April 27, 1963 William Edward Bughardt Du Bois, civil rights activist, historian, and author, died. Du Bois was born February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In 1888, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fisk University. He went on to Harvard University where he earned another Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in […]
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April 16th in African American History – Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
April 16, 1947 Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), hall of fame basketball player, coach, actor and author, was born in New York City. Abdul-Jabbar began his record breaking basketball accomplishments in high school when he led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships. Abdul-Jabbar played college basketball at the University of […]
April 16th in African American History – Ralph Waldo Ellison
April 16, 1994 Ralph Waldo Ellison, novelist, literary critic and scholar, died. Ellison was born March 1, 1914 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1933, Ellison entered Tuskegee Institute on a music scholarship but after his third year he moved to New York City where he met Richard Wright who encouraged him to pursue a 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 […]
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. […]
Martin Luther King, Jr. – April 4th in African American History
April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman, activist and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. King was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1948. He then earned a Bachelor […]
Jill Scott – April 4th in African American History
April 4, 1972 Jill Scott, singer, songwriter, poet and actress, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Scott began her performing career as a spoken word artist, appearing at live poetry readings to perform her work. Her debut album, “Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1,” was released in 2000. She followed that with “Beautifully […]