June 23, 2003 Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., the first African American mayor of Atlanta, died. Jackson was born March 23, 1938 in Dallas, Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history from Morehouse College in 1956, at the age of 18. After working several jobs, Jackson earned his law degree […]
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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 17th in African American History – Grace Towns Hamilton
June 17, 1992 Grace Towns Hamilton, the first African American woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly, died. Hamilton was born February 10, 1907 in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1927 from Atlanta University and her master’s degree in psychology from Ohio State University in 1929. In 1943, Hamilton was […]
June 14th in African American History – Paul Yaw Boateng
June 14, 1951 Paul Yaw Boateng, the first black cabinet minister in the United Kingdom, was born in Hackney, London, but, raised in Ghana. In 1966, his family was forced into exile in Britain after the coup against Kwame Nkrumah. Boateng earned his LLB degree from the University of Bristol in 1976 and began to […]
June 13th in African American History – Walter Rodney
June 13, 1980 Walter Rodney, prominent Guyanese historian and political activist, was assassinated by a bomb placed in his car. Rodney was born March 23, 1942. He graduated from the University of the West Indies in 1963 and earned his Ph. D. in 1966 at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. His […]
May 31st in African American History – Jewel Stradford Lafontant-Mankarious
May 31, 1997 Jewel Stradford Lafontant-Mankarious, the first female deputy solicitor general of the United States, died. Lafontant-Mankarious was born April 28, 1922 in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Oberlin College in 1943 and in 1946 she became the first African American woman to graduate from the University of […]
May 29th in African American History – Maurice Rupert Bishop
May 29, 1944 Maurice Rupert Bishop, former Grenadian Prime Minister, was born on the island of Aruba. Bishop earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Presentation College and was educated at the London School of Economics. After returning to Grenada in 1973, he was elected head of the Marxist New Jewel Movement political party. Bishop […]