People, Locations, Episodes

Wed, 09.16.1931

Frente Negra Brasileira is Formed

*On this date, in 1931, Frente Negra Brasileira was formed.  Translated to English, the Black Brazilian Front was part of the Black Movement of Brazil and was Brazil’s first Black political party.   It was formed in 1931 and active until the November 10, 1937, suspension of political parties by the then president, Getúlio Vargas.  Arlindo Veiga dos Santos organized the party following the Revolution […]

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Tue, 11.24.1931

Arthur Chaskalson, Anti-Apartheid Lawyer born

*Arthur Chaskalson was born on this date in 1931. He was a Jewish African lawyer, judge and anti-apartheid activist. Born in Johannesburg he came from a modest background, his father was a Lithuanian immigrant who died when he was 5 years old. Despite their tight finances, his mother sent him to two elite private schools, Pridwin and Hilton.

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Wed, 03.02.1932

Frank Petersen, Marine Corps Officer born

*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

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Sat, 03.12.1932

Andrew Young, Ambassador, and Activist born

*Andrew Young was born this date in 1932. He is an African American Civil Rights activist, former mayor of Atlanta, Georgia and American ambassador to the United Nations.

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Mon, 05.02.1932

Nixon v. Condon Is Decided

*On this date in 1932, Nixon v. Condon was decided. This was a voting rights case decided by the United States Supreme Court, which found the all-white Democratic Party primary in Texas unconstitutional. Nixon v. Condon was one of four cases brought to challenge the Texas all-white Democratic Party primary. The National Association for the […]

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Sat, 06.11.1932

James Nabrit III, Lawyer born

*James Nabrit III was born on this date in 1932. He was an African American civil rights attorney and legal activist.

James Madison Nabrit III was born in Houston, Texas, the son of James Nabrit, Jr., a prominent civil rights attorney, law professor and later President of Howard University. He grew up in Washington, D.C., where he attended segregated public schools through part of high school.

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Wed, 10.05.1932

Yvonne Burke, Lawyer, and Politician born

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke was born on this date in 1932. She is an African American politician and lawyer.

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Mon, 11.07.1932

Powell v. Alabama is Decided

*On this date in 1932, Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, was decided. This was a landmark Supreme Court decision in which the Court reversed the convictions of nine young black men for allegedly raping two white women on a freight train near Scottsboro, Alabama. In March 1931, nine black men—Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen […]

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Sat, 03.18.1933

Unita Blackwell, Politician born

*Unita Blackwell was born, on this date, in 1933. She is a Black politician and activist.

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Fri, 06.16.1933

The National Industrial Recovery Act is Passed

On this date in 1933, The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) was passed into law.  It was a US labor and consumer law passed by the US Congress to authorize the President to regulate the industry for fair wages and prices that would stimulate economic recovery. It also established a national public works program known […]

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Mon, 07.10.1933

Richard Hatcher, Politician, and Lawyer born

*Richard Hatcher was born on this date in 1933. He is an African American politician and law professor.

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Sun, 09.10.1933

James Fowler, State Trooper, and Murderer born

*James Fowler was born on this date in 1933. He was a white-American, murderer, drug dealer, and state trooper.  James Bonard Fowler was born into a farming family in Geneva County, Alabama. He attended local schools, which were racially segregated, and played football in high school. After graduating, he served for a period in the […]

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Thu, 09.21.1933

Clifford Alexander, Lawyer born

*Clifford Alexander was born on this date in 1933.  He is a Black lawyer, businessman, and public servant.   Clifford Leopold Alexander Jr. was born in New York City.  His parents were Clifford Leopold Alexander and his wife. He attended the private Ethical Culture and Fieldston schools. Alexander graduated from Harvard College in 1955 and Yale Law School in 1958. He […]

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Fri, 09.29.1933

John W. Joseph, Politician and Activist born

*John W. Joseph was born on this date in 1933. He was a Black politician and community activist. John Wilfred Joseph was the son of Reverend Adam Joseph and Mrs. Julia Lee Jones Joseph. He was born and raised on his father’s farm in Plaisance, Louisiana, during racial segregation.  The state’s dual education system relegated […]

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Tue, 03.20.1934

Willie Brown Jr., Lawyer, and Politician born

*Willie Brown was born on this date in 1934. He is a Black lawyer, politician and businessman.

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New Poem Each Day

Poetry Corner

I kissed a kiss in youth Upon a dead man's brow; And that was long ago- And I'm a grown man now. It's lain there in the dust, Thirty years and more- My lips that... SCINTILLA by William Stanley Braithwaite.
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