This Week in Black History (June 23)

June 23, 1940- Track runner Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born in Clarksville, Tennessee. She became the first African American woman to win three gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1956 and 1960.

June 24, 1964- Carl T. Rowan was appointed as the Director of the United States Information Agency, also known as the CIA.

June 25, 1968- Lincoln Alexander became the first African American Member of Parliament in the Canadian Parliament.

June 26, 1975- Samuel Blanton Rosser became the first African American certified in pediatric surgery.

June 27, 1890- George Dixon became the first Black to hold a world title in boxing. Dixon beat Nunc Wallace in England’s Pelican Club and was the only Black present during the fight.

Courtesy Photo

June 29, 1970- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chairman Stephen Gill Spottswood in a keynote address at a Ohio convention criticized then Nixon administration for the lack of support for the civil rights movement.