Civil Rights
Birth of Roy Wilkins
Civil Rights activist Roy Ottoway Wilkins was born on August 30, 1901, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a leader in the Civil Rights movement and a major figure in the NAACP for over 20 years.
Birth of Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born on June 30, 1917, in New York City, New York. Horne was one of the great icons of the 20th century. She spent over 70 years in the entertainment industry as an actress and jazz singer and was also an acclaimed civil rights activist.
Father Theodore Hesburgh
Reverend Theodore Martin Hesburgh was born on May 25, 1917, in Syracuse, New York. He served as president Notre Dame University for 35 years, transforming it into one of the best colleges in America.
Birth of Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Poet, actor, author, teacher, and activist, Angelou became an influential voice of the 20th century.
Birth of Bessie Coleman
Aviator Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas. The first female African American aviator, she achieved her dream of becoming a pilot during a time when most African Americans would not have even considered learning to fly.
Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. A Baptist minister, King sought equality for all Americans and fought for peaceful solutions to racial issues.
Supreme Court Rules Bus Segregation Illegal
The Civil Rights Movement took a major step forward on November 13, 1956, when the Supreme Court ruled that the bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, was unconstitutional.
Birth of Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia (born Mahala) Jackson was born on October 26, 1911, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The best-known gospel singer in the world and one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she received more acclaim than any other gospel singer, and is said to have been the vocal, physical, and spiritual symbol of religious music.
Benjamin Davis Becomes First African American General In The U.S. Army
On October 25, 1940, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was appointed the first African American general in US Army. He was a driving force behind the desegregation of the Army, which was finally achieved just days after his retirement.