On August 10, 1989, Colin Powell became the first African-American nominated as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking position in the military. President George H.W. Bush chose General Powell to head the armed forces based on his stellar career as an army officer. Having an African American Chair of the Joint Chiefs […]
Archive | African American History RSS feed for this section
Congress on Racial Equality – August 3rd in African American History
On August 3, 1942, an interracial group of University of Chicago students founded the Congress on Racial Equality, known widely as CORE. These students, Bernice Fisher, James R. Robinson, James Farmer, Joe Guinn, George Houser, and Homer Jack had affiliated previously with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a group known for its pacifist, non-violent philosophy. CORE […]
Mother Bethel AME Church – July 29th in African American History
On July 29, 1794, Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, making it the oldest church owned by African Americans. Richard Allen, a former slave who bought his freedom after accepting the Methodist faith, founded the church. Allen, along with friend Absalom Jones, opened the separate church after whites at St. […]
Ira Aldridge – July 24th in African American History
July 24, 1807, is the date of birth of Ira Aldridge, the most prominent African American dramatic actor of the 19th century. Aldridge performed roles in plays written by Shakespeare in the United States and across Europe at a time when most African Americans remained enslaved. Born and raised in New York City, not the […]
Wilberforce University – July 10th in African American History
July 10, 1863, marks the incorporation date of Wilberforce University, the first private institution of higher education for African Americans. Wilberforce University actually has a history that pre-dates this important milestone. Before the Civil War began in 1861, the school was a site of abolitionist activity and education for African Americans. Methodist abolitionists founded the […]
Wallace Amos Jr. – July 1st in African American History
On July 1, 1936, during the harsh years of the economic downturn known as the Great Depression, Wallace Amos, Jr., was born. Most people know him as “Famous Amos,” the face of the popular Famous Amos Cookies. By building his multi-million dollar franchise off the fame of his cookies, Amos instructed future generations of budding […]
Joseph Rainey – June 21st in African American History
June 21, in 1832, Joseph Hayne Rainey was born a slave in the rice-growing region of Georgetown, South Carolina. 1832 was a tumultuous time for race relations in America. The Nat Turner Rebellion of August 1831, in which a slave preacher led a band of enslaved men on a killing spree in Virginia, still caused […]