January 12, 1952 Walter Ellis Mosley, novelist, was born in Los Angeles, California. Mosley earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Johnson State College in 1977 and moved to New York City in 1981. While working at Mobil Oil, he took a writing course at City College. Mosley started writing at the […]
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Madeline Manning – January 11th in African American History
January 11, 1948 Madeline Manning, hall of fame track and field athlete, author, and speaker, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Manning ran track at Tennessee State University where she won ten national titles, set a number of American records, and graduated in 1972. She participated in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Summer Olympic Games. At […]
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference – January 10th in African American History
January 10, 1957 The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded to coordinate and support nonviolent direct action as a method to end all forms of segregation. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the first president and Ella Baker was the first staff person. During the first few years, SCLC focused on education, voter registration, and […]
Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland – January 9th in African American History
January 9, 1916 Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland, education administrator and diplomat, was born in Auburn, New York. Holland graduated from Cornell University, where he was the first African American to play on the football team and an All-American in 1937, 1938, and 1939. Despite his athletic abilities, the National Football League ignored him because of […]
Rayford Whittingham Logan – January 7th in African American History
January 7, 1897 Rayford Whittingham Logan, historian and Pan-African activist, was born in Washington, D. C. Logan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College in 1917 and enlisted in the United States Army. In 1919, he requested and was granted a discharge because of his dissatisfaction with the treatment of African Americans. For […]
Ruppert Leon Sargent – January 6th in African American History
January 6, 1938 Ruppert Leon Sargent, Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Hampton, Virginia. Sargent joined the United States Army and by March 15, 1967 was serving as a first lieutenant in Company B, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War. On that day, while in Hau Nghia Province […]
Alexander English – January 5th in African American History
January 5, 1954 Alexander English, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Columbia, South Carolina. English played collegiate basketball at the University of South Carolina where he was a two-time All-American and graduated in 1976. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1976 NBA Draft. English spent the majority of his 16 […]