore Jr. on January 12, 1948, to Harold Moore Sr and Lottie B. Moore in Houston, Texas. Moore’s Aunt, Carrie Moore
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Boston Professional Chapter
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin;[2] May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. His music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russia, Berlin arrived in the United
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Source: ThoughtCo
Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar born
Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar born Lewis F. Alcindor, Jr. in New York City.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Apr
16
1947
Betty Shabazz
Betty Shabazz was the wife of Malcolm X, a prominent leader of the Nation of Islam. Her exact date of birth is not known, but it is believed to be May 28, 1934. She was born in Georgia to unwed teenage parents named Ollie Mae Sanders and Shelman Sandlin, and raised in Detroit. By some accounts, her
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Source: Black History Resources
Ralph Ellison
Born: 3/1/1914 Oklahoma City, OklahomaDied: 4/16/1994 New York City, New YorkRalph Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Left of Black with Martha Biondi
Left of Black - Season 3, Episode 19
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Source: AA Studies Research Guide
Oberlin College (1833- )
Oberlin College which was named Oberlin Collegiate Institute until 1850, is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio.   In 1833, Presbyterian ministers John Jay Sipherd and Philo P. Stewart founded the institution as a college preparatory institute to promote Christian values.  Oberlins
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Pride Academy
Jazz History by Decade: 1910 - 1920
During the decade between 1910 and 1920, the seeds of jazz began to take root. New Orleans, the vibrant and chromatic port city in which ragtime was based, was home to a number of budding musicians and a new
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Source: ThoughtCo
Ray, Charlotte E. (1850-1911)
Charlotte E. Ray, the first African American woman to practice law in the United States, was born on January 13, 1850 in New York City, New York.  Her father, Reverend Charles Bennett Ray, was a prominent New York abolitionist and minister who served as pastor of the Bethesda Congregational Church
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Source: Black Past
Long, Andrea ( ? -- )
Thirteen years principal dancer at Dance Theatre of Harlem, Andrea Long began her career dancing with the New York City Ballet and remained there for over eight years. Internationally renowned, she continues to inspire in an arduous profession. She dances as guest artist with many regional ballet
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Source: Black Past
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