People, Locations, Episodes

Nelson Edwards, Autoworker and Union Activist born

*The birth of Nelson Edwards is celebrated on this date in 1917. He was a Black autoworker and labor union advocate. Nelson ‘Jack’ Edwards was born on a Lowndes County, Alabama, farm. In 1937, he moved to Detroit and worked at the Chrysler plant, where he became active in the local union. Inspired by his […]

Esther Cooper Jackson, Social Worker born

*Esther Cooper Jackson was born on this date in 1917.  She is a Black civil rights activist and former social worker.  Born Esther Cooper in Arlington, Virginia, she came from a family active in their community. She once said, “Our parents always told us that if we got the grades, and passed the tests, that […]

John Mitchell Brooks, Activist born

*John Mitchell Brooks was born on this date in 1917.  He was a Black businessman and activist.  In 1931, he moved from Braddock, Pennsylvania, to Richmond, Virginia, with his six brothers and sisters to live with his grandparents. He became one of the first Black Eagle Scouts in the state and eventually attended Virginia Union […]

Fannie Lou Hamer, Activist born

Fannie Lou Hamer was born on this date in 1917. She was an African American civil rights activist.

Born Fannie Lou Townsend in Montgomery County, MS, she was the last of 20 children in a family of sharecroppers. She began chopping and picking cotton as a child on a plantation in the Mississippi Delta. She lived and worked there until 1962, when she was fired because she attempted to register to vote. She and her family were also forced to move from the plantation. In 1963, Hamer did register to vote and committed herself to civil rights activism.

Marie Foster, Educator, and Activist born

*Marie Foster was born on this date in1917. She was an African American educator and a civil rights activist.

She was born Marie Priscilla Martin near Alberta, Alabama. Foster’s mother took her to Selma to get an education against Foster’s father’s wishes. Foster did not initially complete high school, but instead dropped out, married, and raised three children. After her husband’s death, Foster worked low-wage jobs but eventually completed high school, went to a junior college, and became a dental hygienist.

Anna Langford, Politician, and Activist born

On this date in 1917, Anna Langford was born. She was an African American politician and attorney.

Born in Springfield, OH, Langford was educated at Roosevelt University, and earned a law degree in 1956, which beganan extensive career in civil rights and criminal law. Working throughout the state of Illinois, she actively defended civil rights workers in the 1960s and joined Dr. Martin Luther King’s Chicago civil rights marches.

Oliver Tambo, South African Politician born

Oliver Tambo, an African politician and activist against apartheid, was born on this date in 1917.

Winnie Kgware, Teacher and Activist born.

*Winnie Kgware was born on this date in 1917. She was a Black African teacher and anti-Apartheid activist.  Winnie Motlalepula was born in Thaba Nchu in the Orange Free State of South Africa. Growing up, she encouraged youth to be active in political structures. Following her call, the youth formed a South African Student Movement branch and […]

Helen Suzman, Political Activist born

*Helen Suzman was born on this date in 1917. She was a Jewish South African educator, activist and politician.

She was born Helen Gavronsky at Germiston, Transvaal, on the day the Russian Revolution began, she liked to remark. She was the daughter of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants, Suzman studied as an economist and statistician at Witwatersrand University. In 1937, she married Dr. Moses Suzman and had two daughters with him before returning to university as a lecturer in 1944.

Doris Pemberton, Civic Leader, and Author born

On this date in 1917, Doris Hollis Pemberton was born. She was an African American civic leader, reporter, and author.

Pemberton was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, the daughter of John Henry and Della Mae (Powdrill) Hollis. She spent her childhood in Limestone County near Comanche Crossing, Webb Chapel, Rocky Crossing, and Groesbeck, Texas. She enrolled at Texas College, Tyler, when she was 16 years old and she graduated from Texas Southern University at Houston in 1955.

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.

Emile Zinsou, Nationalist born

Emile Zinsou was born on this date in 1918. He was an African nationalist, and politician.

Nelson Mandela, South African Leader born

*On this date in 1918 Nelson Mandela was born. He was a South African activist and leader who helped end apartheid, the first Black president of South Africa, and a winner of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

Augusta E. Dinkins, Administrator born

*The birth of Augusta Dinkins is celebrated on this date, 1918.  She was a Black administrator and community activist.  Ella Augusta Johnson Dinkins was born in Orlando, Florida, and arrived in Eatonville, Fl. in 1930. Her father, an architect, relocated his family to a small Black town after losing everything in the Great Depression. The […]

The Crusader Magazine is Published

*On this date in 1918, The Crusader magazine is celebrated. During the early 20th century, it was one of the most prominent and vital black communist publications. It was the work of Cyril Valentine Briggs. It was published initially with the support of a West Indian merchant and later with the backing of the Communist Party. In December 1918, […]