Today in Black History: March 27th
1934 – Arthur Mitchell Is Born
Arthur Mitchell, co-founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), was born in New York City on March 27, 1934. Raised in Harlem, he trained at the High School of Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet. In 1955, he became the first African American male dancer in New York City Ballet, with George Balanchine creating roles for him, including Agon and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King’s assassination, Mitchell founded DTH in 1969, offering ballet training to Harlem’s youth. He led DTH until 2009 and passed away in 2018.
1944 – Jesse Brown Is Born
Jesse Brown, a wounded Vietnam War veteran and federal official, was born on March 27, 1944, in Detroit and raised by his mother in Chicago. After enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1963, he was seriously wounded near DaNang, leaving his right arm paralyzed. Honored with a Purple Heart, he began working for Disabled American Veterans (DAV), eventually becoming its first African American executive director in 1988, where he advocated for veterans’ healthcare and benefits.
In 1993, President Clinton appointed Brown as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He expanded services for female and homeless veterans before resigning in 1997. He died in 2002 at age 58.
1965 – Crystal Bird Fauset Passes Away
Crystal Bird Fauset, the first African American female state legislator in the U.S., was born on June 27, 1894, in Princess Anne, Maryland, and raised in Boston. After teaching in Philadelphia and working with the YWCA and the American Friends Service Committee, she became a powerful voice for racial understanding and social justice. In 1938, she was elected to the Pennsylvania State Legislature, introducing legislation on public health, housing, and women’s workplace rights.
A close ally of Eleanor Roosevelt, Fauset joined President Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet” and later focused on international affairs. She died in Philadelphia on March 27, 1965.
