Civil Rights

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Dec

17

1971

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929–68, American clergyman and civil-rights leader, b. Atlanta, Ga., grad. Morehouse College (B.A., 1948), Crozer Theological Seminary (B.D., 1951), Boston Univ. (Ph.D., 1955). The son of the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, King became (1954) minister

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Ford, Harold Sr. (1945- )

Harold Eugene Ford, Sr., a United States Representative from Tennessee from 1975 to 1997, was born on May 20, 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee to Vera Davis and Newton Jackson Ford, a funeral home director. Ford’s family was part of the local black elite dating back to the beginning of the 20th

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Source: Black Past

May

20

1945

(1964), Dr. Martin Luther King, “Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize”

On December 10, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King became only the second African American (after Ralph Bunche) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. His acceptance speech appears

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Source: Black Past

Dec

10

1964

(1849) Sarah C. Roberts v. The City of Boston

SUPREME COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS, SUFFOLK

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Source: Black Past

Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte is an eminent African-American figure in the American entertainment industry. He is a notable singer, lyricist, actor and social activist. Belafonte came to international stardom as “King of Calypso” for his popular Caribbean musical style. He is famous for his

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Source: Black History Resources

Mar

1

1927

Smith, Hale (1925–2009)

Performer, composer, arranger and teacher, Hale Smith, Jr., encompassed the worlds of jazz and classical music. Beginning with his childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, he trained in jazz and classical composition, performance, and teaching. His collaborations and influence crossed multiple fields where he

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Source: Black Past

Jun

29

1925

Harlem

Harlem, residential and business section of upper Manhattan, New York City, bounded roughly by 110th St., the East River and Harlem River, 168th St., Amsterdam Ave., and Morningside Park. The Dutch settlement of Nieuw Haarlem was established by Peter Stuyvesant in 1658. To the W of Harlem, near

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Arthur Allen Fletcher, “The Father of Affirmative Action”

Arthur Allen Fletcher is known to many as the father of affirmative action. In the following account historian David Hamilton Golland describes the career of Fletcher, a Republican civil rights activist during the last half of the 20th

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Source: Black Past

Cole, Robert "Bob," Jr. (1868-1911)

Entertainer Robert Allen “Bob” Cole, Jr. was born on July 1, 1868 in Athens, Georgia to his parents Robert Allen Cole, Sr. and Isabella Thomas Weldon. The Coles were well known in the Athens community, which boasted a robust African American community at the time. Being from

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Source: Black Past

African American History Bibliography Authors & Editors

Abajian, James de T. Blacks in Selected Newspapers, Censuses and Other Sources: An Index to Names and Subjects Yes

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Source: Black Past

(1967) Martin Luther King, Jr., “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”

On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his first major public address on the War in Vietnam at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. In that address he articulated his reasons for his opposition to the

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Source: Black Past

Apr

4

1967

Gatson, Dewey (AKA Rajo Jack DeSoto) (1905-1956)

Automobile racer Rajo Jack DeSoto was born Dewey Gatson on July 28, 1905 in Tyler, Texas. (Previously published biographies have incorrectly listed his racing name as Rojo Jack.) Rajo Jack was barred from racing in many organized venues because of his African American heritage, but he had several

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Source: Black Past

Award-Winning Literary and Scholarly Works by African Americans (to 2013)

The following is a list of major awards won by African Americans for literary, journalistic, and scholarly writing compiled by San Diego State University Librarian Robert Fikes, Jr. The list includes all awards earned by these writers for fiction and non fiction. Links to specific prizes appear

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Source: Black Past

Washington, Jr., James (1909-2000)

The painter and sculptor James Washington, Jr. was a leading member of the Northwest School, a group of artists, writers, and sculptors who became internationally prominent in the mid-20th Century. Washington was born and raised in Gloster, Mississippi, one of six children of Baptist minister James

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Source: Black Past

Leander Jay Shaw, Jr., justice of the Florida State Supreme Court (1983), first

Leander Jay Shaw, Jr., justice of the Florida State Supreme Court (1983), first African American chief justice (1990) in Florida, the second African American chief justice in any state supreme court, born

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Sep

6

1930

Martin Luther King, Jr

Martin Luther King, Jr. denounced Vietnam War which he said was rapidly degenerating into a sordid military adventure.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Apr

12

1960

Abernathy, Ralph (1926-1990)

Ralph David Abernathy was born on March 11, 1926 in Linden, Alabama. His boyhood was spent on his father’s Alabama farm but he joined the U.S. Army and served in World War II from 1941 to 1945. After his service Abernathy returned to his home state where he attended Alabama State College in

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Source: Black Past

Dec

1

1955

Whitney Young Jr., National Urban League director,

Whitney M. Young, Jr. was Executive Director of the National Urban League from 1961 until his tragic, untimely death in 1971. He worked tireless to bring the races together, and joined the tenets of social work, of which he was an outstanding practitioner, to the social activism that brought the

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Feb

11

1971

Conyers, Jr., John (1929- )

John Conyers, Jr. was born on May 16, 1929 in Detroit, Michigan. He attended public schools and graduated in 1947 from Northwestern High School. After high school, he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the United Automobile Workers Union (UAW). Conyers worked for the Lincoln Car

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Source: Black Past

May

16

1929

Clifford Alexander Jr

Clifford Alexander, Jr. is confirmed as the first African American Secretary of the Army. He will hold the position until the end of President Jimmy Carters term.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Feb

11

1976

Wilson, August

Wilson, August, 1945–2005, American playwright and poet, b. Pittsburgh as Frederick August Kittel. Largely self-educated, Wilson first attracted wide critical attention with his Broadway debut, Ma Raineys Black Bottom (1984), a play set in 1927 that dramatizes the clash between the blues diva

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Rosa Parks

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist who was born on the 4th February 1913. She was popularly known as “The first lady of civil rights” and the “mother of the freedom movement”. She became prominent after she refused to move from her

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Source: Black History Resources

Knox, Clinton E. (1908–1980)

Clinton E. Knox was born May 5, 1908, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was the youngest of five children born to Estella Briggs Knox and William J. Knox Sr. Knox’s older brother, William J. Knox, Jr., was one of the scientists who helped develop the atomic bomb during World War II. His other

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Source: Black Past

Oct

14

1980

Daniels, Lee Louis (1959- )

An American actor, film producer, and director, Lee Louis Daniels was born on December 24, 1959. He is credited with directing some of the most controversial, yet memorable films of the last decade including hisdirectorial debut in 2004’s The Woodsman and 2006’s Shadowboxer. He also produced both

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Source: Black Past

Dec

24

1959

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr) was born on this day.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jul

17

1942

African American History: Bibliography

Home

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Source: Black Past

(1955) Martin Luther King Jr., “The Montgomery Bus Boycott”

The Montgomery Bus Boycott speech reprinted below is one of the first major addresses of Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King spoke to nearly 5,000 people at the Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery on December 5, 1955, just four days after Mrs. Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to relinquish

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Source: Black Past

Dec

5

1955

(1830) Rev. Peter Williams, Jr. “This is Our Country”

Fourteen years after its founding the American Colonization Society remained controversial among African Americans. By 1830 many of them opposed it and more generally the idea of forced or voluntary repatriation of blacks to Africa. One of these opponents, Rev. Peter Williams, Jr., the minister

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Source: Black Past

Jul

4

1830

Gossett, Larry (1945-- )

Born on February 21, 1945 in Seattle to parents, Nelmon and Johnnie Carter Gossett, Larry Gossett has been a dedicated public servant for over 40 years. After graduating from Franklin High School, he was a VISTA volunteer in Harlem (1966-1967). Gossett attended the University of Washington, where

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Source: Black Past

Feb

21

1945

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