People, Locations, Episodes

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.

Ken Wofford, Tuskegee Airman born

*Kenneth Wofford Sr. was born on this date in 1922. He was an African American administrator and former Tuskegee Airman.

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.

The United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind is Ruled

*On this date in 1923, United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind ruled that Indians from India were not white in America.

Moore et al. v. Dempsey is Decided

*On this date in 1923, Moore et al. v. Dempsey was decided.  This was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled 6–2 that the defendants’ mob-dominated trials deprived them of due process guaranteed by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.  Moore v. Dempsey was the first case to come […]

Lawrence Rainey, Police Officer born.

*Lawrence Rainey was born on this date in 1923. He was a white-American police officer and white supremacist. Lawrence Andrew Rainey Sr. grew up in Neshoba and Kemper County, Mississippi. His parents were John and Bessie Rainey. Rainey had a younger brother who died at a young age. Rainey’s education stopped at the 8th grade. His […]

Celes King III, Pilot born

*Celes King III was born on this date in 1923.  He was a Black administrator, pilot, and activist.  From Chicago, Illinois, as a child, 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.

Joshua Dunbar, Civil War Soldier born

*The birth of Joshua Dunbar is celebrated on this date in c 1823. He was a Black plasterer and soldier. Joshua Dunbar was born enslaved in Garrard County, Kentucky. Historians know little about his early life; he trained as a plasterer while enslaved. His master allowed him to work away from his home plantation and […]

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, Oklahoma Lawyer born

*On this date in 1924, Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was born. She was an African American lawyer, administrator and activist.

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.