Spingarn Medal: Wilson C. Riles

Spingarn Award: George Washington Carver

Spingarn Medal awarded to George Washington Carver, head of the department of research, Tuskegee Institute, for his pioneering work in agricultural chemistry.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jan

17

1923

Fort Mose (Florida)

Established in 1738, Fort Mose was the first free black settlement in what is now the United States. Located just north of St. Augustine, Florida, Fort Mose played an important role in the development of colonial North

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Source: Black Past

Top 10 Most Famous Black Actors of All Time

Hollywood is a giant industry which provides work to hundreds of actors. At the advent of this industry only white actors ruled the silver screen and the blacks were given only minor roles. As the time progressed, blacks were given the voice in the society and eventually allowed white collar

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Source: Black History Resources

Spingarn Medal

Martin Luther King Jr. awarded Spingarn Medal for his leadership of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

5

1957

Flake, Green (1828-1903)

Born enslaved on January 6, 1828 on the Jordan Flake Plantation in Anson County, North Carolina, Green Flake at the age of ten was given as a wedding gift to James Madison Flake, Jordan’s son who married Agnes Love in 1838 in Anson County, North Carolina. The couple moved shortly thereafter to

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Source: Black Past

Sammy Davis Jr.

Samuel George “Sammy” Davis, Jr. simply known as Sammy Davis Jr., was an acclaimed American entertainer of the 20th century. Born in Harlem, New York on December 8, 1925, Davis spent the better half of his life enjoying the rare skill of making other people happy. While he was primarily

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Source: Black History Resources

Spingarn Medal: Edward W. Brooke

Spingarn Medal presented to Edward W. Brooke for his public service as the first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Nov

7

1967

Sammy Davis Jr., dies

Sammy Davis Jr., actor, dancer, singer and world class entertainer dies in Beverly Hills, California at age 64. Davis, born in Harlem, was a member of the popular and notorious Hollywood Rat Pack. He also held starring roles in a host of Broadway musicals and motion pictures.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

May

16

1990

Jackson, James Lloyd (1920-2008)

James Lloyd Jackson was one of the little known heroes of the D-Day Landing at Normandy Beach in France in 1944. Jackson was born in Lakeland, Florida on February 25, 1920 to Essie May Holly and Amos Jackson. He graduated from Lakeland High School in 1938. For the next five years he worked for the

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Source: Black Past

Dec

27

1953

Pulitzer Prize and Spingarn Medal given

Charles Gordone awarded Pulitzer Prize for his play, No Place To Go. Painter Jacob Lawrence awarded Spingarn Medal in tribute to the compelling power of his work which has opened to the world...a window on the Negros condition in the United States and in salute to his unswerving commitment to the

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Nov

26

1970

Lori McNeil born

Lori McNeil is born in San Diego, California. She will win 42 professional tennis titles.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

18

1963

The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed | An Online Reference Guide to African American History by Professor Quintard Taylor, University of Washington

Home

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Source: Black Past

Mae Jemison: Astronaut, Physician

Born: October 17, 1956

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Oct

17

1956

Birthday of Natalie Cole

Singer Natalie Cole, daughter of legedary singer Nat Cole, born in Los Angeles, California. Singing professionally at age 11, by 1976 Cole had won Grammys for New Artist of the Year and Best R&B Female Vocalist.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Feb

5

1950

Trévigne, Paul (1825-1908)

Creole New Orleans newspaper editor Paul Trévigne, thebiracial son of a Battle of New Orleans veteran, was born in New Orleans in1825. Trévigne was part of the free people of color community in Louisiana thatprotested racial injustice before the Civil War and helped establish Republicanpolitics in

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Source: Black Past

Clayton, Alonzo (1876–1917)

Alonzo “Lonnie” Clayton, who reached stardom at the age of 15 when he became the youngest rider to win the Kentucky Derby, was born on March 27, 1876 in Kansas City, Missouri to Robert and Evaline

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Source: Black Past

May

11

1892

Spingarn Medal

Spingarn Medal awarded to Alexander P. Haley for his unsurpassed effective in portraying the legendary story of an American of African descent.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Nov

12

1977

Adams, R. Miller

R. Miller Adams focuses his efforts on the private equity component of Triad Capital Partners. Miller started his career practicing law in a downtown Seattle firm focusing on business, sports, and entertainment law and early stage technology companies. He then spent a decade as a senior executive

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Source: Black Past

Spingarn Medal Given to Carl Murphy

Carl Murphy, publisher of the Baltimore Afro-American, awarded Spingarn Medal for his contributions as a publisher and civil rights leader.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

5

1955

Spingarn Award: Mary Mcleod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune awarded Spingarn Medal for her work as founder-president of Bethune Cookman College and her national leadership.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

5

1935

Courville, Cindy L. (1954– )

Cindy Lou Courville is an American diplomat and expert on Africa. Born in Opelousas, Louisiana, to Earnest and Mar Courville in 1954, she grew up attending segregated schools until the eighth grade when she was among the first groups of African American children who began to integrate the local

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Source: Black Past

Norma Merrick Sklarek

Norma Merrick Sklarek was the first black woman to become a licensed architectin the state of New York and California.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jan

0

1966

Ailey, Alvin (1931-1989)

Alvin Ailey was born in Rodgers, Texas during the Great Depression. He overcame racism, poverty, and homophobia to become one of the most celebrated choreographers in American history. His single teenage mother Lula Ailey washed clothes, picked cotton, and worked in domestic service in various

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Source: Black Past

Prosper, Pierre-Richard (1963– )

Pierre-Richard Prosper is an attorney and diplomat who turned his passion for the rule of law into a global pursuit for justice for victims of the worst crimes of humanity, and accountability for the perpetrators of those

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Source: Black Past

Sep

11

2001

Sinde, Yalonda (1963- )

Yalonda Sinde was born in Seattle Washington to working-class parents. Her father was a steward with Amtrak for many years and her late mother was a hairdresser. She is the oldest of three sisters. Sinde’s father inspired much of her activism. “Watching what my father endured as a black

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Source: Black Past

The Harlem Renaissance in the American West

In the following article historians Bruce Glasrud and Cary Wintz discuss their new book, The Harlem Renaissance in the American West which argues that the literary and artistic outpouring by African Americans during the third decade of the 20th Century was a national phenomenon which included the

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Source: Black Past

President's Committee on Civil Rights condemned

Presidents Committee on Civil Rights condemned racial injustices in America in formal report, To Secure These Rights. Texas Southern University established. Spingarn Medal awarded to Dr. Percy L. Julian for his achievements as a scientist.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Oct

29

1947

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

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Source: Black Past

Oct

1

1995

Spingarn Medal Awarded: Anthony Overton

Spingarn Medal awarded to Anthony Overton, publisher, insurance executive and cosmetics manufacturer, for his achievements as

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

4

1927

Spingarn Award: Mordecai W. Johnson

Mordecai W. Johnson received Spingarn Medal for his work as the first Black president of Howard University.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

30

1929

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