February 6

Melvin Beaunorus Tolson (February 6, 1898 - August 29, 1966) is best known for teaching English and drama at Wiley College where he led the debate team to a 1935 national win over USC. (This was the basis for the film The Great Debaters, with Tolson portrayed by Denzel Washington.) Tolson held a BA from Lincoln University and an MA from Columbia, where his thesis was on "The Harlem Group of Negro Writers", The Harlem Renaissance had a great impact on his poetry and other writing, although he spent most of his career in Texas and Oklahoma, later teaching at Langston University. He wrote three major, book-length works of poetry, Rendezvous with America (1944), Libretto for the Republic of Liberia (1953), and Harlem Gallery (1965) and a weekly column for the Washington Tribune, "Cabbage and Caviar".

Birthdays

Anne Spencer (born Annie Bethel Bannister, February 6, 1882 – July 27, 1975) was an American poet and active participant in the New Negro Movement and Harlem Renaissance period. While a librarian at Washington D.C.'s Dunbar High School, a position she held for 20 years, she supplemented the original three books by bringing others from her own collection at home. Though she lived outside New York City, the recognized center of the Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, she was an important member of this group of intellectuals. She was the first Virginian and first African American to have her poetry included in the Norton Anthology of American Poetry.

Merze Tate (February 6, 1905 – June 27, 1996) was a professor, scholar and expert on United States diplomacy. She was the first African American graduate of Western Michigan Teachers College, first African American woman to attend the University of Oxford, and first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in government and international relations from Harvard University (then Radcliffe College), as well as one of the first two female members to join the Department of History at Howard University.

Robert Nesta (Bob) Marley (February 6, 1945 - May 11, 1981) was a Jamaican singer-songwriter, musician and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim, blending mostly reggae, ska and rocksteady in his compositions. He is considered one of the most influential musicians of all time and credited with popularising reggae music around the world, as well as serving as a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity. Marley has also evolved into a global symbol and inspired numerous items of merchandise.

Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. The daughter of Nat King Cole, she rose to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be", "Inseparable" (1975), and "Our Love" (1977). She re-emerged as a pop artist with the 1987 album Everlasting and her cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". In the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable... with Love, which sold over seven million copies and also won Cole seven Grammy Awards. She sold over 30 million records worldwide.


Events

Maria W. Stewart (born Maria Miller, 1803 – February 6, 1880) was an African-American domestic servant who became a teacher, journalist, lecturer, abolitionist, and women's rights activist. The first known American woman to speak to a mixed audience of men and women, whites and black, she was also the first African-American woman to make public lectures, as well as to lecture about women’s rights and make a public anti-slavery speech.

On Feb. 6, 1820, a group of 88 free Black men and women set sail for the British colony of Sierra Leone aboard a ship called the Mayflower of Liberia. The voyage marked the first organized immigration of Blacks to Africa. The group’s travel was funded by the U.S. Congress and organized by a Quaker organization called the American Colonization Society.

On February 6, 1993, Arthur Ashe -- the legendary tennis player, humanitarian and social activist for causes such as bringing an end to South African apartheid and AIDS research -- died at the age of 49 yrs. Ashe was a trailblazer and the impact of his life and work transcended his athleticism.


Photo Gallery

"A U.S. Army soldier and a Chinese soldier place the flag of their ally on the front of their jeep just before the first truck convoy in almost three years crossed the China border en route from Ledo, India, to Kunming, China, over the Stilwell road." February 6, 1945.

Gordon Parks, February 6, 1968

Olympian Gabrielle Douglas poses backstage at the Heart Truth 2013 Fashion Show at Hammerstein Ballroom on February 6, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Heart Truth)

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, on February 6, 2014.

Publications

Ruth Taylor, From Nurse to First US Hired Airline Hostess - Jet Magazine, February 6, 1958

Yvonne DeLavallade, Sister of Carmen DeLavallade, Marries Football Star Milton Davis - Jet Magazine, February 6, 1958

Emmett Till's Mother Sues Look Magazine and Reveals Marriage - Jet Magazine, February 6, 1958

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January 26

Angela Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, scholar, and author. She emerged as a nationally prominent activist and radical in the 1960s....

Bessie Coleman (January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926) was the first woman of African American or Native American descent to earn an aviator’s license. Unable to find anyone willing to train a black woman to fly in the U.S., she learned French so that she could train in France and was encouraged by Robert S. Abbott, founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender. She was the first American of any race or gender to earn an international pilot’s license. Upon returning to the U.S. she began a barnstroming career, first appearing at an American airshow on September 3, 1922, at an event honoring veterans of the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment of World War I. She died at age 34 during a test flight for an exhibition in Jacksonville, Florida before she could realize her dream of opening an aviation school for African Americans.


Birthdays

Zara Frances Cully (January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978) was best known for her role as Olivia "Mother Jefferson" Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975-78). She was one of the oldest performers active in television at the time of her death, and originated the Mother Jefferson role on an episode of All in the Family at the age of 82. A graduate of the Worcester School of Speech and Music, she was a drama teacher at her own studio as well as at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, and had become known as Florida's "Dean of Drama" before relocating to Hollywood in 1940.

May Miller (January 26, 1899 – February 8, 1995) was the most widely published female playwright of the Harlem Renaissance, with seven published volumes of poetry during her career as a writer. She was a graduate of Howard University in 1920 and did graduate work in poetry and drama at American University and Columbia University, followed by twenty years teaching English and speech at Frederick Douglass High School, in Baltimore, Maryland. She helped establish the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, serving as Chair of the Literature Panel for the Commission’s first three years.  She was the daughter of educator and activist Kelly Miller.

Huey "Piano" Smith (born January 26, 1934, New Orleans, is a rhythm and blues pianist whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll. Allmusic journalist, Steve Huey, noted "At the peak of his game, Smith epitomized New Orleans R & B at its most infectious and rollicking, as showcased on his classic signature tune, "Don't You Just Know It."

Ivan Gladstone Van Sertima (26 January 1935 – 25 May 2009) was born in Karina Village, Guyana, when Guyana was still a British colony; he retained his British citizenship throughout his life. He published They Came Before Columbus in 1976, as a Rutgers graduate student. The book deals mostly with his claims of African origin of Mesoamerican culture in the Western Hemisphere, but among other things also writing that the kings of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt were Nubians.

Sherian Grace Cadoria (born January 26, 1943) was the first African American female general in the United States Army and the highest ranking female at the time of her retirement in 1990 with the rank of Brigadier General. She is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. Initially in the Women's Army Corps, she transferred to the Military Police Corps in the 1970s.

Angela Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, scholar, and author. She emerged as a nationally prominent activist and radical in the 1960s, as a leader of the Communist Party USA, and had close relations with the Black Panther Party through her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement despite never being an official member of the party. She was a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in its History of Consciousness Department and a former director of the university's Feminist Studies department.

Dr. L. Natalie Carroll (born January 26, 1950) is a 1974 graduate of Meharry Medical College and the next year became the first woman to complete a surgery internship at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. In 1978, became the first African American woman to complete an obstetrics/gynecology residency at the same facility. She has had an OB/GYN practice in Houston since 190, and in 2002 was elected president of the National Medical Association (NMA), the oldest and largest organization of black healthcare professionals in the United States.

Events

On January 26, 1863, Edwin Stanton, the U.S. Secretary of War, gave Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew permission to begin recruiting black troops for the first U.S. Colored Regiment. Andrew set about assembling officers for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, all of whom are to be white, as mandated by the government. Two weeks after the call for volunteers, more than 1,000 free blacks from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other Northern states, as well as newly-freed slaves from the South, answered the call to join the 54th Massachusetts Infantry.

On January 26, 1990, Elaine Weddington Steward was named assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox of the American League, becoming the first African American woman to hold an executive position in MLB. She graduated with honors from St. John’s University in 1984 with a B.S. in Athletic Administration, followed by a law degree from St. John's Law School in 1987. While attending St. John’s she served as an intern in the New York Mets public relations department, and joined the Red Sox as general counsel in 1988.



Photo Gallery

Historic American Buildings Survey W. N. Manning, Photographer, January 26, 1935 S.W. CORNER OF DOUBLE LOG SLAVE HOUSE - Freeman-Caver-Christian House, Upper Friendship Road, Oxford, Calhoun County, AL

Lena Horne and Eleanor Roosevelt in Mrs. Roosevelt’s Manhattan apartment prior to their appearance on 'The Frank Sinatra Timex Show' on January 26, 1960. Ms. Horne worked with the former first lady to pass anti-lynching legislation. Photo via Bettman/Corbis.

Earl Campbell (left) and Bum Phillips (right) are recognized as part of Houston's 41 sports legends during the opening ceremony of Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas, January 26, 2004.

US President Barack Obama walks to his car upon arriving in Romules, Michigan, on January 26, 2012. AFP Photo/Jewel Samad

Publications

Actress, singer, model and poet Mauryne Brent on the January 26, 1956 cover of Jet Magazine

Emmett Till Murder Case Could Be Reopened - Jet Magazine, January 26, 1956

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January 24

January 24, 2012 "One of the most memorable moments of the year was when the President hugged Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as he walked onto the floor of the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol to deliver his annual State of the Union address."

Arturo Schomburg (January 24, 1874 –June 8, 1938) was born in Puerto Rico to a black midwife from St. Croix and a white merchant from Germany. He came to the U.S. as a young man and taught Spanish in New York City while researching and writing about about Caribbean and African American history, becoming one of the intellectual leaders of what would become the Harlem Renaissance. In 1911 he co-founded with John Edward Bruce the Negro Society for Historical Research and later became president of the American Negro Academy. The New York Public Library purchased his extensive collection of literature, art and other materials in 1926 and he was appointed curator of the collection, which was housed at Harlem's 135th Street Branch of the library. It was later renamed the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and continues to be one of the nation's leading collections of African American history.

Birthdays

Jimmy Forrest (January 24, 1920 – August 26, 1980) was an African American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone throughout his career. He is best known for his first solo recording of "Night Train" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart in March 1952, and stayed at the top for seven weeks. "Hey Mrs. Jones" (#3 R&B) and "Bolo Blues" were his other major hits. All were made for United Records, which recorded Forrest between 1951 and 1953

Aaron Neville (born January 24, 1941) is best known for his 1966 hit "Tell It Like It Is", which topped the soul charts for five weeks and sold over a million copies. His later releases led the Adult Contemporary charts, where "Don't Know Much," "All My Life," and "Everybody Plays the Fool" all reached number one. In 1989, he teamed up with Linda Ronstadt on the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. Among the duets recorded for the disc were the #1 Grammy-winning hits "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life". He has also recorded with his brothers Art, Charles and Cyril as The Neville Brothers and is the father of singer/keyboards player Ivan Neville.

Ayanna MacCalla Howard (born January 24, 1972) is an American roboticist and an Associate Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology.In 2003, she was named to the MIT Technology Review TR100 as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35 She was featured in TIME magazine’s "Rise of the Machines" article in 2004. In 2008, Howard received worldwide attention for her SnoMote robots, designed to study the impact of global warming on the Antarctic ice shelfs.



Events

On January 24, 1938, Jack and Jill of America was founded by Marion Stubbs Thomas and a group of twenty-one mothers in Philadelphia with the idea of bringing together children in a social and cultural environment. Chapters formed in other cities in succeeding years, and in 1946 it became a national organization currently headquartered in Washington, D.C. As of 2015 there are more than 230 Jack and Jill chapters in 35 states across the U.S., with more than 40,000 parents and children.

On January 24, 1956, J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant's confession to the murder of Emmett Till was published by Look Magazine. Milam admitted to shooting Till and neither of them thought of themselves as guilty or that they had done anything wrong. Both men had been acquitted of murder in 1955.



Photo Gallery

On a tour of the State Floor of the White House, President Obama looks at a portrait of John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, January 24, 2009 (photo by Pete Souza).

Earl Hood, who passed away on January 24, 2013 at the age of 90, was one of the first African American Marines. He, along with 20,000 others, were trained away from white Marines on Montford Point in North Carolina. Just over 400 of the "Montford Pointers" still survive. They were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in June 2012. 

Publications

An optimistic printed cartoon by Thomas Nast from the January 24, 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly, on a centerfold sheet measuring 16 x 22". Published soon after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

Jet Magazine, January 24, 1952

Hollywood Black Movie Children - Natalie Cole, Lena Horne's Children - Jet Magazine, January 24, 1952

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