June 29, 1941 Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), political activist and one of the first users of the term “Black Power,” was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Carmichael earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Howard University in 1964. While at Howard, he became involved with the Nonviolent Action Group, a […]
"Civil Rights Leader"
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 7th in African American History – George W. Lee
May 7, 1955 George W. Lee, minister, entrepreneur and civil rights activist, was assassinated. Lee was born in 1904 in Edwards, Mississippi and in the early 1930’s accepted a call to preach in Belzoni, Mississippi. Over time, Lee led four churches, opened a grocery store, and set up a printing business. In 1953, he co-founded […]
William Edward Bughardt Du Bois – April 27th in African American History
April 27, 1963 William Edward Bughardt Du Bois, civil rights activist, historian, and author, died. Du Bois was born February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In 1888, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fisk University. He went on to Harvard University where he earned another Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in […]
April 20th in African American History – Dorothy Irene Height
April 20, 2010 Dorothy Irene Height, educator and social activist, died. Height was born March 24, 1912 in Richmond, Virginia. While in high school, Height was awarded a scholarship to Barnard College but when she enrolled she was denied admittance because at that time Barnard only admitted two African Americans per academic year and they […]
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) – April 8th in African American History
April 8, 1960 The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), one of the principal organizations of the Civil Rights Movement, was founded after a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Future leaders attending those meetings included Stokely Carmichael, Julian Bond, Diane Nash, John Lewis, James Bevel, and […]
Martin Luther King, Jr. – April 4th in African American History
April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman, activist and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. King was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1948. He then earned a Bachelor […]