People, Locations, Episodes

Robert C. Weaver, Economist born

This date marks the birth of Robert Clifton Weaver in 1907. An African American economist and administrator, he was the first Black to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.

John Thomas, Administrator born

*On this date in 1908, John Frederick Thomas was born. He was an African American diplomat and administrator.

Lyndon Johnson, Politician born

*Lyndon Johnson was born on this date in 1908.  Often referred to by his initials LBJ, he was a white-American politician and former teacher. Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in a farmhouse in Stonewall, Texas, the oldest of Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. and Rebekah Baines Johnson’s five children. The Johnson family, known for farming and ranching, settled in […]

Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Politician born

This date marks the 1908 birth of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. He was an African American minister, publisher, businessman, and politician.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Powell moved to New York City where his father administered the Abyssinian Baptist Church. After attending public schools, he graduated from Colgate University and received his M. A. in religious education from Columbia University.

E. Frederick Morrow, Administrator born

E. Frederic Morrow was born on this date in 1909. He is an African American businessman and politician.

Kwame Nkrumah, Pan-Africanist born

*On this date we mark the birth of Kwame Nkrumah in 1909. He was a Black African Statesman and political activist from Ghana.

Govan Mbeki, South African Activist, and Politician born

*Govan Mbeki was born on this date in 1910. He was a Black South African politician, journalist, Communist, and activist. Govan Archibald Mvuyelwa Mbeki, a member of the Xhosa ethnic group, was born in the Nqamakwe district of the Transkei region. He was the son of Chief Sikelewu Mbeki and Johanna Mahala and the father […]

Claude Lightfoot, Activist born

*The birth of Claude M. Lightfoot 1910 in celebrated on this date. He was an African American activist, politician, and author.

Clarence Mitchell Jr. , Lawyer, and Lobbyist born

*On this date in 1911, Clarence Mitchell was born. He was an African American lawyer and lobbyist.

From Baltimore, Mitchell attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania receiving an A.B. degree in 1932. The following year he joined the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper as a reporter. Five years later he ran unsuccessfully for the Maryland House of Delegates on the socialist party ticket. In 1938, he was named executive secretary of the Minnesota branch of the National Urban League.

Eric Williams, Author, and Politician born

*Eric Williams was born on this date in 1911. He was an Afro Caribbean author, politician, and activist. Eric Eustace Williams was born in Trinidad. His father, Thomas Henry Williams, was a minor civil servant. Eliza Frances Boissiere’s mother was a descendant of the mixed French Creole elite and had African and French ancestry. He attended the Tranquillity […]

Lewis Hayden born

*Lewis Hayden was born on this date in 1811.  He was a Black politician and abolitionist.  From Lexington, KY. He was one of 25 children.  His mother was of mixed race, African, European and Native American.  Hayden was first owned by a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Adam Rankin who sold off his brothers and sisters in […]

Helen Gray Edmonds, Educator, and Public Policy Administrator born

*Helen Gray Edmonds was born on this date in 1911. She was a Black educator and political activist.  From Lawrenceville, Va., she was the daughter of John Edward Edmonds and Ann Williams. She attended St. Paul’s High School and St. Paul’s College. Edmonds graduated from Morgan State University in 1933. After this, she earned a master’s degree from […]

Truman Gibson, Government Advisor and Lawyer born.

*Truman Gibson was born on this date in 1912. He was a Black businessman, attorney, government advisor, and boxing promoter. Truman Kella Gibson, Jr., the son of an insurance executive, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. While still young, he moved with his family to Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1932 […]

Bennett Stewart, H.S. Principal, and Politician born

*On this date, Bennett McVey Stewart was born in 1912. He was an African American high school principal, professor and a former U. S. Representative.

George Leighton, District Court Judge born

George Leighton, an African American attorney, judge and activist, was born on this date in 1912.

Raised in New Bedford, MA, George Neves Leitao (his birth name) is the son of Anna Silva Garcia and Antonio Neves Leitao; both were from Cape Verde. It was in school that he got the name “Leighton” as the teacher claimed she could not pronounce his last name “Leitao.” His parents, wanting no problems for their son, agreed.