January 2, 1915 John Hope Franklin, historian and author, was born in Rentiesville, Oklahoma. Franklin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fisk University in 1935 and his Master of Arts degree and Ph. D. in history from Harvard University in 1936 and 1941, respectively. In the early 1950s, he served on the NAACP Legal […]
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January 1st in African American History – Derrick Vincent Thomas
January 1, 1967 Derrick Vincent Thomas, hall of fame football player, was born in Miami, Florida. Thomas played collegiate football at the University of Alabama. In 1988, he was named an All-American and won the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in college football. Thomas was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1989 […]
January 31st in African American History – Benjamin Lawson Hooks
January 31, 1925 Benjamin Lawson Hooks, attorney, minister and civil rights leader, was born in Memphis, Tennessee. After graduating from Howard University in 1944, Hooks joined the Army where he found that the prisoners he was responsible for guarding could eat in restaurants from which he was barred. Hooks graduated from DePaul University College of […]
January 31st in African American History – Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson
January 31, 1919 Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson, the first African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era, was born in Cairo, Georgia. Robinson attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he was a star athlete, from 1939 to 1941 and served in the United States Army as a first lieutenant from […]
January 30th in African American History – Ruth Alston Weston (Ruth Brown)
January 30, 1928 Ruth Alston Weston (Ruth Brown), R&B singer and actress, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Brown recorded her first hit, “So Long,” in 1949 and from that time to 1955 was on the R&B charts for 149 weeks with 16 top 10 blues records, including five number ones. Those hits were “Teardrops From […]
January 30th in African American History – Edward Allen Carter, Jr.
January 30, 1963 Edward Allen Carter, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient, died. Carter was born May 26, 1916 in Los Angeles, California, but because his parents were missionaries, he grew up in India and Shanghai, China. While in Shanghai, Carter joined the Chinese National Army fighting against the Japanese.
January 29th in African American History – Dennis Courtland Hayes
January 29, 1951 Dennis Courtland Hayes, NAACP General Counsel, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hayes earned his Bachelor of Science degree in history in 1973 and his law degree in 1977 from Indiana University. While in law school, he held jobs at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Legal Services Organization.