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The CakeWalk
The Cake-Walk or Cakewalk was a dance developed from the "Prize Walks" from the 19th century, usually done at parties on black slave plantations in the South of the U.S. -
Moms Mabley
First openly gay black female comedian. Real name is Jackie Mabley, born on March 19, 1894 in Brevard, North Carolina died on May 23, 1975 in White Plains, New York. Tackled many edgy topics including racism. Know as "The Funniest Woman In The World." -
Florence Mills
A daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Nellie (Simon) and John Winfrey, she was born Florence Winfrey in 1896 in Washington, D.C. She began performing as a child. At the age of six she sang duets with her two older sisters, Olivia and Maude. -
Minstrel Shows
Black Dance was exposed to America by Minstrel Shows. They were shows consisting of dance, comedic skits, and music usually done by white people in black face. -
Lena Jordan
Lena Jordan becomes the first person to perform a triple somersault on the trapeze. -
Paris Olympics
Women compete in the Paris Olympics in golf, tennis, and croquet. -
Mantan Moreland
Born on September 3, 1902 in Monroe, Louisiana died on September 28, 1973 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Moreland began acting by the time he was an adolescent. He performed on Broadway and toured in Europe. Appeared in low-budget race movies aimed at African American audiences. -
Josephine Baker
On June 3rd, 1906, Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald to Carrie McDonald and Eddie Carson. After a successful audition at a local vaudeville theater, she left home at the age of 13, waitressing most of the time and working on the stage whenever she could get there. -
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an very famous Ragtime artist who was born in the Jim Crow south. Him being in the south during the ties all back to him being a When Joplin died in 1917, his death marked the end of ragtime as a music category. This image was taken on June 17, 1907. -
Jack Johnson First Black Heavyweight Champ
The former Confederacy operated under the Jim Crow laws from 1876 until they were outlawed in 1965, which meant African-Americans were treated like inferior citizens in public settings. One of the first black athletes to defy Jim Crow laws was Jack Johnson, who knocked out Canadian Tommy Burns during the 14th round for the heavyweight title of the world. To the chagrin of many whites, Jackson held that championship for the next seven years. -
W.E.B. Du Bois
In 1909, Du Bois co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an organization which remains active even today. In 1910, the NAACP launched its official magazine The Crisis and Du Bois was its editor for the first 24 years. The Crisis played an important role in the Harlem Renaissance providing a platform for several well-known writers of the movement, including Claude McKay and Langston Hughes. -
Marcus Garvey
The Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), represent the largest mass movement in African-American history. Proclaiming a black nationalist "Back to Africa" message, Garvey and the UNIA established 700 branches in thirty-eight states by the early 1920s. While chapters existed in the larger urban areas such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, Garvey's message reached into small towns across the country as well. -
Joe Louis
The son of a sharecropper, Joe Louis (1914-1981) rose up through the ranks of amateur and professional boxing to become the world heavyweight champion -
Juanita Moore
Born October 19, 1914 in Greenwood, Mississippi and died on January 1, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. She was the fifth African American to be nominated for an Academy Award in any category and the third Supporting Actress category at a time when only a single African American, Hattie McDaniel in Gone With The Wind had one an Oscar. -
Lucy Diggs
Lucy Diggs Slowe becomes the first African-American woman to win a national title in any sport when she wins the first women's title at the American Tennis Association (ATA) national tournament. -
Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton had a major impact on the music industry. He basically started jazz and he contributed to the way jazz is now. In 1915, he was noticed for his songs that he invented when jazz first came out. This picture was taken in 1918. -
Nipsey Russell
Real name Julius Russell born on September 15, 1918 in Atlanta, Georgia and died on October 2, 2005 in New York City, New York. Was an American Comedian, best known for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960's through the 1990's such as Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell The Truth, and Pyramid. -
Florence's Big Break
In 1921, Florence played an outstanding role in the musical "Shuffle Along" which launched her amazing dance/performing career. -
Redd Foxx
Real name John Elroy Sanford born on December 9, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri died on October 11, 1991 in Los Angeles, California. An American comedian and actor, best known for his explicit comedy records and his starring role on the 1970's sitcom Sanford and Son. -
Muriel Smith
Born on February 23, 1923 in New York City, New York and died on September 13, 1985 in Richmond, Virginia. An African American off-film ghost singer in several movies/films. -
Josephine's Big Break
Josephine caught her big break while dancing in the chorus for Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake's all-black revue Shuffle Along. A energetic dancer and careless on-stage clown, she started to attract notice and was tapped for a bigger part in another Sissle/Blake productions, Chocolate Dandies. The show made her a star in New York and she became very huge in Harlem with performances at The Cotton Club and The Plantation Club, along with many others. -
Josephine's European Travels
In 925, Josephine moved to Paris and started to perform in European shows. Making her European debut, and becoming a big European star. -
Florence's European Travels
After "Shuffle Along" launched her career Florence headed to Europe to star in many shows in cities like London, Paris, Ostend, and Liverpool. People loved her so much the went to go see her show "Blackbirds" 11 times, -
Maya Angelou
Real name Marguerite Annie Johnson born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri and died on May 28, 2014 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.Credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. -
Abbey Lincoln
Real name, Anna Marie Wooldridge born on August 6, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois and died on August 14, 2010 in New York, New York. Lincoln was an American Jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress, who wrote and performed her own compositions. -
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson Completed Recordings has sold over 2 million copies, making Johnson the biggest selling pre-war blues artist of all time. He recorded 29 songs from 1936-1937 and they were all hits. People started to think that he songs his soul to the devil because it was impossible to record so many songs in one year and they be hits. He made Blues history. -
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was a very popluar Blue's artist. Her nickname was " Empress of the Blues". She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on other jazz singers. -
AAU
The AAU opens track and field events to women.
