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.
Tag Archives | Presidential Medal of Freedom
Mary Violet Leontyne Price – February 10th in African American History
February 10, 1927 Mary Violet Leontyne Price, operatic soprano, was born in Laurel, Mississippi. Price earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Central State College in 1948 and her first important stage performance was in the 1952 production of “Falstaff.”
Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland – January 13th in African American History
January 13, 1985 Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland, education administrator and diplomat, died. Holland was born January 9, 1916 in Auburn, New York. He graduated from Cornell University, where he was the first African American to play on the football team and an All-American in 1937, 1938, and 1939. Despite his athletic abilities, the National Football […]
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. […]
John Harold Johnson – January 19th in African American History
January 19, 1918 John Harold Johnson, publisher and businessman, was born in Arkansas City, Arkansas. In 1933, Johnson and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from high school, he took a job as an office boy at Supreme Life Insurance Company and within two years had moved up to assistant to the president. […]
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. (Muhammad Ali) – January 17th in African American History
January 17, 1942 Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. (Muhammad Ali), hall of fame boxer, was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali began boxing at the age of 12 and went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, and the Light Heavyweight Gold medal at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympic Games. Ali […]
Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland – January 9th in African American History
January 9, 1916 Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland, education administrator and diplomat, was born in Auburn, New York. Holland graduated from Cornell University, where he was the first African American to play on the football team and an All-American in 1937, 1938, and 1939. Despite his athletic abilities, the National Football League ignored him because of […]