People, Locations, Episodes

George Crockett, Lawyer, Judge, and Congressman born

*On this date in 1909, George Crockett was born. He was an African American lawyer, State Judge, and a U. S. Representative from Michigan.

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, 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, who belongs to 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 […]

Frances Wills, Naval Officer born

*This date in 1910 is celebrated as the birth date of Frances Wills, a Black writer and naval officer.  Frances Eliza Wills was born in Philadelphia; after high school, she attended Hunter College in New York City.  She was a Hunter College graduate who had worked with poet Langston Hughes while pursuing her MA in […]

Martin A. Martin, Attorney born

*Martin A. Martin was born on this date in 1910. He was a Black criminal and civil rights attorney. Martin Armstrong Martin was born to Romey Orlando Martin and his wife Hattie Inge in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. The family included older sisters Costello Beatrice Martin and Willie Gladys Martin, older brothers, former Tuskegee Airmen pilot […]

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.

William Ming Jr., Lawyer born

*William Ming Jr., a black lawyer and law professor, was born on this date in 1911. William Robert Ming Jr. was born in Chicago to Annie and William Ming Sr., a South Side Chicago municipal employee. Young Ming Jr. worked as a grocery clerk and on wrecking crews while putting himself through the University of […]

Leona P. Thurman, Lawyer born

Leona Pouncey Thurman was born on this date in 1911. She was an African American attorney.

Born in Russellville, Arkansas, Thurman attended Henderson Business College in Memphis before settling in Kansas City in 1931. She became attracted to the law profession as a career while working as a secretary for attorney James D. Pouncey, whom she married in 1937. Following her husband’s death, Leona Pouncey attended Howard University Law School. She received her law degree in 1949 and became the first Black woman to practice law in Kansas City.

James Parsons, Judge born

*James Parsons was born on this date in 1911. He was an African American lawyer and judge.

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.