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 […]
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May 20th in African American History – David Alexander Paterson
May 20, 1954 David Alexander Paterson, the first African American Governor of New York and the second legally blind Governor of any state, was born in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of three months, Paterson contracted an infection which left him with no sight in his left eye and limited vision in his right. […]
May 12th in African American History – Oscar Stanton De Priest
May 12, 1951 Oscar Stanton De Priest, the first African American elected to Congress in the 20th century, died. De Priest was born March 9, 1871 in Florence, Alabama. In 1889, he moved to Chicago where he became a successful contractor and real estate broker and built a fortune by helping black families move into […]
May 11th in African American History – Nnamdi Azikiwe
May 11, 1996 Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria, died. Azikiwe was born November 16, 1904 in Zungeru, Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1931 from Lincoln University and a master’s degree in 1933 from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1934, he returned to Africa and became the […]
May 5th in African American History – Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu
May 5, 2003 Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu, South African anti-apratheid activist, died. Sisulu was born May 18, 1912 in Engcobo, South Africa and moved to Johannesburg in 1928 to work at a number of manual jobs. He joined the African National Congress in 1940 and in 1943 became the treasurer of the ANC Youth League. […]
Parren James Mitchell – April 29th in African American History
April 29, 1922 Parren James Mitchell, the first African American elected to Congress from Maryland, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Mitchell served as an officer in the 92nd Infantry Division during World War II and earned the Purple Heart. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University in 1950 and that year successfully sued […]
Kwame Nkrumah – April 27th in African American History
April 27, 1972 Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, died. Nkrumah was born September 21, 1909 in Nkroful, Gold Coast (Ghana). In 1935, he came to the United States to further his education, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1939 and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1942 from Lincoln University and a Master […]