People, Locations, Episodes

The “Red Ball Express,” American Army Project Begins

On this date in 1944, The American Army started the “Red Ball Express,” a huge trucking operation to supply World War II troops in Europe with provisions.

The First Black Women Are Admitted To Navy WAVES

On this date in 1944, the Navy integrated their Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service better known as WAVES.

Up to that time, black women were barred from the WAVES. The efforts of Mildred McAfee and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune helped the Secretary of the Navy push through the admittance of African American women into military service.

The first two black WAVES officers, Harriet Ida Pikens and Frances Wills, were sworn in December 22 of that year. Of the 80,000 WAVES in the World War II, 72 Black women served, normally under integrated conditions.

The 761st Tank Battalion, a story

*The 761st Tank Battalion saw combat on this date in 1944. They were a Black segregated tank battalion of the United States Army during World War II. The 761st were known as the Black Panthers after their distinctive unit insignia, which featured a black panther’s head, and the unit’s motto was “Come out fighting.” The […]

Mickey Leland, Politician born

“Mickey” Leland was born this date in 1944. He was an African American politician and activist.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, George Thomas “Mickey” Leland grew up in Houston. In 1970, he received a B.S. in pharmacy from Texas Southern University and was an instructor of clinical pharmacy at the same school. He also was involved in the civil rights movement while he was a student.

Harold Ford Sr., Politician born

*Harold Ford Sr. was born on this date in 1945. He is a Black politician and lobbyist. Harold Eugene Ford Sr. grew up on Horn Lake Road in the West Junction neighborhood of South Memphis. He is the eighth of fifteen children born to Newton, Jackson Ford, and Vera (Davis) Ford, prominent African American community […]

Alan Page, Athlete, and Judge born

*Alan Page was born on this date in 1945. He was an African American football player and is a lawyer and state Supreme Court Judge, and education activist.

Barney Pityana, African Policy Advocate born

*Barney Pityana was born on this date in 1945. He is a Black South African human rights lawyer, activist, and theologian. Nyameko Barney Pityana was born in Uitenhage and attended the University of Fort Hare. He was one of the founding members of the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO) of the Black Consciousness Movement with Steve Biko […]

The Women’s Political Council is Formed

*The Woman’s Political Council (WPC) was organized on this date in 1946. Founded in Montgomery, Alabama, it was an organization that was an early force active in the 20th-century American Civil Rights movement that was formed to address the racial issues in the city. WPC’s founding members included Mary Fair Burks, Jo Ann Robinson, Irene West, Thelma Glass, […]

Morgan v. Virginia is Ruled

On this date in 1946, the U. S. Supreme Court decided Morgan v. Virginia, a landmark case in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation in interstate bus travel was unconstitutional.

Bobby Rush, Politician born

*Bobby Rush was born on this date in 1946. He is a Black politician, activist, and pastor. Bobby Lee Rush was born in Albany, Georgia. After his parents separated when Rush was seven years old, his mother took him and his siblings to Chicago, Illinois. In 1963 Rush dropped out of high school and joined […]

Lee Roy Young, Law Enforcement Officer born

*Lee Roy Young was born on this date in 1947.  He was a Black law enforcement officer, Texas Ranger.   Lee Roy Young was born in Del Rio, TX.  After graduating high school, he served four years in the United States Navy from 1966 to 1970.  After being discharged from the Navy, he earned an […]

Alexis Herman, Politician born

*Alexis Herman was born this date in 1947. She is an African American administrator, and politician.

The United Gold Coast Convention is Formed

*The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was formed on this date in 1947. The UGCC was a political party aiming to bring about Ghanaian independence from their British colonizers after the Second World War. In the 1940s, African merchants, such as George Alfred Grant and Joseph Danquah wanted to finance a political movement to ensure their […]

Carole Moseley Braun, Politician born

*Carol Moseley Braun was born on this date in 1947.  She is a Black diplomat, politician, and lawyer.  Carol Elizabeth Moseley was born in Chicago, Illinois.  Her father, Joseph J. Moseley, was a Chicago police officer and jail guard; her mother, Edna A. (Davie), was a medical technician in a hospital. Both her parents were […]

Mamphela Ramphele, Academic, and Activist born

*Mamphela Ramphele was born on this date in 1947. She is a Black South African activist, doctor, academic, and businesswoman. Mamphela Aletta Ramphele was born in the Bochum District in Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo, South Africa. Her mother, Rangoato Rahab, and her father, Pitsi Eliphaz Ramphele, were primary school teachers. In 1955, Ramphele witnessed a conflict […]