People, Locations, Episodes

Sundiata Keita, Mali Empire King born

This date celebrates the birth of an African King Sundiata Keita, also known as Mari Diata, in approximately 1210.

Keita was the founder and ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Keita was the son of Nare Maghan, the ruler of Kangaba, a small state located on an offshoot of the upper Niger River. Sundiata left Kangaba, but the reason is unknown: he may have gone into voluntary exile to avoid a jealous half brother, or he may have been exiled by Sumanguru Kante, king of the Soso, who killed Keita’s father and took over his kingdom.

Denmark Abolishes Slavery

On this date in 1792, Denmark abolished slavery. Denmark was the first established sovereign European state to prohibit the slave trade (but not slavery: that honor rests with Vermont, which abolished slavery in 1777).

Richard Wright Sr., Entrepreneur born

*Richard Wright Sr. was born on this date in 1855. He was a Black military officer, educator, college president, politician, civil rights advocate, and banking entrepreneur. Richard Robert Wright Sr. was born into slavery in a log cabin six miles from Dalton, Georgia. After emancipation, Wright’s mother moved with her son from Dalton to Cuthbert, Georgia. He attended the Storrs […]

The Pico House, and Hotel Opens

*The opening of the Pico House is celebrated on this date in 1870. This historic building is in Los Angeles, California, at 430 North Main Street. It sits across the old Los Angeles Plaza from Olvera Street and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.  Pio Pico, an Afro Mexican businessman and the last Mexican Governor of Alta […]

Laura Waring, Artist born

On this date we remember the birth of Laura Wheeler Waring in 1887. She was an African American artist.

The Rosebud Bar, (Ragtime Venue) Opens

The Rosebud Bar’s opening in St. Louis, MO, in 1900 is celebrated on this date. It was one of the original venues for Ragtime music.

Thelma Glass, Educator, and Activist born

*Thelma Glass was born on this date in 1916. She was a Black educator and activist. She was born Thelma McWilliams to a hotel cook and homemaker in Mobile, Alabama. She graduated from Dunbar High School (Mobile) and attended Alabama State University and Columbia University. She married Arthur Glass in 1942, and both taught geography at Alabama […]

Willie McGee, Laborer and Capital Punishment Victim, born.

*The birth of Willie McGee is celebrated on this date in c. 1916. He was a Black laborer who was executed in 1951 after being controversially convicted for the rape of a white woman during the Jim Crow Era. Early life Willie McGee was born in Pachuta, Mississippi, to Bessie and Jasper McGee Sr. at […]

A Black Woman Receives a Patent for a Hair Wave Machine

*On this date in 1928 Marjorie Joyner received a patent for her Permanent Wave Machine.  The patent number was 1693515.   It was described as a simple and efficient machine to wave and color the hair of both white and Black people.

Robert Graetz, Pastor, and Activist born

*Robert Graetz was born on this date in 1928. He was a white-American Lutheran clergyman and activist.  Robert S. Graetz, of German descent, was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and educated in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, in 1950 and received a B.D. in 1955 from Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary […]

John Conyers, Michigan Congressman born

On this date in 1929, John Conyers, Jr., was born. He was an African American politician and lawyer.

Betty Carter, Singer, and Businesswoman born

Betty Carter was born this date in 1930. She was an African American singer and entertainer.

Briggs v. Elliott is Filed

On this date in 1950, Briggs v. Elliott, a civil Rights case was filed. This legal maneuver assisted the groundwork for Brown v. the Board of Education 4 years later, was filed.