January 29, 1951 Dennis Courtland Hayes, NAACP General Counsel, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hayes earned his Bachelor of Science degree in history in 1973 and his law degree in 1977 from Indiana University. While in law school, he held jobs at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Legal Services Organization.
Tag Archives | NAACP
January 15th in African American History – Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 15, 1929 Martin Luther King, Jr., clergyman, activist, and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. King entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1948. He then earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951 […]
January 11th in African American History – Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr.
January 11, 1966 Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr., civil rights leader, died from injuries received the prior day when his home was firebombed. Dahmer was born March 10, 1908 in Forrest County, Mississippi. A successful businessman, Dahmer owned a store, a sawmill, and a 200 acre farm. He served several terms as president of the Forrest […]
January 8th in African American History – Charles Young
January 8, 1922 Charles Young, the third African American graduate of West Point, died. Young was born March 12, 1864 in Mayslick, Kentucky. After graduating from high school at the age of 16, he taught at a black high school in Ripley, Ohio. In 1884, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point […]
January 5th in African American History – George Washington Carver
January 5, 1943 George Washington Carver, scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor, died. Carver was born enslaved on July 12, 1864 in Diamond, Missouri. Carver and his family were freed after slavery was abolished. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and his Master of Science degree in 1896 from Iowa State Agricultural College […]
December 18th in African American History – Raiford Chatman “Ossie” Davis
December 18, 1917 Raiford Chatman “Ossie” Davis, actor, director, playwright and social activist, was born in Cogdell, Georgia. Davis began his acting career in 1939 with the Rose McClendon Players in Harlem and made his film debut in 1950 in “No Way Out.” Over the next 55 years, he appeared in almost 50 movies, including […]
December 15th in African American History – Maggie Lena Walker
December 15, 1934 Maggie Lena Walker, teacher, businesswoman and the first African American bank president, died. Walker was born July 15, 1864 in Richmond, Virginia. She attended the Colored Normal School to be trained as a teacher and received her diploma with honors in 1883. After graduation, she taught for three years. In 1899, Walker […]