January 7
2002- Shirley Franklin was sworn in as the first African American mayor of Atlanta and the only African American woman to a mayor a major U.S. city.
January 8
1922- First African American Colonel Charles Young died in Lagos, Nigeria, from a kidney infection while on reconnaissance in the country. He was the third African American graduate of West Pointe, the first African American U.S. National Park Superintendent and first African American military attaché until his death.
January 9
1935- Publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine Earl Graves was born in Brooklyn, New York. Graves is also the chairman of his media Company Earl G. Graves, Ltd.
January 10
1915- Classical conductor Dean Dixon was born in Harlem, NY. Dixon became one of Europe’s best-known conductor’s after leaving the U.S. in 1949. For more than 10 years he conducted the Goteborg Symphony in Sweden.
January 11
1971- Mary J. Blige, also referred to as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, was born in Bronx, New York. The singer, songwriter, actress and record producer started her career with her first album “What’s the 411?” in 1992. Her career took off from that point on.
January 12
1952- The University of Tennessee admitted its first African American Student. Gene Mitchell Gray enrolled in the graduate biochemistry program and was eventually fired from his job because of that.
