April 8, 1993 Marian Anderson, contralto, died. Anderson was born February 27, 1897 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the age of six, she began singing at local functions for small change. She got her first big break in 1925 when she won a singing competition sponsored by the New York Philharmonic. In 1939, the Daughters of the […]
Tag Archives | Presidential Medal of Freedom
Colin Luther Powell – April 5th in African American History
April 5, 1937 Colin Luther Powell, the first African American United States Secretary of State, was born in Harlem, New York. Powell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 and a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University in 1971. While at City […]
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 […]
March 31st in African American History – James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens
March 31, 1980 James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens, Olympic track and field athlete, died. Owens was born September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama. Owens attended Ohio State University where he won a record eight individual NCAA championships. Despite that success, he had to live off campus and was never offered a scholarship for his efforts. At […]
March 25th in African American History – John Hope Franklin
March 25, 2009 John Hope Franklin, historian and author, died. Franklin was born January 2, 1915 in Rentiesville, Oklahoma. He graduated from Fisk University in 1935 and earned a doctorate in history in 1941 from Harvard University. In the early 1950s, he served on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund team that developed the sociological case […]
March 19th in African American History – Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
March 19, 1984 Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., civil rights activist and chief lobbyist for the NAACP, died. Mitchell was born March 8, 1911 in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1931 and later earned a law degree from the University of Maryland.
March 11th in African American History – Whitney Moore Young, Jr.
March 11, 1971 Whitney Moore Young, Jr., civil rights leader, drowned while swimming in Lagos, Nigeria. Young was born July 31, 1921 in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kentucky State University in 1941 and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota in 1947. Young served […]