October 25, 1924 Earl Cryil Palmer, hall of fame drummer, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Palmer started his entertainment career at the age of five as a tap dancer on the black vaudeville circuit. He toured the country extensively with the Darktown Scandals Review. Palmer served in Europe for the United States Army during […]
About Chimsima Zuhri
October 25th in African American History – James Edward “Jimmy” Heath
October 25, 1926 James Edward “Jimmy” Heath, jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1948, at the age of 21, Heath performed in the First International Jazz Festival in Paris. He has performed with nearly all the jazz greats of the last 50 years, including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, […]
October 24th in African American History – George Jordan
October 24, 1904 George Jordan, Medal of Honor recipient, died. Jordan was born in Williamson County, Tennessee. By 1880, he was serving as a sergeant in the 9th Cavalry Regiment in New Mexico during the Indian Wars. His citation reads: “While commanding a detachment of 25 men at Fort Tularosa, New Mexico, repulsed a force […]
October 24th in African American History – Frizzell Gerald Gray (Kweisi Mfume)
October 24, 1948 Frizzell Gerald Gray (Kweisi Mfume), former head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was born in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of 16, Mfume dropped out of high school and worked a number of jobs. At the age of 23, he returned to his studies and in […]
October 23rd in African American History – The National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes
October 23, 1911 The National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes was formed. The League was formed as the result of the merger of The Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, The Committee for the Improvement of Industrial Conditions Among Negroes in New York and The National League for the Protection of Colored Women.
October 23rd in African American History – Edison Arantes de Nascimento (Pele)
October 23, 1940 Edison Arantes de Nascimento (Pele), one of the greatest soccer players of all time, was born in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. Pele began playing for the Brazilian national soccer team at 16 and won his first World Cup, the international championship of soccer, at 17. Pele’s technique and athleticism has been universally praised […]
October 22nd in African American History – Milton Lee Olive, III
October 22, 1965, Milton Lee Olive, III, the first African American Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War, was killed in action. Olive was born November 7, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Army at 17 and by 1965 was serving as a private first class in Vietnam. On October […]