People, Locations, Episodes

Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act is Passed

*On this date in 1924, The Racial Integrity Act was passed in Virginia.   The state’s General Assembly passed two laws arising from white concerns about eugenics and race.  This was influenced by the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 due to the number of cases reported by doctors where they found genetic traits in whites that are also found in African Americans […]

David Lee Sr., Businessman born

David Jonathon Lee Sr. was born on this date in 1924. He was an African American lawyer and entrepreneur.

From Lincoln, NE., He was the youngest son of Robert and Blanche Lee. He was orphaned at the age of ten due to the early death of his parents and raised by his Uncle George and Aunt Elnora Evans. Lee attended Whittier Junior high school and graduated from Lincoln Senior high school in 1942. During that time he excelled in many areas, most notably were mathematics and debate. Drafted into the army, he served in the European Theater and was discharged as a Master Sergeant.

Kenneth Kaunda, Politician and Teacher born

*Kenneth Kaunda was born on this date in 1924. He was a Zambian educator and politician. Kenneth David Kaunda was born at Lubwa Mission in then part of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, and was the youngest of eight children. His father, the Reverend David Kaunda, was an ordained missionary and teacher. His mother was also […]

Patricia Roberts Harris, Lawyer, and Diplomat born

*Patricia Roberts Harris was born on this date in 1924. She was an African American lawyer, ambassador, political activist, and educator.

Born in Mattoon, Illinois, Patricia Roberts was the daughter of Bert Fitzgerald Roberts, a Pullman car waiter, and Hildren Brodie Johnson, a schoolteacher. She attended schools in Chicago and graduated summa cum laude from Howard University in 1945. She did postgraduate work at the University of Chicago and at American University in 1949. Until 1953, she worked as Assistant Director of the American Council on Human Rights.

The United States of Africa, a story

*On this date in 1924, we celebrate the United States of Africa.  This is a proposed Pan-African-based concept of a federation of some or all of the 54 sovereign states, and two disputed states on the continent of Africa. The idea of a multinational unifying African state has been compared to various medieval African empires, […]

Barbara Preiskel, Lawyer, and Activist born

*Barbara Scott Preiskel was born on this date in 1924. She was an African American attorney, activist, and administrator.

Harold Brown, Military Officer, and Educator born

*Harold H. Brown was born on this date in 1924. He was a retired U.S. Army Air Force officer, World War II prisoner of war (POW), and former combat fighter pilot in Korea. Harold Brown was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents were originally from Talladega, Alabama, but moved to Minnesota to escape Jim Crow segregation. He […]

Black History and Restrictive Housing Covenants in America, a story

*On this date in 1924, Black History and restrictive housing covenants in America are affirmed. Historically, restrictive covenants were used in real estate transactions to influence the demographics of communities in the U.S. The restrictions kept certain populations out of specific neighborhoods, encouraging racial, ethnic, and cultural segregation.   It wasn’t uncommon for real estate contracts to […]

Israel Augustine Jr., Louisiana Judge born

*Israel Meyer Augustine, Jr. was born on this date in 1924. He was an African American lawyer, activist and judge. From New Orleans, he was a graduate of McDonough 35 High School; he also received a B. A. from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He obtained his law degree from Lincoln University in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1951, he was admitted to the Louisiana Bar and in 1962, he was allowed to practice before the Supreme Court.

Shirley Chisholm, Congresswoman born

This date marks the birthday of Shirley Chisholm in 1924. She was also a teacher, administrator, and politician.

Shirley Anita Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. As a young girl, she lived with her grandparents in Barbados, returning to New York and graduating from Brooklyn College with a B.A. in sociology. In 1952, she received her M.A. from Columbia University, soon beginning a career as a nursery school teacher and director.

Robert Sobukwe, Pan-African Activist born

*Robert Sobukwe was born on this date in 1924. He was a Black African administrative activist. Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was born in Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape Province, the youngest child of Hubert and Angelina Sobukwe. His father worked as a general store clerk and part-time woodcutter; his Xhosa mother served as a domestic worker […]

Jack Greenberg, Lawyer born.

*Jack Greenberg was born on this date in 1924.  He was a white Jewish-American attorney and legal scholar. Jack Greenberg was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York.  Greenberg served in the United States Navy during World War II and fought at Okinawa and Iwo Jima. He commanded a landing craft in the invasion of Iheya Shima, one of the final campaigns of […]

Louis Stokes, Politician born

*Louis Stokes was born on this date in 1925. He is an African American politician and administrator.

Robert Wright, Lawyer born

*Robert Wright was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black lawyer and public servant.  Born in Chicago, Illinois, Robert Wright was the son of Julius Wright and Myrtle Terrell. He graduated from East High School in 1943. After graduation, He enrolled in the United States Army and served in England, France, and […]

George W. Collins, Politician born

*On this date George Washington Collins was born in 1925. He was an African American lawyer and politician.