Southern Christian Leadership Conference organized

King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968)

One of the most visible advocates of nonviolence and direct action as methods of social change, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. As the grandson of the Rev. A.D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church and a founder of Atlantas NAACP chapter, and the son

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Source: Black Past

Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King Jr. opened campaign in Chicago.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jan

17

1966

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin is one of the most successful female recording artists of all time. She was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee to C. L. and Barbara Franklin. C.L. was a famous Baptist preacher who later founded his own church and Barbara was an accomplished pianist and singer. Aretha was

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Source: Black History Resources

Mar

25

1942

Jay-Z

Jay-Z is an American rap musician, producer and entrepreneur, and one of the most commercially successful recording artists in America. He was born as Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969 but is better known by his stage name of Jay-Z. His beginnings were humble as he lived in a housing project

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Source: Black History Resources

Jan

7

2012

Malcolm X

Malcolm X was a civil rights leader, spokesman for black nationalism and leader of the Nation of Islam, and had a major influence on the political and social thinking of African Americans. His birth name was Malcolm Little and he was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska to Louise and Earl

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Source: Black History Resources

Feb

21

1965

Herman Cain

Herman Cain is an experienced American author, politician and businessman, born on December 13, 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee. Born to a cleaning woman and a domestic worker, Cain grew up in a poor family but learnt what he understood as the true meaning of success. Through his father’s hard

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Source: Black History Resources

Dec

13

1945

Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was a dancer and singer who later became a Civil Rights activist. Her birth name was Freda Josephine McDonald and she was born on June 3, 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother used to be a dancer as well, but she gave up her aspirations in order to raise her children. Her father

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Source: Black History Resources

Jun

3

1906

Jackson, Jessie Louis, Sr. (1941- )

Long before he became a minister, head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket, Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), and founder of the Rainbow Coalition, Jesse Louis Jackson impressed his family and close friends as a person destined for greatness. Born

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Source: Black Past

Oct

8

1941

Pierce, Samuel R., Jr. (1922-2000)

Lawyer, judge and businessman Samuel Riley Pierce, Jr., was the first African American partner in a major New York law firm, the first African American member of a Fortune 500 board, and one of the first African Americans to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. His career ended when he was

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Source: Black Past

Coolio

Coolio is a Grammy winning American rapper, who has sold over 30 million records globally. He was born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. on August 1, 1963 in Monessen, Pennsylvania and later moved to Compton, California. He was an intelligent child and was very fond of reading. As a young boy he had a very small

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Source: Black History Resources

Aug

1

1963

MLK Holiday Denied

Even Mecham, then governeor of Arizona, rescinded the gubernatorial decree by former Governor Bruche Babbit that established the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a state holiday.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jan

13

1987

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier is an American actor and director, and the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was born on February 20, 1927 to Evelyn and Reginald James Poitier who were farmers from Bahama. At the time of Poitier’s birth, his parents were in the U.S. to sell the

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Source: Black History Resources

Feb

20

1927

Slater, Rodney (1955- )

Rodney E. Slater, former cabinet member, attorney, and state government official, was born in Marianna, Arkansas, on February 23, 1955. In 1977, Slater graduated from Eastern Michigan University. He earned his law degree in 1980 from the University of

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Source: Black Past

Feb

23

1955

Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman was the first female African American pilot. She was born on January 26, 1892 and was the tenth of thirteen children born to George and Susan Coleman in Atlanta, Texas. Her father was of Native and African American descent. She attended a small school which was four miles from her

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Source: Black History Resources

Jun

15

1921

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was one of the most iconic singers of his generation. Born on August 29, 1958, he was the eighth of ten children born to Joseph Walter and Katherine Esther. At the age of 5, he became the lead singer of his family band named “Jackson 5” which included him and his four

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Source: Black History Resources

Aug

29

1958

Ross, Michael K. (1941-2007)

Michael K. Ross was a Washington State legislator, civil rights activist, and contractor who, although he worked from within established political channels, was not afraid to go against the grain to affect social

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Source: Black Past

Prince

Prince is an American singer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist and one of the best selling artists of all time. He was born Prince Rogers Nelson to musician parents John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both Prince and his younger sister Tika were very

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Source: Black History Resources

Jun

7

1958

Morehouse College [Atlanta] (1867- )

A private, historically-black college for men, Morehouse College opened in 1867 to train former slaves to be Protestant ministers and educators. Today, Morehouse is one of five colleges in the Atlanta University Center, a complex that has included Morehouse’s sister school, Spelman College, as well

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Source: Black Past

Don Cheadle

Donald Frank “Don” Cheadle, Jr., most famously known as simply Don Cheadle, is a popular American actor, born on the 29th of November, 1964 in Kansas City, Missouri. Ever since his early teen years, Cheadle was known to exhibit a stark interest in the liberal arts, preferring lead roles

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Source: Black History Resources

Young, Andrew (1932 - )

Andrew Young, Jr., came into prominence as a civil rights activist and close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the modern civil rights movement in the United States. Young worked with various organizations early in the movement, but his civil rights work was largely done with the

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Source: Black Past

Mar

12

1932

I've Been To The Mountaintop

In 1968, on this date, Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his final address at Bishop Charles J. Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Apr

3

1968

King, Coretta Scott

King, Coretta Scott | FactMonster

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Scholarships for African Americans - Black Scholarships

Education is the ultimate right of every child regardless of which race, religion or nation he or she belongs to. To promote this ideal and get as many children to get educated, various incentives are given to people who can’t afford it. The early education is free for most people but it is the

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Source: Black History Resources

(2015) President Barack Obama's Eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney

VIDEO OF SPEECH

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Source: Black Past

DaMarcus Beasley

DaMarcus Beasley is a retired professional soccer player. He was born on May 24, 1982 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He played soccer in high school and also participated in the 1999 under 17 soccer World Cup held in New Zealand. His outstanding performance won him the prestigious silver ball award for

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Source: Black History Resources

May

24

1982

Bill Cosby

Born William Henry “Bill Cosby” Jr. on July 12, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he describes himself mostly as a “class clown” during his school years. He was class president as well as captain of the basketball team at school. He acted in a number of school plays and in

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Source: Black History Resources

Jul

12

1937

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong was a multi-talented American jazz icon who was a singer, trumpeter, actor and comedian. He was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He had an impoverished childhood; his father was a factory worker who abandoned the family when Armstrong was born and his mother often

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Source: Black History Resources

Jul

6

1971

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was one of the first well known African American scientists and mathematicians. He was born on November 9, 1731 to an ex slave named Robert, and Mary Banneky, the daughter of an Englishwoman and a free African slave. He grew up on his parents farm along with three of his sisters

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Source: Black History Resources

Oct

9

1806

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross) was an African-American humanitarian who is remembered for her abolitionist efforts during the America Civil War. Tubman was born into slavery to Harriet Green and Ben Ross, who had a total of nine children including Harriet. Her father was owned by Anthony

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Source: Black History Resources

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. was a legendary singer and recording artist who came to be known as the “Prince of Soul”. Gaye was born on April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C. He was raised by his father “Reverend Marvin Gay Sr.” who was a very strict guardian. Gaye was musically

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Source: Black History Resources

Apr

2

1939

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