Author Archives: The Black Blog

On February 27, 1872, Charlotte Ray graduated from law school. Charlotte E. Ray is remembered as the first female African American lawyer in the United States. She was also the first female lawyer to practice law in Washington D.C. Charlotte Ray was a graduate of Howard School of Law (1972).

On February 26, 2012, Travyon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. 

On February 25, 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was founded.  Cheyney University  of Pennsylvania is the oldest historically black university.

On February 24, 2006, Octavia Butler died. Octavia Butler was a famous author and novelist. Octavia Butler is the author of Parable of the Sower and Kindred.

On February 23, 1868, W.E.B Du Bois was born. W.E.B. Du Bois was a well-known scholar, who advocated for the intellectual empowerment of black people throughout the 1900s.  W.E.B. Du Bois died in 1963.

On February 22, 1911, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper died.  Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was the first African American woman to publish a short story.

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. 

On February 20, 1927, Sidney Poitier was born. Sidney Poitier was an influential actor and film director. He was the first African American to win an Academy Award for best actor. 

On February 19, 2002, Vonetta Flowers became the first black athlete to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. 

On February 18, 1931, Toni Morrison was born. Toni Morrison became the first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.  Throughout her career, Morrison was praised for her literary works that often highlighted pivotal aspects of black history. In addition to winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963, Morrison was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.