1930
Pan-African Chronology
*****
January 1
*Clarence Adams, an African American soldier during the Korean War who was captured by the Chinese and who later defected to China, was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Adams was captured on November 29, 1950, when the People's Liberation Army overran his all-black artillery unit's position. Adams was held as a prisoner of war (POW) until the end of the war. Instead of returning to the United States during Operation Big Switch, Adams was one of 21 American soldiers who chose to settle in the People's Republic of China. As a result of their decision, those 21 Americans were considered defectors.
January 3
*Willie Irvin, a football defensive back who played in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, was born in St. Augustine, Florida.
*Hulda Stumpf, an European American Christian missionary and vocal opponent to female genital mutilation, was murdered in her home near the Africa Inland Mission station in Kijabe, Kenya.
*Cyrus Wiley, an educator who became the president of Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, died in Atlanta, Georgia.
January 9
*Lolis Elie, a civil rights lawyer who helped to desegregate New Orleans, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
January 11
*Lula Mae Hardaway, a songwriter and the mother of the music legend Stevie Wonder, was born in Eufania, Alabama.
January 15
*Earl Hooker, a Chicago blues guitarist whose innovative slide guitar playing earned his enshrinement into the Blues Hall of Fame, was born in Quitman County, Mississippi.
January 21
*Mainza Chona, a Zambian politician and diplomat who twice served as Prime Minister of Zambia, was born in Nampeyo near Monze in the Southern Province of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia.
January 22
*Bernard Harleston, a college administrator who became the first African American president of City College of New York, was born in New York City, New York.
January 23
*Derek Walcott, the 1992 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, was born in Castries, Saint Lucia.
*Percy Bassett, a featherweight professional boxer, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*Willie Irvin, a football defensive back who played in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, was born in St. Augustine, Florida.
*Cyrus Wiley, an educator who became the president of Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, died in Atlanta, Georgia.
January 9
*Lolis Elie, a civil rights lawyer who helped to desegregate New Orleans, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
January 11
*Lula Mae Hardaway, a songwriter and the mother of the music legend Stevie Wonder, was born in Eufania, Alabama.
January 15
*Earl Hooker, a Chicago blues guitarist whose innovative slide guitar playing earned his enshrinement into the Blues Hall of Fame, was born in Quitman County, Mississippi.
January 21
*Mainza Chona, a Zambian politician and diplomat who twice served as Prime Minister of Zambia, was born in Nampeyo near Monze in the Southern Province of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia.
January 22
*Bernard Harleston, a college administrator who became the first African American president of City College of New York, was born in New York City, New York.
January 23
*Derek Walcott, the 1992 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, was born in Castries, Saint Lucia.
January 27
*Bobby "Blue" Bland, a legendary blues singer, was born in Rosemark, Tennessee.
January 30
*Sandy Amoros, a Cuban left fielder in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers best known for his defensive play in the 1955 World Series which enabled the Brooklyn Dodgers to win their first World Series, was born in Havana, Cuba.
February 8
*Catherine Hardy, a track and field athlete who won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in the 4x100 meter relay race, was born in Carroll County, Georgia.
February 14
*Robert Guthrie, a psychologist and educator best known for his influential book Even the Rat was White: A Historical View of Psychology, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
February 15
Jacob Hudson Carruthers, an academic, noted as an African-centered scholar, was born in Dallas, Texas. In 1985, Carruthers was elected first president of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations at the second annual Ancient Egyptian Studies Conference in Chicago Illinois.
February 21
*Sandy Amoros, a Cuban left fielder in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers best known for his defensive play in the 1955 World Series which enabled the Brooklyn Dodgers to win their first World Series, was born in Havana, Cuba.
February 8
*Catherine Hardy, a track and field athlete who won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in the 4x100 meter relay race, was born in Carroll County, Georgia.
February 14
*Robert Guthrie, a psychologist and educator best known for his influential book Even the Rat was White: A Historical View of Psychology, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
February 15
Jacob Hudson Carruthers, an academic, noted as an African-centered scholar, was born in Dallas, Texas. In 1985, Carruthers was elected first president of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations at the second annual Ancient Egyptian Studies Conference in Chicago Illinois.
February 21
*Richard B. Harrison starred as "De Lawd" in The Green Pastures, which opened on Broadway.
February 24
*Richard Boone, a jazz musician and scat singer who became a resident of Denmark, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
February 25
*The President of the Dominican Republic Horacio Vasquez fled Santo Domingo as rebel forces led by General Rafael Trujillo, a person of African descent, toppled his government.
February 24
*Richard Boone, a jazz musician and scat singer who became a resident of Denmark, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
February 25
*Archibald Grimke, a lawyer, intellectual, journalist, diplomat and community leader who was the recipient of the Spingarn Medal in 1919, died in Washington, D. C.
February 26*The President of the Dominican Republic Horacio Vasquez fled Santo Domingo as rebel forces led by General Rafael Trujillo, a person of African descent, toppled his government.
February 28
*Jesse Fortune, a Chicago blues singer and barber known as the "Fortune Tellin' Man", was born in Macon, Mississippi.
March
*Filemon Indire, a politician who served as a Member of the Parliament of Kenya from 1983 to 1988, was born.
March 1
March 9
*Jesse Fortune, a Chicago blues singer and barber known as the "Fortune Tellin' Man", was born in Macon, Mississippi.
March
*Filemon Indire, a politician who served as a Member of the Parliament of Kenya from 1983 to 1988, was born.
March 1
*Sylvester Chisembele, an ex-seminarian who became a cabinet minister in Zambia's first and second governments, was born in Fort Rosebery, Zambia.
March 9
*Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, the principal initiator and leading exponent of free jazz, was born in Fort Worth, Texas.
March 11
March 13
*Al Cleveland, a songwriter for the Motown label known for his co-compositions of "I Second That Emotion", "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" and "What's Goin' On?", was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
March 13
*Art Dorrington, a professional ice hockey center who became the first black hockey player to sign a National Hockey League contract, was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.
*Jazz trumpeter Richard "Blue" Mitchell was born in Miami, Florida.
March 16
*Thomas Flanagan, an American jazz pianist and composer who improvised fluent melodies with swing, harmonic ingenuity, and a light touch, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
March 22
*Willie Thrower, the first African American to appear at the quarterback position in the National Football League, was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania.
March 24
*David Dacko, the first President of the Central African Republic, was born the village of Bouchia, near Mbaiki in the Lobaye region, which was then a part of the French Equatorial African territory of Moyen Congo (Middle Congo) (March 24).
March 24
*David Dacko, the first President of the Central African Republic, was born the village of Bouchia, near Mbaiki in the Lobaye region, which was then a part of the French Equatorial African territory of Moyen Congo (Middle Congo) (March 24).
March 28
*Eric Dixon, a jazz tenor saxophonist, flautist, composer and arranger, was born.
*Bill Hughes, a jazz trombonist and bandleader best known for the years he spent with the Count Basie Orchestra, was born in Dallas, Texas.
March 30
*Joanne Grant, a journalist and Communist activist who, as a reporter for the National Guardian, covered the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, was born in Utica, New York.
*Sterling Betancourt, a Trinidad-born pioneer, inventor, arranger and musician who became a major figure in pioneering the steel pan in Europe and the United Kingdom, was born in Laventille, near Port of Spain, Trinidad.
March 31
*Eric Dixon, a jazz tenor saxophonist, flautist, composer and arranger, was born.
*Bill Hughes, a jazz trombonist and bandleader best known for the years he spent with the Count Basie Orchestra, was born in Dallas, Texas.
March 30
*Joanne Grant, a journalist and Communist activist who, as a reporter for the National Guardian, covered the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, was born in Utica, New York.
*Sterling Betancourt, a Trinidad-born pioneer, inventor, arranger and musician who became a major figure in pioneering the steel pan in Europe and the United Kingdom, was born in Laventille, near Port of Spain, Trinidad.
March 31
*President Hoover appointed Judge John J. Parker of North Carolina, a known racist, to the Supreme Court. The NAACP launched a successful campaign against Parker's confirmation.
*Gugsa Welle, the husband of the Ethiopian Empress Zewditu and the Shum (Governor) of Begemder Province, was met by forces loyal to Negus Tafari (the future Haile Selassie) and was defeated at the Battle of Anchem. Gugsa Welle was killed in action.
*Gugsa Welle, the husband of the Ethiopian Empress Zewditu and the Shum (Governor) of Begemder Province, was met by forces loyal to Negus Tafari (the future Haile Selassie) and was defeated at the Battle of Anchem. Gugsa Welle was killed in action.
April
*In South Africa, Pixley Seme replaced Josiah Gumede as President of the African National Congress.
April 1
*Victor Banjo, a star crossed Colonel in the Nigerian Army who was executed for staging a coup against Biafran President Odumegwu Ojukwu, was born.
April 2
*Zewditu, the Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930, died.
April 7
*Pythias Russ, a Negro League Baseball star, died in Cynthiana, Kentucky.
April 8
*Phyllis Edness, a Bermudian sprinter who competed in the women's 100 meters at the 1948 Summer Olympics, was born.
April 13
*Neval Thomas, a civil rights activist and the president of the Washington, D. C. branch of the NAACP from 1925 to 1930, died in Washington, D. C.
April 15
*Richard Davis, a jazz bassist whose most famous contributions to the albums of others was Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
April 20
*Hirut Desta, the granddaughter of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, was born in the Ethiopian Empire.
April 25
*Lynn Hamilton, an actress who is best known for her role as Fred Sanford's girlfriend on the sitcom Sanford and Son, was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
April 30
*Joseph Douse, a pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
May 1
*Ethel Ayler, a veteran African American character actress with a career spanning over five decades most notably in the role as Carrie Hanks, the mother of Claire Huxtable of the The Cosby Show, was born in Whistler, Alabama.
May 4
April 7
*Pythias Russ, a Negro League Baseball star, died in Cynthiana, Kentucky.
April 8
*Phyllis Edness, a Bermudian sprinter who competed in the women's 100 meters at the 1948 Summer Olympics, was born.
April 13
*Neval Thomas, a civil rights activist and the president of the Washington, D. C. branch of the NAACP from 1925 to 1930, died in Washington, D. C.
*Richard Davis, a jazz bassist whose most famous contributions to the albums of others was Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
April 20
*Hirut Desta, the granddaughter of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, was born in the Ethiopian Empire.
April 25
*Lynn Hamilton, an actress who is best known for her role as Fred Sanford's girlfriend on the sitcom Sanford and Son, was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
April 30
*Joseph Douse, a pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
May 1
*Ethel Ayler, a veteran African American character actress with a career spanning over five decades most notably in the role as Carrie Hanks, the mother of Claire Huxtable of the The Cosby Show, was born in Whistler, Alabama.
May 4
*Katherine Esther Jackson, the mother of Michael Jackson and the matriarch of the Jackson musical family, was born in Clayton, Alabama.
May 6
*Charles Gilpin, a noted stage actor, died in Eldridge Park, New Jersey.
May 7
May 7
*The U.S. Senate rejected President Hoover's Supreme Court Justice nominee John J. Parker by a vote of 41–39. The NAACP successfully campaigned to defeat confirmation of Supreme Court nominee John H. Parker, who was on record in opposition to voting rights for African Americans.
*Lawrence Cook, an actor who starred in The Spook Who Sat By The Door, was born in New York City, New York.
May 9
*A mob in Sherman, Texas, burned down a courthouse during the trial of George Hughes, an African-American man who was accused of assaulting his boss' wife, a white woman. The mob attacked the courthouse vault, retrieved the dead body of Hughes, dragged it behind an automobile and hanged it from a tree. National Guard troops were sent to Sherman to restore order as the mob looted stores in the African American business district.
May 10
*Texas Governor Dan Moody placed the city of Sherman, Texas, under martial law. Fourteen rioters were placed under arrest.
*The National Pan-Hellenic Council was formed on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D. C.
May 11
*Edward Brathwaite, a Barbadian poet and academic widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon, was born in Bridgetown, Barbados.
May 12
*Paul Panda Farnana M'Fumu, a Congolese intellectual and a Pan-Africanist, died in Matada, Belgian Congo.
May 13
*Radhames Aracena, a Dominican radio host, music producer and businessman who helped give birth to bachata music and thereby changed the musical landscape of the Dominican Republic during and after Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship, was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
May 14
*Chris de Broglio, a Mauritian-born South African weightlifter and anti-Apartheid activist, was born in Mauritius.
May 16
*Edward Brathwaite, a Barbadian poet and academic widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon, was born in Bridgetown, Barbados.
May 12
*Paul Panda Farnana M'Fumu, a Congolese intellectual and a Pan-Africanist, died in Matada, Belgian Congo.
May 13
*Radhames Aracena, a Dominican radio host, music producer and businessman who helped give birth to bachata music and thereby changed the musical landscape of the Dominican Republic during and after Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship, was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
May 14
*Chris de Broglio, a Mauritian-born South African weightlifter and anti-Apartheid activist, was born in Mauritius.
May 16
*General elections were held in the Dominican Republic. Rafael Trujillo was elected president unopposed when opposition candidates withdrew their names in protest, accusing members of the body overseeing the election of being appointed illegally.
*Jazz singer Betty Carter, popularly known as "Betty Bebop" was born in Flint, Michigan.
May 18
*Charles Dorsey, the first black student admitted to Loyola College in Maryland who later became an attorney known for his legal aid work in Baltimore, was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
May 19
*Charles Dorsey, the first black student admitted to Loyola College in Maryland who later became an attorney known for his legal aid work in Baltimore, was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
May 19
*Playwright Lorraine Hansberry, who would write A Raisin in the Sun, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
May 20
*Theophilus Danzy, a football coach best known as the long-time football coach at Stillman College, was born.
May 21
*Tommy Bryant, a jazz double-bassist who played with Dizzy Gillespie and Coleman Hawkins, was born.
May 22
*Edward Melvin Porter, the first African American elected to the Oklahoma state senate and the co-owner and publisher of Black Voices magazine, was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
*Bernard Jao Da Rocha, a founding member, and the first National Chairman, of the New Patriotic Party, was born in Cape Coast, Gold Coast (now known as Ghana).
May 27
*Kenny Dennis, a jazz drummer who played on albums for such artists as Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin, Oscar Brown, Jr., Charles Mingus, Billy Taylor, and Maldron, and who was the first husband to jazz songstress Nancy Wilson, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
June
*Bernardo Baro, a professional baseball player who was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, died (June).
June 1
*Eugenio de Paula Tavares, a Cape Verdean poet known for his famous poems (mornas) written in the Crioulo of Brava, died in Vila Nova Sintra, Cape Verde.
June 3
*Ronnell Bright, a jazz pianist and actor, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
June 7
*In a gesture meant to convey respect, the New York Times began capitalizing the word "Negro" in its pages.
*Dolores Duran, a Brazilian singer and songwriter best known for her hit "A Noite do Meu Bem", was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
June 9
*Ibrahima Fall, a disciple of Aamadu Bamba and the founder of the influential Baye Fall movement, died in Touba, Senegal.
June 11
June 9
*Ibrahima Fall, a disciple of Aamadu Bamba and the founder of the influential Baye Fall movement, died in Touba, Senegal.
June 11
*Johnny Bright, a professional football player in the Canadian Football League and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame, the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, and the Des Moines Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
*Charles Rangel, a New York Congressman, was born in New York City.
June 12
*Barbara Harris, a bishop of the Episcopal Church who was the first woman ordained a bishop in the Anglican Communion, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
June 14
June 16
*Ahmed Gulaid, the first chairman of the Somali National Movement, was born in Aden, Yemen.
June 17
*Rosemary Brown, a Canadian politician who was the first Black Canadian woman to be elected to a Canadian provincial legislature, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
June 22
*Barbara Harris, a bishop of the Episcopal Church who was the first woman ordained a bishop in the Anglican Communion, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
June 14
*Babacar Ba, a Senegalese politician from Kaolack, who served as Foreign Minister of Senegal in 1978, was born.
*Ahmed Gulaid, the first chairman of the Somali National Movement, was born in Aden, Yemen.
June 17
*Rosemary Brown, a Canadian politician who was the first Black Canadian woman to be elected to a Canadian provincial legislature, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
June 22
*Mary McLeod Bethune, a Florida African American educator, feminist leader, and civil rights spokesperson, was named one of America's fifty leading women by the historian Ida Tarbell. Bethune was born in Maysville, South Carolina in 1875. She studied at Scotia Seminary in North Carolina and at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. In 1904, Bethune founded the Bethune-Cookman College at Daytona Beach, Florida. A recipient of the Medal of Merit from the Republic of Haiti and the NAACP Spingarn Award, Bethune was president of the National Council of Negro Women and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. She was a principal advisor as well as a friend to President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
June 23
*Marie-Therese Houphouet-Boigny, the First Lady of the Ivory Coast from 1960 to 1993 known as "Africa's Jackie", was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast,, French West Africa.
*Walter Dukes, a center for the New York Knicks, Minneapolis Lakers and Detroit Pistons, was born in Rochester, New York.
June 28
*Amina Cachalia, a South African anti-Apartheid activist, women's rights activist, and politician, was born in Vereeniging, South Africa. In 1995, while President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela proposed to Cachalia.
June 30
*William Gorden, a football player who served as the head coach at Jackson State University, was born in Nashville, Tennessee.
July 2
August 5
Henry Chipembere, a Malawian nationalist who played a significant role in bringing independence from colonial rule to Malawi, was born in Kayoyo in Ntchisi in the Central Region of Nyasaland.
*Damita Jo DeBlanc, a singer best known for her answer songs "I'll Save the Last Dance for You" and "I'll Be There", was born in Austin, Texas.
August 6
*Robert Blair, a gospel musician and leader of The Fantastic Violinaires, was born.
June 23
*Marie-Therese Houphouet-Boigny, the First Lady of the Ivory Coast from 1960 to 1993 known as "Africa's Jackie", was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast,, French West Africa.
*Walter Dukes, a center for the New York Knicks, Minneapolis Lakers and Detroit Pistons, was born in Rochester, New York.
*Amina Cachalia, a South African anti-Apartheid activist, women's rights activist, and politician, was born in Vereeniging, South Africa. In 1995, while President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela proposed to Cachalia.
June 30
*William Gorden, a football player who served as the head coach at Jackson State University, was born in Nashville, Tennessee.
July 2
*Ahmad Jamal, (b. Frederick Russell Jones), an American jazz pianist known for his rendition of But Not ForMe, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
July 4
*Ancella Bickley, a historian known for her role in preserving African Amercan history in West Virginia, was born in Huntington, West Virginia.
July 7
July 10
*Ganiyu Bello, a prominent Yoruba community leader and business tycoon, was born in Oyo State, Nigeria.
July 13
July 14
July 24
*Ancella Bickley, a historian known for her role in preserving African Amercan history in West Virginia, was born in Huntington, West Virginia.
July 7
*Victor Pascall, a Trinidadian cricketer who represented the West Indies in the days before they achieved Test status, died in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
July 10
*Ganiyu Bello, a prominent Yoruba community leader and business tycoon, was born in Oyo State, Nigeria.
July 13
*Sam Greenlee, a writer best known for his controversial novel The Spook Who Sat by the Door, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
July 14
*Albert Beckles, a professional bodybuilder and a three time New York City Night of Champions winner, was born in Barbados.
July 24
*Charles Decatur Brooks, a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist best known for his Breath of Life television ministry, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina.
*Walter Carrington, a diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Senegal and Nigeria, was born.
*Walter Carrington, a diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Senegal and Nigeria, was born.
July 25
*Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano from 1963 to 2014, was born in Kano, Northern Nigeria.
July 31
August 1
*Geoffrey Holder, a Trinidadian-American actor, voice actor, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, and painter best known for his role as the villain Baron Samedi in the 1973 Bond--movie Live and Let Die and for his 7-Up television commercials of the 1970s and 1980s, was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
August 2
*Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano from 1963 to 2014, was born in Kano, Northern Nigeria.
July 31
*Richard Andriamanjato, a Malagasy politician who became the President of the National Assembly of Madagascar, was born.
*Geoffrey Holder, a Trinidadian-American actor, voice actor, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, and painter best known for his role as the villain Baron Samedi in the 1973 Bond--movie Live and Let Die and for his 7-Up television commercials of the 1970s and 1980s, was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
August 2
*Bobbie Beard, an African American child actor best known for portraying "Cotton" in several Our Gang short films from 1932 to 1934, was born in Los Angeles, California.
*Eddie Locke, a jazz drummer who became a member of the Coleman Hawkins Quartet in the 1960s, was born.
August 5
Henry Chipembere, a Malawian nationalist who played a significant role in bringing independence from colonial rule to Malawi, was born in Kayoyo in Ntchisi in the Central Region of Nyasaland.
*Damita Jo DeBlanc, a singer best known for her answer songs "I'll Save the Last Dance for You" and "I'll Be There", was born in Austin, Texas.
August 6
*Abbey Lincoln, an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress, who wrote and performed her own compositions, was born in Chicago, Illinois. She was a civil rights advocate during the 1960s.
*Robert Blair, a gospel musician and leader of The Fantastic Violinaires, was born.
August 7
*Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were lynched in Marion, Indiana. There were beaten and hanged. James Cameron survived. This would be the last recorded lynching of African Americans in the Northern United States. The survivor, James Cameron, would have a long career as a civil rights activist culminating in his founding America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
*Edward Willard Bates, a prominent African American who served as a physician and surgeon in the 368th Ambulance Company of the 317th Sanitary (Medical) Train of the 92nd Division during World War I, died in Los Angeles, California. For his bravery in battle, he was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).
August 11
*Josh Gibson, Jr., a baseball player in the Negro Leagues who was the son of Josh Gibson, Sr., one of the greatest power hitters in baseball history, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
August 30
September 3
*Aaron Collins, a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter best known for being a member of the doo-wop groups the Cadets, which had the hit "Stranded in the Jungle", and the Flares, which had the hit "Foot Stomping", was born.
*A hurricane struck the Dominican Republic, killing over 8,000 people and doing as estimated $15 million in damage.
September 4
Josiah Ransome-Kuti, a Nigerian clergyman and music composer, died. He was known for setting Christian hymns to indigenous music, and for writing Christian hymns in Yoruba.
September 7
*Sonny Rollins, an American jazz tenor saxophonist, widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians, was born in New York City, New York. A number of his compositions, including "St. Thomas", "Oleo", "Doxy", "Pent-Up House", and "Airegin", became jazz standards.
September 8
*Walter Benton, an African American jazz tenor saxophonist, was born in Los Angeles, California.
September 9
*Frank Lucas, a former heroin dealer, who operated in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s, was born in La Grange, North Carolina. Lucas' life would be the subject of a major Hollywood film entitled American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington.
September 13
*Bola Ige, a Nigerian lawyer and politician, was born in Zaria, Kaduna.
*Edward Willard Bates, a prominent African American who served as a physician and surgeon in the 368th Ambulance Company of the 317th Sanitary (Medical) Train of the 92nd Division during World War I, died in Los Angeles, California. For his bravery in battle, he was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).
August 8
*Dunduzu Chisiza, a nationalist and early agitator for independence in Nyasaland (Malawi), was born in Florence Bay (now Chiweta or Chitimba) in the Karonga district of Nyasaland.
*Josh Gibson, Jr., a baseball player in the Negro Leagues who was the son of Josh Gibson, Sr., one of the greatest power hitters in baseball history, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
August 30
*Xernona Brady, a civil rights leader and broadcasting executive with Turner Broadcasting who was the originator of the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma (August 30).
*Aaron Collins, a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter best known for being a member of the doo-wop groups the Cadets, which had the hit "Stranded in the Jungle", and the Flares, which had the hit "Foot Stomping", was born.
September 4
Josiah Ransome-Kuti, a Nigerian clergyman and music composer, died. He was known for setting Christian hymns to indigenous music, and for writing Christian hymns in Yoruba.
September 7
*Sonny Rollins, an American jazz tenor saxophonist, widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians, was born in New York City, New York. A number of his compositions, including "St. Thomas", "Oleo", "Doxy", "Pent-Up House", and "Airegin", became jazz standards.
September 8
*Walter Benton, an African American jazz tenor saxophonist, was born in Los Angeles, California.
September 9
*Frank Lucas, a former heroin dealer, who operated in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s, was born in La Grange, North Carolina. Lucas' life would be the subject of a major Hollywood film entitled American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington.
September 13
*Bola Ige, a Nigerian lawyer and politician, was born in Zaria, Kaduna.
September 14
*Bill Berry, a jazz trumpeter best known for playing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the early 1960s and for leading his own big band, was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
September 16
*Jerry Donal Jewell, the first African American to serve as governor of Arkansas, was born in Chatfield, Arkansas. A dentist who was the president pro tem of the state senate, Jewell held the post of Governor of Arkansas for three days, as Governor Jim Guy Tucker attended the Presidential inauguration of former Governor Bill Clinton.
September 19
*Bill Berry, a jazz trumpeter best known for playing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the early 1960s and for leading his own big band, was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
September 16
*Jerry Donal Jewell, the first African American to serve as governor of Arkansas, was born in Chatfield, Arkansas. A dentist who was the president pro tem of the state senate, Jewell held the post of Governor of Arkansas for three days, as Governor Jim Guy Tucker attended the Presidential inauguration of former Governor Bill Clinton.
September 19
*Muhal Abrams, the founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
September 20
*Eddie Bo, a singer and pianist known for his blues,soul and folk recordings, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
*Kenneth Mopeli, the Chief Minister of the South African bantustan of QwaQwa from 1975 to 1994, was born in Namahadi.
September 20
*Eddie Bo, a singer and pianist known for his blues,soul and folk recordings, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
*Kenneth Mopeli, the Chief Minister of the South African bantustan of QwaQwa from 1975 to 1994, was born in Namahadi.
September 23
*Ray Charles, a jazz, soul, and pop singer, was born in Albany, Georgia. Blind by the age of six, he would become one of America's most-beloved performing artists.
September 24
*Cardiss Robertson Collins was born in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1973, she would be elected to the United States House of Representatives.
September 29
*National Guardsmen in Huntsville, Alabama, attacked a crowd around the Madison County jail with tear gas bombs. The mob was trying to storm the jail where an African-American man was being held in connection with the murder of a businessman.
September 30
*Students at the University of Havana held a demonstration against president Gerardo Machado. Police blocked the streets and during the ensuing clashes, a student leader by the name of Rafael Trejo was killed. Trejo was later held up to be a martyr and a hero in Cuban history.
*Marcel Antoine Lihau, a Congolese politician and law professor who served as the President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Congo and was involved in the creation of two functional constitutions for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was born in Lisala, Equateur Province, Belgian Congo.
October 2
*Ivy Dumont, the first woman to serve as Governor-General of the Bahamas, was born at Roses on Long Island in the Bahamas.
October 3
*Revolution broke out in Brazil against the rule of President Washington Luis.
*Austin Amissah, a Ghanaian lawyer, judge and academic who became a judge of the Court of Appeal in Botswana, was born in Accra, Ghana.
October 4
*The Cuban congress granted the request of President Gerardo Machado to suspend the constitution in and around Havana until after general elections on November 1.
September 29
*National Guardsmen in Huntsville, Alabama, attacked a crowd around the Madison County jail with tear gas bombs. The mob was trying to storm the jail where an African-American man was being held in connection with the murder of a businessman.
September 30
*Audrey Grevious, one of the central leaders in the local civil rights movement in Lexington, Kentucky and in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, was born in Lexington, Kentucky.
*Marcel Antoine Lihau, a Congolese politician and law professor who served as the President of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Congo and was involved in the creation of two functional constitutions for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was born in Lisala, Equateur Province, Belgian Congo.
October 2
*Ivy Dumont, the first woman to serve as Governor-General of the Bahamas, was born at Roses on Long Island in the Bahamas.
October 3
*Revolution broke out in Brazil against the rule of President Washington Luis.
*Austin Amissah, a Ghanaian lawyer, judge and academic who became a judge of the Court of Appeal in Botswana, was born in Accra, Ghana.
October 4
*The Cuban congress granted the request of President Gerardo Machado to suspend the constitution in and around Havana until after general elections on November 1.
October 8
*The artist Faith Ringgold was born in New York.
October 13
*Rufus Herve Bacote, a prominent physician in Kentucky and Tennessee who served as a First Lieutenant and an army doctor in the 370th Infantry Regiment of the 93rd Division during World War I, died in Earlington, Kentucky.
October 14
*Henry Creamer, the song lyricist best known for composing the lyrics for "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", died in New York City, New York.
*Mobutu Sese Seko, a President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was born in Lisala, Belgian Congo.
October 13
*Rufus Herve Bacote, a prominent physician in Kentucky and Tennessee who served as a First Lieutenant and an army doctor in the 370th Infantry Regiment of the 93rd Division during World War I, died in Earlington, Kentucky.
October 14
*Henry Creamer, the song lyricist best known for composing the lyrics for "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", died in New York City, New York.
*Mobutu Sese Seko, a President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was born in Lisala, Belgian Congo.
October 15
*Kent Harris, an American songwriter and record producer who is best known as the writer of novelty tunes such as "Shoppin' for Clothes" (a hit for The Coasters) and "Cops and Robbers" (a hit for Bo Diddley), was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
October 22
*Kent Harris, an American songwriter and record producer who is best known as the writer of novelty tunes such as "Shoppin' for Clothes" (a hit for The Coasters) and "Cops and Robbers" (a hit for Bo Diddley), was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
*Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930 premiered at New York's Royal Theater with Ethel Waters and Cecil Mack's Choir. Songs in the musical include "Memories of You" by Eubie Blake with lyrics by Andy Razaf. The musical would have 57 performances.
October 23
*Wilson Chavis, an African American accordion player who was one of the pioneers of zydeco, the fusion of Cajun and blues music developed in southwest Louisiana, was born near Church Point, Louisiana.
*Solomon Drake, an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
October 24
*Brazil's three-week civil war ended in rebel victory as President Washington Luis resigned.
October 29
October 30
*Clifford Brown, a jazz trumpeter who influenced later jazz trumpet players, including Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Arturo Sandoval, and Freddie Hubbard, was born in Wilmington, Delaware.
October 31
*Booker Ervin, an American tenor saxophone player best known for his association with bassist Charles Mingus, was born in Denison, Texas.
November 1
*James C. Matthews, the first African American law school graduate in New York, died in Albany, New York.
*Mabandla Ndawombili Fred Dlamini, the Prime Minister of Swaziland from November 23, 1979, to March 25, 1983, was born.November 2
*J. H. Frimpong-Ansah, an economist who served as Governor of the Bank of Ghana from March 8, 1968 to February 28, 1973, was born.
*Wilson Chavis, an African American accordion player who was one of the pioneers of zydeco, the fusion of Cajun and blues music developed in southwest Louisiana, was born near Church Point, Louisiana.
*Solomon Drake, an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
October 24
*Brazil's three-week civil war ended in rebel victory as President Washington Luis resigned.
October 29
*Omara Portuondo Peláez, a singer and dancer whose career spanned over half a century was born in Havana, Cuba. She was one of the original members of the Cuarteto d'Aida, and performed with Ignacio Pineiro, Orquesta Anacaona, Orquesta Aragon, Nat King Cole, Adalberto Alvarez, Los Van Van, the Buena Vista ensemble, Pupy Pedroso, Chucho Valdes and Juan Formell.
October 30
*Clifford Brown, a jazz trumpeter who influenced later jazz trumpet players, including Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Arturo Sandoval, and Freddie Hubbard, was born in Wilmington, Delaware.
*Booker Ervin, an American tenor saxophone player best known for his association with bassist Charles Mingus, was born in Denison, Texas.
November 1
*James C. Matthews, the first African American law school graduate in New York, died in Albany, New York.
*Mabandla Ndawombili Fred Dlamini, the Prime Minister of Swaziland from November 23, 1979, to March 25, 1983, was born.
*Ras Tafari, who took the name Haile Selassie when he was proclaimed Negus (King) in 1928, was crowned King of Kings at Addis Adaba. He would reign until 1974 and be regarded by Jamaican Rastafarians as the living God. He was seen as fulfilling a prophecy of Marcus Garvey, "Look to Africa, where a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is near."
November 3
November 3
*Getulio Vargas became President of Brazil.
November 6
*Derrick Albert Bell, Jr., the first tenured African American Professor of Law at Harvard Law School who is largely credited as one of the originators of critical race theory (CRT), was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a visiting professor at New York University School of Law from 1991 until his death. He was also a dean of the University of Oregon School of Law.
*Leslie Lee, a Tony Award-nominated playwright, was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
November 7
*Greg Bell, a long jumper who won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana.
November 8
*The United States and Britain extended formal recognition to the new Brazilian government.
November 10
*Clarence Pendleton, Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Pendleton would become the first African American chairperson of the United States Civil Rights Commission in 1981.
*Guillermo Erazo, an Afro-Ecuadorian musician, singer, and marimba player better known as Papa Roncon, was born in Borbon, Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
November 13
*Cuban President Gerardo Machado suspended the Constitution for 25 days as rioting in Havana killed seven.
November 16
*Guillermo Erazo, an Afro-Ecuadorian musician, singer, and marimba player better known as Papa Roncon, was born in Borbon, Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
*Cuban President Gerardo Machado suspended the Constitution for 25 days as rioting in Havana killed seven.
*Benny Andrews, a painter, printmaker, creator of collages and an educator, was born in Plainview, Georgia.
November 16
*Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist whose first novel, Things Fall Apart, became the most widely read book in modern African literature, was born in Ogidi, Nigeria Protectorate.
November 18
*Thomas Barnes, the first African American Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, was born.
*Stenio Vincent was elected President of Haiti by the National Assembly.
November 20
*Bertin Borna, a Beninese politician who served as Benin's minister of finance, was born in Tanguieta, Benin.
November 27
*Clarence Coleridge, the first African American bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut who served from 1993 to 1999, was born, The Diocese of Connecticut is the first and the oldest Diocese in the United States.
November 30
*Jim Boyd, the winner of an Olympic boxing gold medal in the Light Heavyweight (173 pound) Division at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
*Bill Greene, an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the California State Assembly and the California State Senate, was born in Kansas City, Missouri.
December
*In South Africa, African National Congress "radicals" in the Western Cape formed an independent African National Congress.
December 3
December 4
*Alexander Bada, the second Pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
December 6
December 3
*Art Bragg, a sprinter who competed in the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics in the 100 meter dash, was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
*Alexander Bada, the second Pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
December 6
*Daniel Muchiwa Lisulo, the Prime Minister of Zambia from June 1978 until February 1981, was born in Mongu, Zambia.
December 7
December 9
December 7
*Frank Bernasko, a Ghanaian soldier, lawyer, and politician who was a founder and leader of Ghana's Action Congress Party, was born in Ghana.
*Andrew "Rube" Foster, a baseball player, manager, and pioneer executive in the Negro Leagues, died in Kankakee, Illinois. Known as the "Father of Black Baseball", Foster was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.
*Georges Dagonia, a politician from Guadeloupe who was elected to the French Senate in 1977, was born in Guadeloupe.
*Georges Dagonia, a politician from Guadeloupe who was elected to the French Senate in 1977, was born in Guadeloupe.
December 10
December 13
*Dominic Carmon, a African American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who once served as a missionary to Papua New Guinea, was born in Opelousas, Louisiana.
December 14
*Fred Gray, a civil rights attorney, preacher and activist who became the first African American President of the Alabama State Bar, was born in Montgomery, Alabama.
December 16
*Ray Felix, an American professional basketball player and the second African American to be named an All-Star, was born in New York City, New York.
*Dominic Carmon, a African American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who once served as a missionary to Papua New Guinea, was born in Opelousas, Louisiana.
December 14
*Fred Gray, a civil rights attorney, preacher and activist who became the first African American President of the Alabama State Bar, was born in Montgomery, Alabama.
December 16
*J. L. Chestnut, the first African American attorney in Selma, Alabama, was born in Selma, Alabama.
*In South Africa, Communist leader Johannes Nkosi was killed during a protest in Durban (December 16-17).
December 20
*Pat Hare, a blues guitarist and singer whose heavily distorted power chords on "Cotton Crop Blues" anticipated elements of heavy metal music, was born in Cherry Valley, Arkansas (December 20).
December 21
*Adebayo Adedeji, a Nigerian politician who was an Executive Secretary to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from 1975 to 1978, and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General from 1978 until 1991, was born. He became the founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Development and Strategic Studies (ACDESS) in 1991.
December 24
*Mel Triplett, a star running back for the New York Giants football team, was born in Indianola, Mississippi. Triplett became an inspiration for a young Lew Alcindor, who as Kareem Abdul Jabbar wore the same No. 33 that Triplett wore while playing for the Giants.
December 28
December 29
*Walter Cohen, a Republican politician and businessman, died in New Orleans, Louisiana.
December 20
*Pat Hare, a blues guitarist and singer whose heavily distorted power chords on "Cotton Crop Blues" anticipated elements of heavy metal music, was born in Cherry Valley, Arkansas (December 20).
*Adebayo Adedeji, a Nigerian politician who was an Executive Secretary to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from 1975 to 1978, and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General from 1978 until 1991, was born. He became the founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Development and Strategic Studies (ACDESS) in 1991.
December 24
*Mel Triplett, a star running back for the New York Giants football team, was born in Indianola, Mississippi. Triplett became an inspiration for a young Lew Alcindor, who as Kareem Abdul Jabbar wore the same No. 33 that Triplett wore while playing for the Giants.
December 28
*Eugene Conners, a trombonist and singer known as the "Mighty Flea", was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
*Mary Tate, the first American woman to serve as a Bishop in a nationally recognized denomination, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*Walter Cohen, a Republican politician and businessman, died in New Orleans, Louisiana.
December 31
*Goree Carter, a singer whose 1949 recording of "Rock Awhile" is considered to be the first rock and roll record, was born in Houston, Texas.
*Odetta, the folksinger and activist known as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
Date Unknown
*'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur, the last Emir of Harar, died.
*Cloves Campbell, the first African American elected to the Arizona State Senate, was born in Elizabeth, Louisiana.
*Nicolas Geffrard, a Haitian musician best known for composing La Dessalinienne, the Haitian national anthem, died. The piece was adopted in 1904 to celebrate one hundred years of Haitian independence. He spent part of his career working in Europe.
*Wharlest Jackson, a civil rights activist who was the treasurer of the Natchez, Mississippi branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People until his assassination by a car bomb, was born.
Date Unknown
*'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur, the last Emir of Harar, died.
*Cloves Campbell, the first African American elected to the Arizona State Senate, was born in Elizabeth, Louisiana.
*Wharlest Jackson, a civil rights activist who was the treasurer of the Natchez, Mississippi branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People until his assassination by a car bomb, was born.
