People, Locations, Episodes

Juanita Mitchell, Lawyer born

Juanita Jackson Mitchell was born on this date in 1913. She was an African American lawyer, administrator, and activist.

William McClain, Judge born

*William McClain was born on this date in 1913. He was an African American lawyer and Judge.

From Springfield, Ohio, William Andrew McClain was son of Frank and Blanche McClain. He was a 1930 graduate of Springfield High School in he earned his A.B. degree at Wittenberg University in 1934 and his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan in 1937. McClain received L.L.D. degrees from Wilberforce University and the University of Cincinnati in 1963 and 1971, respectively.

Samuel Tucker, Attorney born

*Samuel Tucker was born on this date in 1913. He was a Black lawyer and a cooperating attorney with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Samuel Wilbert Tucker was born in Alexandria, Virginia. His father, Samuel A. Tucker, a real estate agent and NAACP member, and his teacher mother saw to […]

Thomas R. Jones Jr., Lawyer born

*Thomas R Jones was born on this date in 1913. He was a Black lawyer and politician. Thomas Russell Jones, Jr. was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Thomas Russell Jones, Sr. and Mabel (Ward) Jones, immigrants from Barbados. Jones graduated from St. John’s University and St. John’s University School of Law. […]

Anton Lembede, South African Lawyer and Activist born

*Anton Lembede was born on this date in 1914. He was a Black South African lawyer and activist. Anton Muziwakhe Lembede was born on the farm of Frank Fell near Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. He was the eldest of seven children born to Mbazwana Martin and Martha Nora MaLuthuli Lembede. His father was a […]

Dovey Johnson Roundtree, Lawyer born

*Dovey Johnson Roundtree was born on this date in 1914.  She was a Black teacher, lawyer, military administrator, and minister. From Charlotte, NC, Dovey Mae Johnson was the second of four daughters of James Eliot Johnson, a printer, and Lela (Bryant) Johnson, a domestic.  Her father died in the influenza epidemic of 1919, and she, […]

A. P. Mda, Lawyer and Activist born.

*Ashby Solomzi Peter Mda was born on this date in 1916. He was a Black African teacher, lawyer, and political activist. Also known as A. P. Mda, Peter Mda was born in the Herschel District of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. He was given the name “Ashby” as he was born on Ash Wednesday. He […]

Julius Winfield Robertson, Lawyer born

*Julius Winfield Robertson was born on this date in 1916. He was a Black lawyer, author, and civil rights activist.    Born in rural Georgia to a family of farmers, they relocated to Tennessee in search of better opportunities. In the early 1920s, he moved to Washington, DC, to escape the harsh realities of being a […]

Spottswood Robinson III, Lawyer, and Judge born

*Spottswood Robinson was born on this date in 1916. He was a Black lawyer, judge, and civil rights activist.     Spottswood William Robinson, III, was from Richmond, Virginia.   As a young man, he had two heroes: his father and paternal grandfather. He idolized his grandfather due to his fearlessness and accomplishments. Spottswood W. Robinson, Sr. was born […]

Robert L. Carter, Attorney, and Activist born

*Robert Lee Carter was born on this date in 1917. He was an African American Attorney, United States District Judge and Civil Rights activist.

From Caryville, Florida, while still very young, his mother moved north to Newark, New Jersey, where he was raised. Carter graduated from high school at sixteen and earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) and his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1940, both on scholarship. He also was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

William H. Murphy Sr., Lawyer, and Judge born.

*William H. Murphy, Sr. was born on this date in 1917. He was a Black lawyer, judge, and community activist. He was born into the Baltimore Black elite. His life was spent upholding the rights of the underprivileged. His concern for others came from his parents, who were both politically and socially active. His paternal […]

Jimmy Griffin, Police Officer, and Community Activist born

*Jimmy Griffin was born on this date in 1917. He was an African American police officer and activist.

Bruce Wright, Judge, and Writer born

This date marks the birth of Bruce M. Wright in 1917. He was an African American judge, lawyer, and poet.

He was born in Princeton, N.J., and raised in Harlem, New York. Bruce McMarion Wright’s father was Black and his mother was white. He was awarded a scholarship to attend Princeton in 1939, but denied admission when the university learned that he was Black. Wright was denied admission to Notre Dame on the same grounds.

Donald Hollowell, Lawyer born.

*The birth of Donald Hollowell on this date in 1917 is marked. He was an African American attorney who specialized in Civil Rights.

Juanita Stout, Judge, and Educator born

*The birth of Dr. Juanita Kidd Stout in 1919 is marked on this date. She was an African American educator, lawyer, and in 1959 was one of the first Black women in America to be elected to the Bench.