July 10, 1875 Mary Jane McLeod Bethune, educator and civil rights leader, was born in Mayesville, South Carolina. Bethune attended Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College) from 1888 to 1894 and then Dwight Moody’s Institute for Home and Foreign Missions (now Moody Bible Institute). In 1899, Bethune moved to Palatka, Florida where she ran a mission […]
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July 9th in African American History – James L. Farmer, Jr.
July 9, 1999 James L. Farmer, Jr., civil rights activist, died. Farmer was born January 12, 1920 in Marshall, Texas. He was a child prodigy and at the age of 14 was attending Wiley College and participating on the debate team that was portrayed in the 2007 film “The Great Debaters.” Farmer earned a Bachelor […]
July 9th in African American History – Eloise Gwendolyn Isabel Sanford
July 9, 2004 Eloise Gwendolyn Isabel Sanford, television and film actress, died. Sanford was born August 29, 1917 in New York City. She made her film debut in the 1967 movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Other films in which she appeared include “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972), “Love At First Bite” (1979), and “Sprung” […]
July 8th in African American History – Alyce Faye Wattleton
July 8, 1943 Alyce Faye Wattleton, the first African American and youngest president of Planned Parenthood, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Wattleton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Ohio State University in 1964 and a Master of Science degree in maternal and infant care in 1967 from Columbia University. In 1978, […]
July 8th in African American History – David Harold Blackwell
July 8, 2010 David Harold Blackwell, the first African American inducted into the National Academy of Sciences, died. Blackwell was born April 24, 1919 in Centralia, Illinois. He entered the University of Illinois at the age of 16 and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938, Master of Arts degree in 1939, and his […]
July 7th in African American History – Theodore “Fats” Navarro
July 7, 1950 Theodore “Fats” Navarro, jazz trumpeter, died. Navarro was born September 24, 1923 in Key West, Florida. He began playing the piano at the age of six and the trumpet at 13. In 1946, Navarro moved to New York City and his career took off. He played in the bands of Billy Eckstine, […]
July 7th in African American History – Lisa Deshaun Leslie
July 7, 1972 Lisa Deshaun Leslie, retired women’s basketball player, was born in Gardena, California. By her senior year in high school, Leslie was considered the top female basketball player in the country. While playing for the University of Southern California, Leslie was named the National Freshman of the Year in 1991 and the National […]