African-Americans in the Twentieth Century

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AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

*1970*
	Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. (1926- ) became the first African-American selected to preside over a large mainstream American university. On Jan 2, 1970, he became president of Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan until the year 1978. He then served as Chancellor of the State University of New York System from 1978-1987 and was then appointed Chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF.
	Essence magazine was first issued in 1970. Its message was aimed at showing the positive views and stories of African-American women.
	The Ford Foundation provided a grant to establish a center to study the economic and political status of African-Americans in United States. The Center was called the Joint Center for Political Studies and was housed in Washington, DC.
	Cleavon Little (1939-1993) won a Tony Award for his performance in the musical, Purlie.
	Flip Wilson (1933-1998) came to television with his prime-time variety show called The Flip Wilson Show in 1970. Not since the Nat King Cole Show appeared in 1956 had an African-American hosted a national network variety show.
	1970 was a big year for African-Americans elected to the House of Representatives: Ronald Dellums (1935- ) of California, Parren J. Mitchell (1922- ) of Maryland, George Collins (1925-1972) of Illinois, Ralph Metcalfe (1910-1978) of Illinois, and Charles Rangel (1930- ) of New York. (Rangel defeated Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (1908-1972) for this seat in Congress.)
	Kenneth Gibson (1932- ) was elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He served the city for four terms.
	Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970), the international rock music electric guitarist and main figure in the escalation of a new way to produce sounds by fusing jazz and heavy metal music, died in London, England of a suspected drug overdose on September 18, 1970.
	Toni Morrison (1931- ) published her first book, The Bluest Eye in 1970. She later achieved the ultimate in her craft: the Pulitzer Prize, for her 1988 book, Beloved and, in 1993, the Nobel Prize for Literature as a "literary artist of first rank" by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden.

*1971*
	The Congressional Black Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives was formally organized in 1971. Congressman Charles C. Diggs, Jr. (1922-1998) of Michigan was the founder and head of the first Caucus. He served in Congress from 1954 to 1980.
	The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of busing as a tool that could speed up the integration of public schools, mainly in the South. Northern schools later became the focus with their all-white school districts.
	The worst prison riot in American history happened at Attica State Prison in Attica, New York. Governor Nelson Rockefeller called in state troopers, guards, and local police to gain back control and free the hostages on September 10, 1971.
	The Reverend Jesse Jackson (1941- ) organized a new organization with an agenda bent on economic and political action called People United to Save Humanity (PUSH).
	J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), director of the FBI, was working hard to expose and charge Black Power advocates with subversive activities within the United States. The Black Panther Party was the major target as an extremist group "to be watched." Among the Blacks to be watched were: Angela Davis (1944- ), African-American scholar, political activist, and UCLA professor; Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998), who fled to Algeria, Africa; Bobby Seale (1936- ); and Huey P. Newton (1942-1989). Others had been killed in police raids in 1969.
	The top movies to see in 1971 were Sweet Sweetback's Baadass Song, written and produced by Melvin Van Peebles and Shaft, directed by Gordon Parks. Isaac Hayes' song of Shaft won an Academy Award as Best Song in 1971.
	The talented Leroy R. "Satchel" Paige (1906-1982) became the first African-American pitcher elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Paige played baseball for over forty years. He was a recruit to the American League from the old Negro Leagues where he played for twenty-five years.

*1972*
	A survey in 1972 revealed that forty-two percent of all prison inmates were African-Americans. On June 29, 1972, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional. Race was a consideration in this decision since more than half of the six hundred prisoners held on Death Row were African-Americans in 1972.
	James M. Rodgers, Jr. from Durham, North Carolina became the first African-American named National Teacher of the Year.
	Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) of Texas, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (1932- ) of California, and Andrew Young (1932- ) of Georgia were all elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972.
	Remember Frank Willis, the security guard who discovered a break-in at the headquarters of Democratic National Committee's office. This event was the catalyst for the investigation of the Watergate Scandal that eventually caused President Richard Nixon to resign. It happened in 1972.
	The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was revealed in 1972. From 1932 to1972, the United States Public Health Service never disclosed the effect of syphilis on over three hundred African-American male residents living in Macon County, Alabama. The study was to see what the untreated disease would do to humans, particularly males.

*1973*
	Marion Wright Edelman (1939- ) established the Children's Defense Fund. Edelman became an advocate for the rights of poor, minority, and handicapped children via her organization. Her best selling book, The Measure of Our Success, was published in 1992.
	1973 saw three mayoral election wins by African-Americans in major urban cities: Coleman Young (1918-1997) became Mayor of Detroit, MI, Maynard Jackson (1938-2003) became the mayor of Atlanta , GA, and Thomas Bradley (1917-1998) became the mayor of Los Angeles, CA.
	The Vietnam War was ended on March 29, 1973.
	The State of Illinois, on September 17, 1993, became the first state to pass legislation recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a state holiday.
	Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was honored with a tribute by his alma mater, Rutgers University, on his 75th birthday in 1973.
	General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. (1920-1978) was promoted to Lieutenant General of the United States Armed Forces in 1973. By 1975, he became a four star general, the highest-ranking African American serviceman.

*1974*
	A deranged man shot and killed Mrs. Alberta King, the mother of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while she was attending Sunday services at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia in 1974.
	President Richard M. Nixon resigned the office of the President of the United States because of the Watergate scandal and the possibility of an impeachment trial.
	Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974) died on May 24, 1974.
	Tennessee sent its first African-American representative to Congress: Harold Ford (1945- ), from Memphis, Tennessee. He remained in office until 1996 when his seat was taken by his son, Harold Ford, Jr.
	Jill Brown (1949?- ) made aviation history when she became the first African-American woman pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces. In 1978 she became the first African American female pilot for a major airline.
	Henry "Hank" Aaron (1934- ) hit his 715th home run, breaking the long-standing record set by the late Babe Ruth on April 8, 1974.
	Supermodel, Beverly Johnson (1952- ) became the first African-American to grace the cover of Vogue magazine.
	Frank Robinson (1935- ) was hired by the Cleveland Indians as manager, becoming the first African-American in this position on October 1974.

*1975*
	William T. Coleman Jr. (1920- ), the first African-American to serve as a clerk in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948, was appointed by President Gerald Ford to his cabinet as Secretary of Transportation.
	Tennis great, Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), became the first African-American to win the men's singles at Wimbledon, defeating Jimmy Connors.
	Dr. William V. Banks and associates are credited with setting up their independently owned television station, WGPR in Detroit, Michigan in 1975.
	The Jeffersons was a favorite among television watchers. They stayed on for eleven seasons, starting in 1975.
	General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. (1920-1978) became the first African-American Four Star General in the U.S. Air Force on August 29, 1975.
	Max Robinson (1939-1988), career journalist, spearheaded a group of African-American journalists, and they organized, on December 12, 1975, the National Association of Black Journalists.

*1976*
	Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (1937- ) and John Artis (1946- ), were released from prison after serving nine years for a purported murder in New Jersey. A version of the ex-fighter's life is now on the movie screen called Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington.
	Alex Haley (1921-1992) published his novel, Roots, based upon his research in tracing his ancestors back to Gambia in Africa. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Roots.
	Representative Barbara Charline Jordan (1936-1996) of Texas stirred the nation with her eloquent oratorical address as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 1976.
	The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis admitted women for the first time in June of 1976. Janie L. Mines became the first African-American women cadet to enter. She graduated in 1980.
	The death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court on July 2, 1976. It was felt by the affirmative justices that the death penalty would deter major crimes.
	Patricia Roberts Harris (1924-1985) was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Jimmy Carter in 1976, making her the first African-American women appointed to a cabinet position.
	Statistics revealed that college and university enrollment for African-American students had risen sharply from 282,00 in 1966 to 1,062,000 in 1976.

*1977*
	Andrew Young (1932- ) of Georgia became America's Ambassador to the United Nations. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter, becoming the first African-American to serve in this high position.
	Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Medal of Freedom posthumously by President Jimmy Carter on July 11, 1977.
	Karen Farmer broke the racial barrier at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) by becoming the first African-American accepted by its membership in December of 1977. Her acceptance was based upon her kinship to William Hood, who served in the American Revolutionary War.
	Justice was served when Robert E. Chambliss, a former KKK member, was found guilty for the deaths of the four teenage girls killed by a bomb which exploded on Sunday, September 15, 1963 at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
	Clifford Alexander, Jr. (1933-) was named Secretary of the Army by President Jimmy Carter. He held this position from 1977-1980.
	Roots was viewed by over 130 million Americans as a mini-series shown over eight nights on television. The mini-series won a record of nine Emmy Awards.

*1978*
	The November, 1978 election produced five new African-American representatives in Congress: Julian Dixon (1984- ) from California, George "Mickey" Leland (1944-1989) from Texas, Bennett McVey Stewart (1912-1988) from Illinois, William Gray III. (1941-) from Pennsylvania, and Melvin Evans (1917-1984) from the Virgin Islands.
	Three African-Americans were selected as astronauts for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in 1978: Frederick D. Gregory (1941- ), Ronald E. McNair (1950-1986), Guion S. Bluford Jr. (1942- )
	Faye Wattleton (1943- ) became the President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1978. She was the articulate spokesperson for women's decisions on childbirth planning up until she resigned in 1992.
	Morehouse School of Medicine opened its doors in Atlanta on 1978.

*1979*
	Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (1932- ) became the first African-American to earn the rank of General in the United States Marines.
	Franklin A. Thomas (1934- ) became the first African-American to head a major philanthropic foundation, The Ford Foundation in 1979.
	In 1979, The United States Civil Rights Commission disclosed that 46% of the nation's African-American students were still attending segregated all-black schools, despite the ruling that integration was to proceed "with all deliberate speed."
	Hazel W. Johnson (1927- ), in September of 1979, became the first African-American woman to be promoted to the rank of General in the United States Army.
	Arthur Lewis (1915- ) won the Nobel Prize in Economics. Lewis is a Jamaican-born American and professor of economics at Princeton University in New Jersey.
	Walter Massey (1938- ) was appointed as director at the Argonne National Laboratory.
	Richard Arrington, Jr. Ph.D. (1934-) was elected the first African-American mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham, Alabama was, during the 1960's, considered one of America's most racist cities.

*African-Americans in the Twentieth Century*
*1900s*	*1910s*	*1920s*	*1930s*	*1940s*
*1950s*	*1960s*	*1970s*	*1980s*	*1990s*

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