March 17, 1912 Bayard Rustin, civil rights leader and the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1942, Rustin assisted in the founding of the Congress of Racial Equality. A declared pacifist, he was imprisoned from 1944 to 1946 for violating the Selective […]
Archive | March, 2012
March 16th in African American History – Charlaine Vivian Stringer
March 16, 1948 Charlaine Vivian Stringer, hall of fame college basketball coach, was born in Edenborn, Pennsylvania. In high school, Stringer sued her school for not allowing her to be a cheerleader because of her race. She won the case and was given a spot on the cheerleading squad. Stringer earned her Bachelor of Arts […]
March 16th in African American History – Ozzie Newsome, Jr.
March 16, 1956 Ozzie Newsome, Jr., hall of fame football player, was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Newsome played college football at the University of Alabama and was an All-American in 1977. He earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation administration in 1978. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1978 NFL Draft and […]
March 15th in African American History – Harriet E. “Hattie” Adams Wilson
March 15, 1825 Harriet E. “Hattie” Adams Wilson, considered the first female novelist, was born in Milford, New Hampshire. Wilson’s father died and her mother abandoned her when she was young. As an orphan, she was made an indentured servant. After the end of her indenture, Wilson worked as a house servant and seamstress. On […]
March 15th in African American History – David Ruggles
March 15, 1810 David Ruggles, entrepreneur and anti-slavery activist, was born in Norwich, Connecticut. He moved to New York City and ran a grocery store, opened the first African American bookstore in the United States, and edited a newspaper called The Mirror. Ruggles also published a pamphlet called The Extinguisher and contributed to abolitionist newspapers. […]
March 14th in African American History – Richard Berry Harrison
March 14, 1935 Richard Berry Harrison, actor, teacher, and lecturer, died. Harrison was born September 28, 1864 in London, Ontario, Canada, the son of formerly enslaved parents who had escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad. As a young man, Harrison moved to Detroit, Michigan and began dramatic studies at the Detroit Training School of […]
March 14th in African American History – Kirby Puckett
March 14, 1960 Kirby Puckett, hall of fame baseball player, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Puckett earned All-American honors for baseball in high school. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1982 and made his major league debut in 1984. Over his 12-season professional career, Puckett was a ten-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove Award […]