December 15, 2001 Rufus Thomas Jr., R&B, funk, and soul singer, died. Thomas was born March 27, 1917 in Cayce, Mississippi, but grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. By the age of ten he was performing in amateur productions. For 22 years until 1963, Thomas worked in a textile plant while pursuing a career as a […]
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December 14th in African American History – Ernest Davis
December 14, 1939 Ernest Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, was born in New Salem, Pennsylvania, but raised in Elmira, New York. Davis attended Syracuse University where he was a running back from 1959 to 1961, winning first team All-American honors in 1960 and 1961 and earning the nickname “the Elmira […]
December 13th in African American History – Ferguson Arthur Jenkins
December 13, 1942 Ferguson Arthur Jenkins, hall of fame baseball player, was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. Jenkins was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962 and made his major league debut in 1965. Over his 18 season professional career, he was a three-time All-Star selection and in 1971 won the Cy Young Award as […]
December 12th in African American History – Henry Jackson, Jr. (Henry Armstrong)
December 12, 1912 Henry Jackson, Jr. (Henry Armstrong), the first boxer to hold world titles in three separate weight classes at the same time, was born in Columbus, Mississippi. Jackson assumed the surname of his mentor and trainer, Harry Armstrong, in 1931. Because the fight purses were small, Armstrong usually fought 12 times a year. On […]
December 11th in African American History – John Edward Bush
December 11, 1916 John Edward Bush, co-founder of the Mosaic Templars of America (MTA), died. Bush was born enslaved on November 14, 1856 in Moscow, Tennessee. He and his family were freed after the Civil War and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. His mother died soon after moving to little rock leaving John and his sister […]
December 10th in African American History – Riley Leroy Pitts
December 10, 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the Medal of Honor to the widow and son and daughter of Riley Leroy Pitts. Riley was the first African American commissioned officer to receive the medal. Pitts was born October 15, 1937 in Fallis, Oklahoma. He graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in journalism. After being […]
December 10th in African American History – Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor, III
December 10, 2005 Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor, III, comedian, writer and actor, died. Pryor was born December 1, 1940 in Peoria, Illinois. After his discharge from the army in 1960, he began working as a professional comic in clubs throughout the Midwest. In 1963, he moved to New York City and began to gain […]