April 12, 1981 Joe Louis, hall of fame boxer known as the Brown Bomber, died. Born Joseph Louis Barrow on May 13, 1914 in La Fayette, Alabama, Louis’ family moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1926. Louis made his amateur boxing debut in 1932 and at the end of his amateur career in 1934 had compiled […]
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April 12th in African American History – Sugar Ray Robinson
April 12, 1989 Sugar Ray Robinson, hall of fame boxer, died. Born Walker Smith, Jr. on May 3, 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, Robinson began boxing at the age of 14 and he finished his amateur career with a record of 85 wins and no losses. Robinson made this professional debut in 1940 but his career […]
April 11th in African American History – William Anthony “Tony” Brown
April 11, 1933 William Anthony “Tony” Brown, journalist, talk show host and author, was born in Charleston, West Virginia. Brown served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology in 1959 and his Master of Social Work degree in 1961 from Wayne State […]
Roscoe Lee Browne – April 11th in African American History
April 11, 2007 Roscoe Lee Browne, actor and director, died. Browne was born May 2, 1925 in Woodbury, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University in 1946 and in 1949 won the Amateur Athletic Union 1,000-yard national indoor track championship. Browne began his acting career with the Shakespeare Festival Theater and in […]
Howard Thurman – April 10th in African American History
April 10, 1981 Howard Thurman, author, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader, died. Thurman was born November 18, 1900 in Daytona Beach, Florida. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1923 and his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Theological Seminary in 1926. In 1929, he earned his Ph. D. […]
Chris Hani – April 10th in African American History
April 10, 1993 Chris Hani, leader of the South African Communist Party and Chief of Staff of the armed wing of the African National Congress, was assassinated. Born Martin Thembisile Hani on June 28, 1942 in the small town of Cofimvaba, Hani joined the ANC Youth League at the age of 15. He also studied […]
Augustus Walley – April 9th in African American History
April 9, 1938 Augustus Walley, Medal of Honor recipient, died. Walley was born March 10, 1856 in Reistertown, Maryland. On August 16, 1881, he was serving as a private in Company I of the 9th Cavalry Regiment when he participated in an engagement in the Cuchillo Negro Mountains of New Mexico. He was cited for […]