December 9, 1995 Toni Cade Bambara, author, social activist and college professor, died. Bambara was born Miltona Mirkin Cade on March 25, 1939 in New York City. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theater at Queens College in 1959 and her Master of Arts degree in African fiction at City College […]
Archive | December RSS feed for this section
December 9th in African American History – James Moody
December 9, 2010 James Moody, jazz saxophonist and flute player, died. Moody was born March 26, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. He joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1943 and played in the “Negro band” on a segregated base until he was discharged in 1946. In 1948, he relocated to Europe because he had […]
December 8th in African American History – Julian Carey Dixon
December 8, 2000 Julian Carey Dixon, politician, died. Dixon was born August 8, 1934 in Washington, D.C. He served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1960 and in 1962 earned his Bachelor of Science degree from California State University. In 1967, he earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Southwestern University School […]
December 8th in African American History – Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon
December 8, 1965 Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Pineland, Texas. Weatherspoon played college basketball at Louisiana Tech University where she was a two-time All-American. In 1988, she led the team to the NCAA national title and won the Margaret Wade Trophy as the top female basketball player in the […]
December 7th in African American History – John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil
December 7, 2006 John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President George W. Bush. O’Neil was born November 13, 1911 in Carrabelle, Florida. In 1937, he signed a contract with the Memphis Red Sox in the Negro American League. The next year, his contract […]
December 7th in African American History – Marjorie Stewart Joyner
December 7, 1994 Marjorie Stewart Joyner, inventor and entrepreneur, died. Joyner was born October 24, 1896 in Monterey, Virginia. In 1916, she became the first African American to graduate from A. B. Molar Beauty School in Chicago. After graduating, she went to work for Madam C. J. Walker, overseeing 200 of her schools as the […]
December 6th in African American History – Frantz Fanon
December 6, 1961 Frantz Fanon, psychiatrist, revolutionary, and author, died. Fanon was born July 20, 1925 on the Caribbean island of Martinique. He served in the French army during World War II. Fanon’s service in the French army and his experiences in Martinique fueled his first book, “Black Skin, White Masks,” (1952) which analyzed the […]