June 29, 1919 Lloyd George Richards, theater actor, director and educator, was born in Toronto, Canada, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. Richards earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University in 1944 and then became one of the first black military pilots while serving in the United States Air Force during World War […]
Archive | Military RSS feed for this section
Marion Motley – June 27th in African American History
June 27, 1999 Marion Motley, hall of fame football player, died. Motley was born June 5, 1920 in Leesburg, Georgia but raised in Canton, Ohio. After playing college football at South Carolina University and the University of Nevada, Motley joined the United States Navy and played for the Great Lakes Naval Training Station team.
June 18th in African American History – Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki
June 18, 1942 Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, the second President of post-apartheid South Africa, was born in Idutywa, South Africa. Both of Mbeki’s parents were teachers and activist and Mbeki describes himself as “born into the struggle.” In 1959, he was expelled from school for his involvement in student strikes and in 1961 he was elected […]
June 12th in African American History – Medgar Wiley Evers
June 12, 1963 Medgar Wiley Evers, civil rights activist, was assassinated. Evers was born July 2, 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi. In 1943, he was inducted into the army where he fought in France during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945 as a sergeant. Evers earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business […]
May 28th in African American History – Parren James Mitchell
May 28, 2007 Parren James Mitchell, the first African American elected to Congress from Maryland, died. Mitchell was born April 29, 1922 in Baltimore, Maryland. He served as an officer in the 92nd Infantry Division during World War II, earning a Purple Heart. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University in 1950 and […]
May 27th in African American History – Doris “Dorie” Miller
May 27, 1942 Doris “Dorie” Miller was awarded the Navy Cross, the first African American to receive it, for his extraordinary courage in battle. Miller was born October 12, 1919 in Waco, Texas and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1939. On December 7, 1941, he was serving as a cook on the USS […]
May 20th in African American History – Francois-Dominique Toussaint L’Ouverture
May 20, 1743 Francois-Dominique Toussaint L’Ouverture, Haitian patriot and revolutionary leader, was born enslaved in Saint-Domingue, Hispaniola (now Haiti). At an early age, Toussaint’s master recognized his superior intelligence and taught him French, gave him duties which allowed him to educate himself, and freed him at age 33. Beginning in 1791, Toussaint led enslaved blacks […]