February 14, 1936 The inaugural meeting of the National Negro Congress was convened at the Eighth Regiment Armory in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose was to build a national constituency to pressure government for labor and civil rights.
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Kid Gavilan – February 13th in African American History
February 13, 2003 Kid Gavilan, hall of fame boxer, died. Gavilan was born Gerardo Gonzalez on January 6, 1926 in Camaguey, Cuba. He started boxing professionally in 1943 and won the World Welterweight Championship in 1951.
Henry Highland Garnet – February 12th in African American History
February 12, 1865 Henry Highland Garnet became the first black minister to preach to the United States House of Representatives when he spoke about the end of slavery. Garnet was born enslaved on December 23, 1815 near New Market, Maryland. In 1824, his family escaped to freedom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mary Violet Leontyne Price – February 10th in African American History
February 10, 1927 Mary Violet Leontyne Price, operatic soprano, was born in Laurel, Mississippi. Price earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Central State College in 1948 and her first important stage performance was in the 1952 production of “Falstaff.”
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher – February 8th in African American History
February 8, 1924 Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, the first African American to attend law school in Oklahoma, was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. Fisher graduated from Langston University with honors in 1945. In 1946, she applied for admission to the University of Oklahoma School of Law, but was denied because of her race.
Curtis Ousley (King Curtis) – February 7th in African American History
February 7, 1934 Curtis Ousley (King Curtis), saxophonist, band leader, and record producer, was born in Fort Worth, Texas. Curtis started playing the saxophone at the age of 12 and in 1950 he joined the Lionel Hampton Band. In 1952, he moved to New York City and worked as a session player until the mid-1960s.
Thomas S. McIntosh – February 6th in African American History
February 6, 1927 Thomas S. McIntosh, jazz trombonist, composer and arranger, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. McIntosh played trombone in an army band and graduated from Juilliard in 1958.