People, Locations, Episodes

Wilson O. Brooks, Teacher born

*This date in 1925 celebrates the birth of Wilson O. Brooks, a Black Canadian officer, teacher, and civil rights advocate. Born in Windsor, Ontario, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Brooks. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in April of 1943 and trained at No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School […]

Patrice Lumumba, Congolese Poltician born

*On this date, in 1925, Patrice Lumumba was born.  He was a Black Congolese writer, activist, and politician.   Patrice Emery Lumumba was the son of a farmer, François Tolenga Otetshima, and his wife, Julienne Wamato Lomendja.   He was born in Onalua in the Katakokombe region of the Kasai province of the Belgian Congo, of the Tetela ethnic group. He had three brothers (Charles Lokolonga, Émile Kalema, […]

The National Bar Association is Formed

On this date in 1925, the National Bar Association (NBA), formally organized. It is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of predominately African American lawyers and judges.

Gus Savage, Chicago Politician born

On this date in 1925, Gus Savage, an African American politician, was born.

Born in Detroit, Savage attended public schools in Chicago and served in the U.S. Army until 1946 after graduation. He earned a B.A. degree in philosophy from Roosevelt University in 1951. While attending Chicago-Kent College of Law (1952-1953), he began his career as a journalist. Politically, Savage started in the 1940s as a fulltime member of the Progressive Party of former Vice President Henry A. Wallace. He also promoted programs for Paul Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Hon. Elijah Muhammad.

Robert F. Kennedy, Politician born

*Robert “Bobby” Kennedy was born on this date in 1925.  He was a white-American politician, lawyer, and author. Robert Francis Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the seventh child of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy.  After serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve as a seaman apprentice from 1944 to 1946, Kennedy returned to Harvard University and graduated in 1948. He received his law degree […]

James R. Ford, Tallahassee Educator born

*James R. Ford was born on this date in 1925.  He was a Black educator, politician, and businessman.   James Robert Ford was born in Leon County, Florida, and grew up there, attending local segregated public schools. He attended Florida A&M University, earning his B.S. in 1950 and his MEd in 1959. He served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army.  He […]

Idi Amin, African Dictator born

*The birth of Idi Amin is celebrated on this date in 1925.  He was a Black African dictator and politician.  Idi Amin Dada was born in Koboko County in the West Nile district of Uganda, home of the Kakwa tribe. His birth year is estimated at 1925 because records were not kept for Ugandans. His father had […]

Samuel Kelly, Soldier, and Administrator born

*Samuel Kelly was born on this date in 1926. He was a Black soldier and educator. Samuel Eugene Kelly was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, to James Handy Kelly, a minister, and Essie Matilda Allen-Kelly, a homemaker. Educated at Greenwich public schools, Kelly dropped out of high school in 1943 and joined the United States Army […]

Basil Paterson, Lawyer, and Politician born

*Basil Alexander Paterson was born on this date in 1926. He is an African American labor lawyer and former politician.

Mervyn Dymally, California Congressman born

On this date in 1926, Mervyn M. Dymally, an African American educator and politician, was born.

Born in Cedros, Trinidad, in the British West Indies, Dymally attended Cedros Government School on Trinidad and St. Benedict and Naparima secondary schools in San Fernando, Trinidad. In 1946 he arrived in the United States to study at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO. He earned a B.A. degree in education from California State University, Los Angeles (UCLA), in 1954. In 1956, he began a career as a teacher of exceptional children in Los Angeles.

Nathaniel R. Jones, Lawyer, and Judge born

*Nathaniel R. Jones was born on this date in 1926. He was a Black attorney, judge, and law professor. Nathaniel Raphael Jones was born in the Smoky Hollow district of Youngstown, Ohio, several blocks from a federal courthouse that now bears his name. Although he lived in an integrated neighborhood and attended an integrated public […]

Corrigan v. Buckley is decided

*On this date in 1926, Corrigan v. Buckley, 271 U.S. 323 (1926), was decided. This U.S. Supreme Court case ruled that the racially restrictive covenant of multiple residents on S Street N.W., between 18th Street and New Hampshire Avenue, in Washington, DC, was a legally binding document that made selling a house to a Black […]

Julius Becton Jr., Soldier and Administrator born

*Julius Becton Jr. was born on this date in 1926. He is a Black retired United States Army lieutenant general and education administrator. Julius Wesley Becton Jr. was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in July 1944, graduated from infantry Officer Candidate School in 1945, and served with the […]

George L. Brown, Politician born

*George Brown was born on this date in 1926.  He was a Black politician.   George Leslie Brown grew up on a farm in Lawrence, Kansas.  He was a basketball, football, and track high school athlete before graduating from Lawrence Liberty Memorial High School in 1944. Brown graduated from the University of Kansas in 1950 […]

Jesse Brown, Navy Pilot born

Jesse L. Brown was born on this date in 1926. He was the first African American aviator in the U.S. Navy.