People, Locations, Episodes

Theodore McNeal, Union Organizer, and Politician born

Theodore McNeal, an African American union organizer and politician, was born on this date in 1905.

Edward Akufo-Addo, Lawyer and Politician born

*Edward Akufo-Addo was born on this date in 1906. He was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. Edward Akufo-Addo was born at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana to William Martin Addo-Danquah and Theodora Amuafi. Both of his parents were from the southern Ghanaian town of Akropong. He had primary education at Presbyterian Primary […]

Lena King Lee, Educator, and Lawyer born

*Lena King Lee was born on this date in 1906.  She was a Black educator and attorney who entered politics at 60 and became one of the first Black women elected to the Maryland General Assembly. She was born Lena King in Sumter County, Alabama, one of three children of Samuel Sylvester King and Lula Gully King.  Her father […]

The ‘Brownsville Affair’ Occurs

*The “Brownsville Affair” of 1906 is remembered on this date. This was a racial incident from tensions between whites in Brownsville, Texas and Black infantrymen in the U.S. Army stationed at nearby Fort Brown.

Léopold Senghor, Politician, and Poet born

*Léopold Senghor was born on this date in 1906.  He was a Black Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist.  Léopold Sédar Senghor was born in the city of Joal, south of Dakar, capital of Senegal.  Basile Diogoye Senghor’s father was a businessman and merchant who owned thousands of cattle and vast lands. His mother and […]

Hulan Jack, Politician born

*Hulan Jack was born on this date in 1906. He was an African American politician.

Grace Hamilton, Woman’s Advocate, and Politician born

*On this date in 1907, Grace Towns Hamilton was born. She was an African American civil rights advocate, feminist, and politician.

From Atlanta, she was the eldest of four children to George and Nellis McNair Towns. Towns graduated from American University in 1927, enrolling in graduate school at Ohio State University where she paid her way through school as a secretary at the YMCA. In 1930, she married Henry C. Hamilton, dean and professor of education at Lemoyne College. Grace Hamilton was the first African American woman to serve in the Georgia legislature (1966-1984).

Robert E. Lillard, Lawyer, Politician, and Activist born

Robert Emmitt Lillard was born on this date in 1907. He was an African American lawyer, politician, and activist.

Born in Nashville to John W. and Virginia (Allen) Lillard, he was educated at Immaculate Mother’s Academy and in local public schools. He then attended Beggins Commercial College, although his ambition was to become a lawyer. In 1928, R. E. Lillard began work as a garage attendant and married Hallie C. Moore. They had three children: Gladys, Sandra, and Robert Walter. Lillard entered law school in 1932 at Nashville’s Kent College of Law.

‘Gus’ Hawkins, Congressman born.

On this date in 1907, Augustus Hawkins, African American politician was born.

Augustus Freeman “Gus” Hawkins was born in Shreveport, LA. When he was 11, his family moved to California. His pharmacist father was from England and had been on several African Expeditions.

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.

Thurgood Marshall, Lawyer, and Judge born

*On this date, Thurgood Marshall was born in 1908. He was an African American lawyer and Supreme Court Justice.

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.