*Sarah Keyes was born on this date in 1929. She is a retired Black nurse’s aide and WAC Army officer. From Washington, N.C., Sarah Louise Keyes was the daughter of David Artist Keyes and Curley Vivian Wooten. One of seven children, she graduated locally from Mother of Mercy School in 1948. After graduation, Keyes worked […]
learn more*Carl Brashear was born on this date in 1931. He was an Africa American Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate and the first Black Master Diver in the Navy.
learn more*Frank E. Petersen, Jr. was born on this date in 1932. He is an African American Marine Corps pilot and officer (retired) and is a lecturer and administrator
learn more*Chukwuemeka Ojukwu was born on this date in 1933. He was a Black Nigerian military officer and politician. Chukwuemeka “Emeka” Odumegwu Ojukwu was born in northern Nigeria. He was the son of Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, an Igbo businessman in the transport business; he took advantage of the business boom during World War II to […]
learn more*The birth of Nicholas Said is celebrated on February 25, 1836. He was a Black translator, soldier, and author. He was born Muhammed ‘Ali Sa’id in Kukawa, Bornu Empire, now a part of Cameroon. Said was kidnapped and fell victim to the Trans-Saharan slave trade. His aptitude for learning languages led to the elevation of his […]
learn moreColin Powell was born on this date in 1937. He is an African American politician, administrator and former soldier.
learn more*On this date in 1941, the Double V Victory of Black history is celebrated. President Franklin Roosevelt gave his “Four Freedoms” speech on that date. During World War II, the black press and several prominent black leaders called for a “Double V” victory against fascism abroad and against Jim Crow at home. It was easy […]
learn more*On this date in 1941, the 758th Tank Battalion was established. This was a Black military tank battalion of the United States Army that served during World War II in Italy. History In March 1941, the U.S. Army’s first black armored unit tankers reported to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to begin armored warfare training. On May […]
learn more*Joseph Reason was born on this date in 1941. He is a retired Navy officer. Joseph Paul Reason was born in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Joseph Reason and his wife, Bernice. His father was a professor of romance languages and director of libraries at Howard University; his mother was a high school biology teacher. Young Reason grew up in […]
learn moreAfrican American Registry acknowledges the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor with 10 short facts that occurred during or after the incident.
learn more*On this date in 1942, the “Lee Street Riot” occurred. This confrontation was between Black soldiers stationed in Alexandria, Louisiana and the town’s white residents. This military regiment involved was the Army’s 367th, a Black regiment. Just one month after Pearl Harbor, violence burst into a pattern that would repeat itself many times in the […]
learn more*On this date in 1942, the Tuskegee Airmen were initiated into the armed forces.
learn more*On this date in 1942 the building of The Alcan Highway in Canada began. This was an Army project during World War II that involved over 10,000 men of which over 30% were African American GI’s.
learn more*Joseph McNeil was born on this date in 1942. He is a Black retired military officer and college activist. Joseph Alfred McNeil was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He grew up in Wilmington and was president of his parish’s Catholic Youth Council. McNeil attended Williston Senior High School, a Black school, where instructors taught their […]
learn more*This date in 1942 celebrates the beginning of the Burma Road construction project, which was a three-year WW II military excavation project. Black soldiers who worked to re-open the Burma Road were the single largest group of Blacks in World War II-era China. They were present in many WW II construction projects, including the Red Ball Express […]
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