This Week In Black History

Henry O. Tanner, famed Black artist, was born in Pittsburgh on this day. The first-born son of AME Church Bishop Benjamin Tucker Tanner and ex-slave Sarah Tanner, he initially studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After facing years of racism in the U.S., he left for Europe in 1891 at the age of 31 and spent more than half of his life in France where he studied and received the initial acclaim that continued throughout his career. Among his most famous works is The Banjo Lesson. His subject matter included life among Southern Blacks during the late 1800s, biblical scenes and landscapes. Tanner died in Paris on May 25, 1937. In 1996, his Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City became the first painting by a Black artist to be included in the White House art collection.

June 22, 1910

Katherine Dunham, anthropologist, author, choreographer and dancer, was born on this day in Chicago, where she attended the University of Chicago and majored in anthropology. Between 1938 and 1965, Dunham choreographed more than 150 ballets, six Broadway and European stage shows, three operas, and 13 films. She used her training in anthropology and study of primitive rituals to evolve unique modern dance forms. Her achievements in dance and human rights have been lauded with 21 honorary degrees. She has received the Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Achievement, the National Medal of Arts, an NAACP Image Award and the American Black Achievement Award. Dunham currently resides in East St. Louis, IL.