First African-American Dean at B.U.

BlackFacts Details

First African-American Dean at B.U.

Hubert (Hubie) Jones became the first African-American dean at Boston University when he was appointed to head the School of Social Work in 1977. Since 1980 he has served also as a distinguished social commentator on public affairs every Sunday morning on the Channel 5 TV program, 'Five on Five.'

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

First Black Episcopal Bishop

The Rev. John M. Burgess of Boston became the first African-American diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States in 1968.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Bay State Golf Association

The Bay State Golf Association was founded in 1938 by Black golfers from Medford and Boston. In these early years they played at Sagamore Springs in Lynnfield, one of the few golf courses open to Blacks. Bay State's first annual tournament was held in 1940 at Ponkapoag Golf Club in Canton. This

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

The Kuumba Singers

The Kuumba Singers of Harvard and Radcliffe have become a prominent fixture in the local musical world during the past 20 years. Established in 1970 to give Black students at the Ivy League schools an opportunity to celebrate their culture, the Kuumba Singers offer a unique form of African-American

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Eureka Co-Operative Bank

David E. Crawford opened Eureka Co-Operative Bank in Boston in 1910, 'the only bank in the East owned and operated by â€˜Colored People.'' He was appointed a master in the Chancery by the Governor of Massachusetts in 1915, and in 1916 the citizens of Boston elected him as a delegate to the National

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

TV Executive First

When Donna Latson Gittens was named vice president of community programming for WCVB-TV in 1983, she became the first African-American in the history of local television to assume this executive position and one of a relatively few in the nation.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Leading Businesswoman

A leading African-American businesswoman in Boston for more than 20 years, Estella V. Crosby owned and operated a dry goods store on Tremont Street. She chaired the annual convention of the National Business League in Boston in 1955, organized the Housewives League, and was active in the League of

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Nation of Islam Leader

Minister Louis Farrakhan, raised in Roxbury and a 1950 graduate of English High School, has been the national leader of the Nation of Islam since 1977, following the death of the founder of the Nation, Elijah Muhammad. While viewed by some as controversial, Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Noted Immigration Lawyer

Attorney John W. Schenck (1869-1962), admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1914, was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston in 1920 and held that position until 1933. During that time he handled most of the immigration cases in the Commonwealth.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

President of Boston Bar Association

In 1989 Rudolph F. Pierce became the first African-American to be elected President of the Boston Bar Association, the oldest local bar association in the nation, founded in 1761 by John Adams.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Early State Representatives

The 19th-century African-American state representatives were: Edwin G. Walker, 1866 Charles L. Mitchell, 1866 John J. Smith, 1868, 1869, 1872 George L. Ruffin, 1870, 1871 Joshua B. Smith, 1873, 1874 George W. Lowther, 1878, 1879 Julius C. Chappelle, 1883-86 William O. Armstrong, 1887, 1888 Andrew

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Charles Street A.M.E. Church

In 1983, Charles Street A.M.E. Church celebrated its 150th anniversary. Founded in 1833 by Boston's 19th-century Black community on Beacon Hill, it moved to its present site in upper Roxbury in 1939, the last Black church to move out of the Beacon Hill area.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Goode Trust Company

The Goode Trust Company, or Jesse Goode Associates, was a group of some 20 Boston Blacks, most of them waiters, who pooled their weekly savings to invest in real estate in the first decade of this century. Its president was Jesse Goode, head of the large retail and wholesale grocery firm of

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Founder of Resthaven Nursing Home

Edgar P. Benjamin, an 1894 graduate of Boston University's Law School, established a private practice in civil and criminal law of which he said, 'I am sole counsel for many large firms and corporations, and businesses, many of which are white. . . .' In 1927 Benjamin founded

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Chairman of National Democratic Party

Ronald H. Brown, who spent his early childhood in Roxbury and attended the David A. Ellis School, became Chairman of the National Democratic Party in 1989, a historic first for an African-American.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Malcolm X, formerly Malcolm Little (1925-1965), was one of the most fiery, controversial leaders of his time and one of the major Black leaders of the 20th century. Growing up in Boston during the 1940s, he became involved in criminal activities which landed him a ten-year prison sentence. While in

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Engineer/Bridge Designer

Harold B. Frye (1902-1989), a civil engineer with the Massachusetts Department of Public Works for over 40 years, was responsible for the design of many bridges throughout the state during his career. Born in Boston, he graduated in 1925 with a degree in engineering from Northeastern University and

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Coburn's Gaming House

John P. Coburn (1811-1873), a prosperous clothing dealer and property owner, hired the famous Boston architect Asher Benjamin to design a home which he eventually used as a gaming house. Built in 1843 and still standing at the corner of Phillips and Irving Streets on Beacon Hill, Coburn's Gaming

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Bucks of America

During the American Revolutionary War, the Bucks of America, commanded by George Middleton, a fiery Black resident of Boston, was one of two all-Black units. The Bucks of America were hailed throughout the Commonwealth for their bravery and performance at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

First Black Celtics Star

Chuck Cooper was the first Black player on the Boston Celtics basketball team, appearing with them in the 1940s.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

In 1983 Mel King changed Boston's political history when he became the first Black mayoral candidate in the city's history to win a preliminary election and run in the general election for control of Boston City Hall. While defeated in the runoff by Ray Flynn, he gathered 30 percent of the general

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

First Federal Position

William C. Nell (1816-1874) was appointed a postal clerk in the U.S. Postal System in 1860, becoming the first African-American to hold a federal civilian job in the city.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

World's Record Holder

Edward 'Ned' Gourdin (1897-1966), as a Harvard athlete, set a new world's record in the running broad jump - 25 feet, 3 inches - the first human to leap beyond 25 feet. A graduate of Cambridge Latin High and Harvard Law School (1924) he was crowned National Amateur Athletic Union Junior 100-yard

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Black Nurse in Civil War

Susie King Taylor (1848-19?), who distinguished herself as a nurse with the Union forces during the Civil War, moved to Boston in 1874 to work as a laundress. In 1886 she helped organize Corps 67 of the Boston Branch of the Women's Relief Corps, the auxiliary to the Grand Army of the

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

First Black State Senator

In 1975 Bill Owens became the first African-American elected to the Massachusetts Senate, representing the Second Suffolk District. He served from 1976 to 1982. He was elected to the same seat in 1988 and remains the only African-American in the State Senate. He and Shirley Owens-Hicks also have

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

In June 1968 Unity Bank, the first full-service Black bank in Boston, opened its doors for business. Approximately 70 percent of the $1.2 million in bank assets was raised by subscription in the Black community.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Black-Owned Hotels

There were three Black-owned and operated hotels in Boston in 1915: the Pitts, Carlton, and Melbourne.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Dazzling Player on Ice

Leon L. Furr, Sr., was a 3-letter man in hockey at Medford High School and captain of the Medford hockey team in 1917. Playing both center and forward positions, Furr was one of the most dazzling and competent players on the ice in New England in the early 1900s. In 1977 he was named as an Honorary

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Assistant Attorney General

Glendora Putnam was the first African-American female lawyer to serve as an assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She served under three state Attorneys General from 1963 to 1969: Edward W. Brooke, Elliot Richardson and Robert Quinn.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

First Talk Show Host

Janet Langhart was the first African-American woman to host a daytime TV talk and variety show in Boston. Between 1973 and 1978 she co-hosted the Good Morning Show, later named the Good Day Show, with Jack Willis on WCVB-TV, Channel 5.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

First U.S. Senator since Reconstruction

In 1962 Edward W. Brooke, a Boston attorney, became the first African-American to be elected Attorney General for the Commonwealth. Two year later, in 1964, he became the first African-American elected to the United States Senate since Reconstruction.

fave

Source: African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years

Science Facts

Blackfacts BETA RELEASE 11.5.3
(Production Environment)