October 4, 1943 Hubert Gerold “H. Rap” Brown, social activist, was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In the early 1960s, Brown became active with the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and in 1967 was named chairman of the organization. In 1968, he left SNCC and joined the Black Panthers, eventually becoming justice minister. One of […]
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October 3rd in African American History – Alfred Charles “Al” Sharpton, Jr.
October 3, 1954 Alfred Charles “Al” Sharpton, Jr., minister, civil rights activist, and radio talk show host, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Sharpton preached his first sermon at the age of four and toured with Mahalia Jackson. While still in high school, Sharpton started promoting concerts and was hired by soul singer James Brown […]
September 28th in African American History – Constance Baker Motley
September 28, 2005 Constance Baker Motley, civil rights activist, lawyer and judge, died. Motley was born September 14, 1921 in New Haven, Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in 1943 and her law degree from Columbia Law School in 1946. She began her career as a law clerk at […]
September 24th in African American History – Executive Order 11246
September 24, 1965 Executive Order 11246 was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson requiring Equal Employment Opportunity. The order prohibited federal contractors and federally assisted contractors from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Contractors were also required to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants were […]
September 22nd in African American History – The Interstate Commerce Commission
September 22, 1961 The Interstate Commerce Commission issued regulations to enforce the prohibition of segregation on interstate buses and in terminal facilities. Impelled by the protest of civil rights leaders and international outrage over the violence perpetrated on the Freedom Riders, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy petitioned the ICC to issue regulations banning Jim Crow […]
September 19th in African American History – William Marcel “Buddy” Collette
September 19, 2010 William Marcel “Buddy” Collette, jazz tenor saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist, died. Collette was born August 6, 1921 in Los Angeles, California. He began playing the alto saxophone at the age of 12 and at 17 started playing professionally. In the early 1950s, he worked as a studio musician and performed on the […]
September 11th in African American History – James Charles Evers
September 11, 1922 James Charles Evers, the first African American elected mayor of a Mississippi city since the Reconstruction era, was born in Decatur, Mississippi. Evers served in the United States Army in Europe during World War II and graduated from Alcorn A&M University in 1950. In the early 1950s, Evers became active in the […]