On June 21, 1927, Carl Stokes was born. One reason we celebrate his birthday is the fact he was the first major American city mayor to be black. Being the first black mayor of a major city in the U.S. is not the only accomplishment that deserves recognition. He was a US Ambassador, an Ohio […]
Tag Archives | House of Representatives
John Robert Lewis – February 21st in African American History
February 21, 1940 John Robert Lewis, civil rights leader and politician, was born in Troy, Alabama. Lewis earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from the American Baptist Theological Seminary in 1961 and another Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and philosophy from Fisk University in 1963.
Henry Highland Garnet – February 12th in African American History
February 12, 1865 Henry Highland Garnet became the first black minister to preach to the United States House of Representatives when he spoke about the end of slavery. Garnet was born enslaved on December 23, 1815 near New Market, Maryland. In 1824, his family escaped to freedom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
James Edward O’Hara – February 26th in African American History
February 26, 1844 James Edward O’Hara, lawyer and congressman, was born in New York City. O’Hara studied law in North Carolina and at Howard University and served as a clerk for the 1868 North Carolina state convention that drafted a new state constitution. In 1871, he completed his law apprenticeship and passed the North Carolina […]
Barbara Charline Jordan – February 21st in African American History
February 21, 1936 Barbara Charline Jordan, the first African American woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives from a southern state, was born in Houston, Texas. Jordan earned her Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Texas Southern University in 1956 and her Juris Doctorate degree from Boston University in 1959. […]
February 3rd in African American History – Percival Prattis
February 3, 1947 Percival Prattis became the first African American news correspondent admitted to the press galleries of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. A veteran of World War I, Prattis joined the Pittsburgh Courier in 1935, became editor in 1956, and retired in 1962.
January 17th in African American History – Barbara Charline Jordan
January 17, 1996 Barbara Charline Jordan, the first African American woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives from a southern state, died. Jordan was born February 21, 1936 in Houston, Texas. In 1966, she became the first black woman to be elected to the Texas State Senate. She served in that body […]