People, Locations, Episodes

Lincoln Alexander, Canadian Politician born

*Lincoln M. Alexander, a Black Canadian lawyer and politician, was born on this date in 1922.  Lincoln MacCauley Alexander was born in a row house on Draper Street near Front Street and Spadina Avenue in Toronto, Ontario. He was the eldest son of Mae Rose (née Royale), who emigrated from Jamaica, and Lincoln MacCauley Alexander, Sr., […]

Herman Holloway Sr., Delaware Politician born

*On this date in 1922, Herman M. Holloway, Sr. was born. He was an African American politician and community activist.

The son of William and Hennie Holloway, young Holloway grew up in Wilmington attending parochial and public schools. As an athlete, he excelled in basketball and football at the all Black Howard High School, the only Black secondary school in Delaware at the time. Following graduation from high school, he attended Hampton Institute for one year.

Julius Nyerere, Politician born

On this date, we observe the birth of Julius Kambarage Nyerere in 1922. He was the first president of Tanzania in 1964.

Harold Washington, Politician born

This date marks the birth of Harold Washington in 1922. He was an African American politician, the first Black mayor of Chicago.

Parren Mitchell, Baltimore Politician born

*Parren Mitchell was born on this date in 1922. He was a Black politician and activist. Parren James Mitchell was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Clarence M. Mitchell, Sr., was a waiter, and his mother, Elsie Davis Mitchell, was a homemaker. Mitchell graduated from Frederick Douglass Senior High School in Baltimore in 1940. Mitchell served as an officer in […]

Samuel L. Gravely Jr., Naval Officer born

Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr., an African American Navy admiral, was born on this date in 1922.

Aaron Henry, NAACP Activist born

Aaron Henry was born on this date in 1922. He was an African American civil rights leader, politician, and head of the NAACP.

Nathaniel Stewart Sr., Soldier and Activist born

*Nathaniel Stewart was born on this date in 1922. He was a Black soldier and activist. Stewart was from Ft. Motte, S.C., the son of Willie and Emily Stewart. As a young man, he served his country in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman, ranked Second Lieutenant in the 99th Pursuit Squadron. He served as […]

Samuel Pierce Jr., Politician born

Samuel Pierce, Jr., was born on this date in 1922. He was an African American lawyer and politician, and the first Black to serve in Ronald Reagan’s cabinet.

Samuel Riley Pierce was born in Glen Cove, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1947 and received a law degree from Cornell Law School in 1949. He earned a Master of Laws degree from New York University School of Law in 1952.

Takao Ozawa v. the United States Supreme Court is Ruled

*On this date in 1922, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Takao Ozawa v. United States that Asian Americans are not white.

Charles Diggs Jr., Politician born

*On this date in 1922, Charles Diggs Jr. was born. He was an African American politician.

From Detroit, Michigan, he was the son of an undertaker and respected father in the Motor City area. Young Diggs attended Miller High School, the University of Michigan, Fisk University, and Wayne State University; earning a degree in Mortuary Services in 1946. He joined his father in the family mortuary business, and then won his father’s seat in the Michigan senate in 1951. Early on, Diggs was a strong voice for civil rights.

Forbes Burnham, Politician born

*Forbes Burnham was born on this date in 1923. He was an Afro Guyanese politician and leader. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was born in Kitty, a suburb of Georgetown, Demerara County, British Guiana, as one of four (Olga, Freddie, Jessica, and Flora)[3] children. His parents were James Ethelbert Burnham, a schoolmaster,[2] and Rachel Abigail Sampson, and he grew up in […]

Celes King III, Pilot born

*Celes King III was born on this date in 1923.  He was a Black administrator, pilot, and activist.  As a child in Chicago, Illinois, he developed a love of flying while playing with wooden airplanes. He would ride his bike to the runway of the Chicago Municipal Airport to watch the planes take off and […]

Georgia Powers, Kentucky Senator born

Georgia Davis Powers, an African American politician and lawyer, was born on this date in 1923.

She was born in Springfield, KY, the only girl in a family with nine siblings. Powers once worked as a riveter on airplane fuselages in Buffalo, NY. She moved to Louisville, KY, and got involved in politics through her church. From 1962 to 1967, Powers was campaign chair for a number of candidates. Even before she began her career as a senator, Georgia Powers was a civil rights movement leader in Kentucky.

Robert Mugabe, Politician born

On this date in 1924, Robert Mugabe was born. He is an African politician and revolutionary leader and president of Zimbabwe. An educator by trade and a politician by practice, Mugabe has been the preeminent political leader in Zimbabwe for nearly two decades.