In 1935, Charles W. Anderson became the first black legislator in Kentucky and in the South since the Reconstruction. He championed the cause of civil rights in Kentucky including greatly improving the access of African Americans to education during six terms as a legislator. Anderson … Read MoreCharles W. Anderson, Jr. (1907-1960)
Lloyd Ferguson, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, was born February 9, 1918, in Oakland, California. Growing up in Oakland, Ferguson was always passionate about school, particularly science. In the eighth grade, he bought a … Read MoreLloyd Ferguson (1918-2011 )
Gwendolyn Bennett a poet, author, educator, journalist and graphic artist, was born July 8, 1902 in Giddings, Texas, to Joshua and Maime Bennett. Her parents worked as teachers in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Gwendolyn’s family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1906 when she was … Read MoreGwendolyn Bennett (1902-1981)
Leroy Wesley Smith was born in St. Louis Missouri on December 6, 1951, and became a late 20th Century social activist for justice. Son of a fireman and a licensed practical nurse, Smith spent his childhood growing up in a St. Louis housing project. He … Read MoreDamu Smith (1952-2006)
Approved, September 18, 1850 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the persons who have been, or may hereafter be, appointed commissioners, in virtue of any act of Congress, by the Circuit … Read More(1850) Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
In the article below social commentator John H. McWhorter challenges the nation to think differently about Black History Month. He argues that the emphasis on black “heroes” negates the tens of thousands of stories of ordinary African Americans who have overcome or outmaneuvered racism and … Read MoreJohn McWhorter, “Celebrate the Triumph of Ordinary Black Americans”
Brenda Ray Moryck was a Washington, D.C.-based black writer and social activist often associated with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. While Moryck and her female peers did not receive as much mainstream public attention as did many black male artists, she published short stories, … Read MoreBrenda Ray Moryck (1894-1949)
Vernon Eulion Jordan, civil rights leader, lawyer, and presidential advisor, was born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 15, 1935. Growing up in the segregated American South, Jordan attended David T. Howard High School, where he graduated with honors in 1953. Upon graduation Jordan entered DePauw … Read MoreVernon E. Jordan (1935-2021)
Dr. Ionia Rollin Whipper, physician and social reformer, was born September 8, 1872 in Beaufort, South Carolina. She was one of three surviving children born to author and diarist Frances Anne Rollin and Judge William James Whipper. By 1878, as the Reconstruction period was ending … Read MoreIonia Rollin Whipper (1872-1953)
On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama, became the 44th President of the United States. His inaugural address appears below. My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne … Read More(2009) President Barack Obama Inaugural Address
