People, Locations, Episodes

Karen Bass, Politician born

*Karen Bass was born on this date in 1953. She is a Black politician and social worker. Karen Ruth Bass was born in Los Angeles, California, and is the daughter of Wilhelmina and DeWitt Talmadge Bass. Her father was a postal letter carrier, and her mother was a homemaker. She was raised in the Venice […]

Mike Espy, Lawyer, and Administrator born

*Michael Espy was born on this date in 1953.  He is a Black lawyer and politician.    Alphonso Michael Espy was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi.  He is the grandson of Thomas J. Huddleston Sr., founder of the Afro-American Sons and Daughters. This fraternal society operated the Afro-American Hospital, a leading healthcare provider for Blacks […]

The First Major American City Office is Held by a Black Man

On this date in 1953, one of the first African American to hold a major city elective post was sworn in.

Hulan Jack was voted in as Manhattan Borough president.

David Paterson, Politician born

*David Paterson was born on this date in 1954. He is an African American politician. David Alexander Paterson was born in Brooklyn, NY to Portia and Basil Paterson.

Patrice Johnson, Policy Activist born

*Patrice Johnson was born on this date in 1954. She was an African American Lawyer, Political Chief of Staff and community activist.

Randall Kennedy, Scholar, Lawyer, and Author born

*Randall Kennedy was born this date in 1954, in Columbia, South Carolina, He is an African American Law professor and author.

Adriano Espaillat, Afro Dominican Politician born

*Adriano Espaillat was born on this date in 1954. He is an Afro Latino American politician and community advocate.

From in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Adriano D. Espaillat is the son of Melba (née Rodríguez) and Ulises Espaillat and the great-grandson of Dominican President Ulises Espaillat. He describes himself as “a Latino of African decent.” He graduated from Bishop Dubois High School in 1974 and earned his B.S. degree in political science at Queens College in 1978.

The First Black is Promoted to Air Force General in America

On this date in 1954, Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was promoted to Brigadier General, the first African American to wear one star in the USAF.

Condoleezza Rice, Policy Administrator born

Condoleezza Rice, an African American politician, administrator, secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration, and writer was born on this date in 1954.

She was born Birmingham, AL, the only child of Angelena Rice and the Reverend John Wesley Rice, Jr. Her father became a minister at Westminster Presbyterian Church and her mother was a music teacher. Her name is a variation on the Italian musical term “con doloezza” which is a direction to play “with sweetness.” Her father also worked as a high-school guidance counselor.

Ferron Williams, Politician born

*Ferron Williams was born on this date in 1955. He is a retired Jamaican police inspector and politician. Ferron Williams was born to parents Advira Elizabeth Anderson-Williams and Robert Williams, members of the Maroon community of Accompong. He attended local schools and joined the police service. After 37 years, Williams resigned from the force at […]

The White House Appoints Its First Black Cabinet Member

On this date in 1955, E. Frederic Morrow became the first African American to serve in an executive position on a United States president’s cabinet in the White House.

A graduate and a recipient of a law degree from Rutgers University, Morrow served as a NAACP field secretary before joining the U.S. Army Field Artillery in 1942. In four years, he was promoted from private to a major. The former CBS public affairs writer served as an administrative aid and advisor to President Dwight D. Eisenhower on his campaign train in 1952.

Keys v. Carolina Coach Company is Ruled

On this date in 1955, Sarah Keys v. Carolina Coach Company was ruled.  This was a landmark civil rights case in the United States in which the Interstate Commerce Commission, in response to a bus segregation complaint filed in 1953 by Black Women’s Army Corps (WAC) private Sarah Louise Keys.   This broke with its historic loyalty to the Plessy v. Ferguson separate but equal doctrine and interpreted the […]

Morocco Gains Independence From France

*On this date in 1956, Morocco gained independence from France. In 1844, after the French conquered Algeria, the Franco-Moroccan War took place, with the bombardment of Tangiers, the Battle of Isly, and the bombardment of Mogador. This was a prelude to the Berlin Conference, the high point of white European competition for African territory, a […]

The ‘Southern Manifesto,’ is Enacted

*On this date in 1956, we recall the enactment of the “Southern Manifesto.” This was a legislative challenge to defeat the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v BOE in 1954.
Case number 102 Cong. Rec. 4515-16 1956 was signed by 19 Senators and 81 Representatives from the South including all of Georgia’s congressional delegation.

Davis v. Prince Edward Co. School Board is Decided

*Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County was decided on this date in 1956.  Though filed in May 1951, it was one of the five cases combined into Brown v. Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court 1954, officially overturned racial segregation in U.S. public schools.   In 1951, Spottswood Robinson […]