FREDERICK DOUGLASS “FRITZ” POLLARD (1894 – 1986) enjoyed a number of firsts as the first black man to play in the Rose Bowl; one of the first black players in the NFL; the first black quarterback; as well as the first black coach before being named the first black football player to be elected to the National College Football Hall of Fame. But Fritz went on to become so much more than just an athlete.
LOÏS MAILOU JONES (1905 – 1998) was a painter, art teacher and longest-surviving artist of the Harlem Renaissance.
Born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston, Mass., to Thomas Vreeland, a building super turned lawyer, and Carolyn Dorinda Jones, a cosmetologist, Loïs was blessed with artistic ability at an early age. Spending her summers on Martha’s Vineyard Island with her grandmother, Phoebe Moseley Adams Ballou, who was a respected businesswoman and landowner, Loïs fell in love with the bright colors around her, which varied greatly from the landscape of industrialized Boston. She continued painting and drawing with encouragement from mentors such as painter Jonas Lie, African-American classical composer Harry Burleigh and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, the first black artist to make art which celebrated Afrocentric themes.
Upon graduating with honors from Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1927, Loïs began a career in textiles until a decorator told her, “You couldn’t have done this, you’re a colored girl.” She went on to earn a certificate from Boston Normal School, now Massachusetts College of Art, as well a graduate degree from the Designers Art School of Boston.
Unable to find a teaching position in Boston, Loïs relocated to Sedalia, North Carolina, where she developed the art department at Palmer Memorial Institute. Shortly thereafter, Loïs began dating James Vernon Herring, founder of the Howard University Department of Art in 1922, Continue
Today, May 19th would have been Malcolm X’s 86th birthday. The public speaker and human rights activist was gunned down back in 1965 just before giving a speech in Harlem (LINK). In memory of Malcolm, we are posting the POWERFUL ending scene of Spike Lee’s classic 1992 movie starring Denzel Washington and Angela Bassett. Make sure to watch it, even if you’ve seen it already.
GEORG OLDEN (1920 – 1975) was the first black executive of a major corporation also noted for his contributions to the television graphics field and leading the way for future black designers.
Born George Elliott Olden on Nov. 13, 1920, in Birmingham, Al., to James Clarence Olden, a Baptist minister, and Sylvia Ward Olden, a classically-trained singer and music teacher, Olden excelled in art from a young age. His family, which included older siblings James Clarence Jr. and Sylvia (who became the first person of color to work at the Metropolitan Opera as a vocal coach) had moved to Washington, D.C., where his father pastored Plymouth Congregational Church.
After becoming heavily involved in the civil rights movement, James Sr. abandoned the family in 1933, and six years later their mother died. Georg failed most of his classes in high school but continued to excel in art as well as swimming, winning a number of trophies. He graduated a year behind his class and attended Virginia State, drawing cartoons for the school newspaper, the Virginia Statesmen, and gaining popularity after establishing a reputation for wit and drinking.
In 1940, Georg proposed to aspiring actress Courtenaye Macbeth, who was three years older than him and had two small children. Because his sister Sylvia would not consent as his legal guardian, the couple was forced to wait until Georg turned 21 in order to marry, which they did on December 25, 1941.
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