March 23, 1928 Channing E. Phillips, minister, social activist and the first African American placed in nomination for President of the United States by a major party, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Phillips was a founding member of the Coalition of Conscience, a conglomeration of local organizations working to alleviate social problems in Washington, [...]
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Absalom Jones – February 13th in African American History
February 13, 1818 Absalom Jones, abolitionist and clergyman, died. Jones was born enslaved on November 6, 1746 in Delaware. By 1785, he had bought his and his family’s freedom. Together with Richard Allen, Jones was one of the first African Americans licensed to preach by the Methodist Church. In 1787, they founded the Free African [...]
Thomas Kilgore – February 4th in African American History
February 4, 1998 Thomas Kilgore, one of the few men to lead two major national Baptist organizations, died. Kilgore was born February 20, 1913 in Woodruff, South Carolina. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1935 and earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1957. Kilgore began [...]
Francis Lewis Cardozo – February 1st in African American History
February 1, 1836 Francis Lewis Cardozo, clergyman, educator, and the first African American to hold a statewide office in the United States, was born in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1858, he graduated from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and in 1864 was ordained a Presbyterian minister. In 1865, Cardozo became superintendant of an American [...]
Clarence LaVaughn “C.L.” Franklin – January 22nd in African American History
January 22, 1915 Clarence LaVaughn “C.L.” Franklin, minister and civil rights activist, was born in Sunflower County, Mississippi. At the age of 16, Franklin became a preacher working the black preaching circuit before settling at churches in Memphis, Tennessee and Buffalo, New York. In 1946, he became pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, [...]
December 19th in African American History – Reginald Howard White
December 19, 1961 Reginald Howard White, hall of fame football player, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. From 1980 to 1983, White played for the University of Tennessee where he was an All-American. After college, he signed with the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League and after that league folded in 1985 he signed [...]
December 12th in African American History – Henry Jackson, Jr. (Henry Armstrong)
December 12, 1912 Henry Jackson, Jr. (Henry Armstrong), the first boxer to hold world titles in three separate weight classes at the same time, was born in Columbus, Mississippi. Jackson assumed the surname of his mentor and trainer, Harry Armstrong, in 1931. Because the fight purses were small, Armstrong usually fought 12 times a year. On [...]