February 16, 1858 Isaiah Mays, Medal of Honor recipient, was born enslaved in Carters Bridge, Virginia. By May 11, 1889, Mays was serving as a corporal in Company B of the 24th Infantry Regiment. On that day, he was involved in an engagement with robbers and his actions earned him the medal which was awarded […]
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Bruce Scott Gordon – February 15th in African American History
February 15, 1946 Bruce Scott Gordon, former president of the NAACP, was born in Camden, New Jersey. Gordon earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College in 1968 and his Master of Business Administration degree in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1988. After earning his undergraduate degree, Gordon joined Bell […]
Oliver Wendell “Ollie” Harrington – February 14th in African American History
February 14, 1912 Oliver Wendell “Ollie” Harrington, cartoonist and political satirist, was born in Valhalla, New York. Harrington started drawing cartoons at a young age and went to work for the Amsterdam News as a cartoonist and political satirist. In 1935, he created “Dark Laughter” a single panel cartoon which appeared in the African American […]
Absalom Jones – February 13th in African American History
February 13, 1818 Absalom Jones, abolitionist and clergyman, died. Jones was born enslaved on November 6, 1746 in Delaware. By 1785, he had bought his and his family’s freedom. Together with Richard Allen, Jones was one of the first African Americans licensed to preach by the Methodist Church. In 1787, they founded the Free African […]
Isaac Burns Murphy – February 12th in African American History
February 12, 1896 Isaac Burns Murphy, hall of fame jockey, died. Murphy was born April 16, 1861 in Frankfort, Kentucky. He competed in 11 Kentucky Derby’s and was the first jockey to ride three derby winners, Buchanan in 1884, Riley in 1890, and Kingman in 1891. Over his career, Murphy won 628 of his 1,412 […]
Albert Chalky Wright – February 10th in African American History
February 10, 1912 Albert Chalky Wright, hall of fame boxer, was born in Wilcox, Arizona. Wright began boxing professionally in 1928, two weeks after turning 16. He fought for many years before winning the World Featherweight Championship in September, 1941. He successfully defended the title once before losing it in November, 1942. Wright retired in […]
The Orangeburg Massacre – February 8th in African American History
February 8, 1968 The Orangeburg Massacre occurred in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Police fired into a crowd of approximately 200 mostly students who were protesting segregation at a local bowling alley. Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith, students at South Carolina State University, and Delano Middleton, a high school student, were killed and 27 other protesters were injured. […]