January 9, 1935 Earl Gilbert Graves, Sr., author, publisher, entrepreneur and philanthropist, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Graves earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Morgan State University in 1958 and from 1965 to 1968 served as an administrative assistant to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In 1968, he started Earl G. Graves, […]
Archive | January, 2012
January 9th in African American History – Countee Cullen
January 9, 1946 Countee Cullen, Harlem Renaissance poet and novelist, died. Cullen was born Countee LeRoy Porter on March 30, 1903 in Louisville, Kentucky. At a very young age, he won many poetry contests and often had his winning works published. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1925 from New York University and […]
January 8th in African American History – Charles Young
January 8, 1922 Charles Young, the third African American graduate of West Point, died. Young was born March 12, 1864 in Mayslick, Kentucky. After graduating from high school at the age of 16, he taught at a black high school in Ripley, Ohio. In 1884, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point […]
January 8th in African American History – James Edward Cheek
January 8, 2010 James Edward Cheek, educator and theologian, died. Cheek was born December 4, 1932 in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. He served in the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1951. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and history from Shaw University in 1955, his Master of Divinity […]
January 7th in African American History – Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton
January 7, 1985 Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, the first African American driver in Formula One automobile racing, was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. Hamilton’s father bought him a radio controlled car at the age of six and in 1992 Hamilton finished second in the national British Radio Car Association championship. He began his automobile racing […]
January 7th in African American History – Lowell W. Perry
January 7, 2001 Lowell W. Perry, the first African American assistant coach in the National Football League, died. Perry was born December 5, 1931 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He played college football at the University of Michigan where he was an All-American receiver. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953, Perry was selected by […]
January 6th in African American History – Louis Emanuel Martin, Jr.
January 6, 1997 Louis Emanuel Martin, Jr., journalist, publisher, and civil rights activist, died. Martin was born November 18, 1912 in Shelbyville, Tennessee, but grew up in Savannah, Georgia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Michigan in 1934 and in 1936 was hired as a reporter for the […]