Quincy Jones

Burroughs, Jr., John Andrew (1936–2014)

John Andrew Burroughs, Jr. was an equal opportunity advocate and diplomat who was born in Washington, D.C. on July 31, 1936. He spent his youth in Washington, D.C. before moving to the Midwest to attend the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. While there he played on the varsity football

fave

Source: Black Past

Singer Johnny Ace born

R&B singer Johnny Ace was born John Marshall Alexander, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee. His major hits include My Song and Pledging My Love.

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Jun

9

1929

Ebony Magazine

Ebony, a pictorial news magazine published by Chicago, Illinois-based Johnson Publishing Company, first appeared in November 1945. Created by John H. Johnson, who modeled his publication after Life magazine, Ebony celebrated African American life and culture by depicting the achievements of black

fave

Source: Black Past

Civil Rights Timeline

The Supreme Court rules on the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans., unanimously agreeing that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. The ruling paves the way for large-scale desegregation. The decision overturns the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that sanctioned

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Reynolds, Melvin Jay “Mel” (1952- )

Politician, scholar and professor, Mel Reynolds was born on January 8, 1952, in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, to parents J.J. and Essie May Reynolds. Reynolds attended John Marshall High School on the Westside of Chicago where he developed impressive academic credentials. He then enrolled in Chicago

fave

Source: Black Past

Oct

1

1995

James Brown

Name at birth: James Joe

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Documentary Films on Blackpast.org - African American History - Director

A&E Television Americas Black Warriors (on World War II) 1998

fave

Source: Black Past

Medgar Evers

Myrlie Evers-Williams was the first woman chair of the NAACP (1995-98)… Evers was interred at Arlington Military Cemetery… In Beckwith’s first two trials, the juries were all white; in his last trial, the jury had eight blacks and four whites… For Us, The Livingwas adapted by Ossie Davis and made

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

James, Makila (1957- )

Makila James is currently serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Swaziland. James was nominated by President Barack Obama early in 2012. Following confirmation by the U.S. Senate on July 31, 2012, James arrived in Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland and presented her credentials to the King of Swaziland

fave

Source: Black Past

One-Man Show of Art

One-Man Show of Art by Negro, First of Kind Here, Opens Today, read the headline of a front-page article in The New York Times on this day. The article announced the opening of Archibald J. Motley, Jrs show at the New Gallery on Madison Avenue. This was the first time in History that an artist had

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Feb

25

1928

About Us - Contributors

Home › About Us

fave

Source: Black Past

First Black Elected to the General Assembly

A.W. Willis, Jr., was elected to the General Assembly making him the first black to hold this position.

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Nov

3

1964

Rev. Ralph David Abernathy born

The Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Southern Christian Leadership Conference figure, was born in Linden, Alabama.

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Mar

11

1926

McKune, Elizabeth Davenport (1947- )

Ambassador Elizabeth Davenport McKune was born on November 15, 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. She became a Foreign Service officer in 1973 and specialized in the Middle East. McKune is the daughter of West Point graduate Colonel Clarence M. Davenport, Jr. and distinguished National Institute of Mental

fave

Source: Black Past

Oct

1

1998

The Southern Negro Youth Congress: A Participant Recalls Its Past

In the article below historian Gwendolyn Midlo Hall recounts her role as a founder of the New Orleans Youth Congress and the early years of the Southern Negro Youth Congress. This account is part of her soon to be published

fave

Source: Black Past

Nov

15

1974

Race, Gender, Jazz & Local 493: Black Women Musicians in Seattle: 1920-1955

During its brief and rocky tenure from 1918 to 1924, pianist Gertrude Harvey Wright was one of four women in Seattle’s first black musicians’ union, the American Federation of Musicians’ Local 458. Wright, Virginia Hughes, a “Mrs. Austin,” and (Edythe) “Turnham,” all

fave

Source: Black Past

Eric Holder

Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. was the first African American Attorney General of the United States. He was born on January 2, 1951, to Eric and Miriam Holder in New York City. Eric and Miriam had both migrated from Barbados. Eric worked as a real estate agent and Miriam worked as a telephone

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Jan

2

1951

Martin Luther King, Jr

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

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Apr

12

1960

Martin Luther King, Jr.

On January 16, 1986, a bronze bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the first of any black American placed in the Capitol. The first national Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday is celebrated on January 20.

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Jan

16

1986

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

fave

Source: Black Past

Berry Gordy, Motown Executive, born

Motown recording executive Berry Gordy, Jr. born in Detroit, Michigan.

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Nov

28

1929

Baltimore, Richard Lewis, III (1947- )

Ambassador Richard Lewis Baltimore III was born on December 31, 1947 in New York City, New York to Judge Richard Lewis Baltimore, Jr. and Lois Madison-Baltimore. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1969 and earned

fave

Source: Black Past

Powell, Adam Clayton, Jr. (1908-1972)

Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., preacher, civil rights activist, and national politician, was born to Mattie and Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. in New Haven, Connecticut, on November 29, 1908. Young Powell grew up in New York City, New York since his father, a Baptist preacher, became pastor of the historic

fave

Source: Black Past

Martin Luther King Jr. Marries

In 1953, King, Sr., performs the marriage ceremony of King, Jr., and Coretta Scott at the Scott home near Marion, Alabama.

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Jun

8

1953

From Opera, Minstrelsy and Ragtime to Social Justice: An Overview of African American Performers at Carnegie Hall, 1892-1943

“It is probable that this hall will intertwine itself with the history of our country,” said Andrew Carnegie in 1890, when he laid the cornerstone of the building that would become Carnegie Hall. In keeping with Carnegie’s firm belief in egalitarianism and meritocracy, the hall that

fave

Source: Black Past

African Americans in Medicine in the Civil War Era

Most Americans are now familiar with the contribution of nearly 300,000 black soldiers and sailors to the Union cause during the U.S. Civil War. Less well known is the role of a dedicated group of black doctors and nurses in uniform who worked diligently to save lives and fight disease. In

fave

Source: Black Past

Poor People's Campaign

Martin Luther King, Jr. announced plans for Poor Peoples Campaign in Washington. He said he would lead a massive civil disobedience campaign in the capital to pressure the government to provide jobs and income for all Americans. He told a press conference that an army of poor white, poor Blacks and

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Mar

4

1968

Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey was a prominent figure in the political history of Africans. Besides, he was a journalist, entrepreneur, orator and publisher. Being a strong proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Evans, Melvin Herbert (1917–1984)

Melvin Herbert Evans was born on August 7, 1917, in Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. He attended public schools until entering Howard University where he received his B.S. in 1940. In 1944 he received his M.D. from Howard College of Medicine, whereupon he served in a variety of medical

fave

Source: Black Past

Jan

3

1979

The Manumission of Monimia Travers: A Slave Freed at Fort Vancouver

Few people identify slavery with Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. However, there were slaves in the region particularly in the decade before the Civil War. In the following article, Gregory Paynter Shine, the Chief Ranger and Historian at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, describes the

fave

Source: Black Past

BlackFacts Details

Quincy Jones

Martin Luther King Jr. Facts

Education Facts

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Southern United States Facts