People, Locations, Episodes

James Seale, Segregationist born

*James Seale was born on this date in 1935. He was a white farmer, police officer and Ku Klux Klan member.

The Wagner Act is Signed

*On this date, 1935, the Wagner Act was passed.  This was a foundational statute of United States labor law that guaranteed the right of private-sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, and take collective action such as strikes.   The Wagner Act harmed Blacks by legalizing labor union monopolies, a Jim […]

Aubrey Lewis, FBI Official born.

*The birth of Aubrey Lewis is celebrated on this date in c. 1935. He was a Black athlete and government investigator. Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Lewis grew up in nearby Montclair and attended Montclair High School, from which he graduated in 1954. During his high school career at Montclair, Lewis played basketball and […]

Vernon Jordan Jr., Lawyer, and Activist born

*Vernon E. Jordan Jr. was born on this date in 1935. He is an African American lawyer and civil rights leader.

From Atlanta, Georgia his father was a mail clerk in the U. S. Army and his mother ran a local catering service. Jordan was educated in the Atlanta public schools and graduated from DePauw University in 1957. He attended the Howard University Law School where he received the J.D. in 1960. After graduation returning home to practice law he became involved in a significant civil rights case of that era.

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War Begins

*The Second Italian-Ethiopian War began on this date in 1935. Also known as the Second Italian-Abyssinian War, it was a colonial war fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and those of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia).   Italy and Ethiopia were members of the League of Nations. Yet, the League could not control Italy or protect Ethiopia […]

Ron Dellums, Oakland Politician born

Ron Dellums, an African American politician and is an administrator and activist, was born on this date in 1935.

Azie Taylor Morton, Policy Administrator born

*Azie Taylor Morton was born on this date in 1936. She was an African American teacher, politician, and cabinet member.

From the small but well-known community of St. John Colony in Dale, Texas, she was the daughter of Fleta Hazel Taylor. Her mother was deaf and could not speak, and she did not know who her father was. Her youth was spent on a farm in, near Austin; her first childhood work was in a cotton field. Graduating from high school at 16 with an outstanding record, she enrolled at Huston-Tillotson, an all-Black college in Austin.

Barbara Jordan, Politician, and Educator born

*Barbara Jordan was born on this date in 1936. She was an African American politician, educator and member of the United States House of Representatives.

Marion Barry, Activist, and Politician born

*Marion Barry was born on this date in 1936. He was a Black activist and politician.   Marion Shepilov Barry Jr. was born in rural Itta Bena, Mississippi, the third child of Mattie Cummings and Marion Barry. His father died when he was four years old, and a year later, his mother moved the family to Memphis, Tennessee, where her employment prospects were […]

Ralph Metcalfe, Athlete, and Politician born

On this date, the Registry recalls the birth of Ralph Metcalfe in 1910. He was an African American sprinter and politician.

Alcee Hastings, Politician born

*Alcee Hastings was born on this date in 1936. He was a Black politician and judge. Alcee Lamar Hastings was born in Altamonte Springs, Florida, the son of Mildred L. (Merritt) and Julius “J. C.” Hastings. Hastings earned his Bachelor of Arts in zoology and botany from Fisk University in 1958. He attended Howard University School of Law from […]

Julius Chambers, Lawyer, and Activist born

*Julius Chambers was born on this date in 1936. He was an African American lawyer, Civil Rights activist and educator.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, Politician born

*Eleanor Holmes Norton was born on this date in 1937. She is an African American lawyer and politician.

Bruce Boynton, Lawyer, and Activist born

*Bruce Boynton was born on this date in 1937.  He was a Black lawyer and civil rights leader.  Bruce Carver Boynton grew up in Selma, Alabama. His parents were civil rights activists, known in their community as Mr. and Mrs. Civil Rights because of their participation.  He was named after his Godfather, George Washington Carver. He […]

Moshood Abiola, Nigerian Chief born

Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was born on this date in 1937 in Nigeria. He was an African entrepreneur and politician.

Abiola graduated from the University of Glasgow in Scotland with a degree in accounting. From 1969 to 1988 he worked for the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (ITT), meanwhile amassing a fortune from transportation, publishing, and other businesses. He also maintained close ties with Nigeria’s military rulers. In 1993, Abiola ran for president and was believed to be winning when the military halted the election and annulled the vote.