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ON THIS DAY IN BLACK HISTORY

20141ON THIS DATE: February 21, 1933Nina Simone, entertainer known as the "High Priestess of Soul," was born in Tryon, NC, on this date in 1933. Simone recorded the highly acclaimed "I Love You Porgy" in 1959.

Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone in upcoming movieNina Simone - I Loves You Porgy2

ON THIS DATE: February 19, 1919W.E.B. Du Bois, activist, author, and educator, organized the first Pan-African Congress in Paris on this date in 1919.

The treatment of Black soldiers who were fighting in World War I was a major topic that was addressed.

There were fifty-seven delegates sixteen from the United States and fourteen from Africa form sixteen countries and colonies.

3ON THIS DATE: February 11, 1990Nelson Mandela, South Africa's Black nationalist leader, was released from prison after 27 years on this date in 1990. Four years after his release, he was elected President of South Africa.

ON THIS DATE: February 10, 1927Leontyne Price, world-renowned lyric soprano and the first Black to sing opera on television, was born in Jackson, MS, on this date in 1927.She rose to international fame in the 1950s and 60s, and became the first black "superstar" at the once-segregated Metropolitan Opera.

Video: Leontyne Price -"O Patria MiaVideo: NEA Opera Honors: Leontyne Price Tribute

ON THIS DATE: February 7, 1926Carter G. Woodson creates Negro History Week. In 1976 it became Black History Month.Purpose was to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history.

Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

6ON THIS DATE: February 4, 1913Rosa L. Parks, civil rights activist and inspiration for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, was born in Tuskegee, AL, on this date in 1913. Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus led to the historical year-long boycott of the bus system.

ON THIS DATE: January 30, 1787Sojourner Truth (Isabella Baumfree), preacher, abolitionist, speaker, and women's rights advocate, was born a slave in Hurley, NY, on this date in 1787.