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February 20, 2007
Black History Month
Anna Arnold Hedgeman grew up in St. Paul and was the first black woman to graduate from Hamline University in 1922. She was also the first black woman to serve on a New York City mayoral cabinet and the only woman on the executive committee that organized the 1963 March on Washington. She died in 1990 at the age of 91.
Alan Page was born in 1945 in Canton, Ohio. He played primarily as a defensive lineman for the Vikings. He then went on to a legal career and became an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. In 1988, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Sharon Sayles Belton was born in St. Paul in 1951. The first black person and first woman elected mayor in Minneapolis in 1994, she brought business to downtown and reduced crime in the city. Belton co-founded the Harriet Tubman Shelter for Battered Women and the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
David Winfield was born in St. Paul in 1951. After playing for the University of Minnesota, he was drafted by the NBA, the ABA, the Vikings and the MLB, the only man to be drafted by four leagues. He played Major League Baseball for 22 seasons with six teams, including the Twins, and was accepted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
Sounds of Blackness was founded in 1969 at Macalester College. It is a vocal and instrumental group based in the Twin Cities. They perform many African American genres including gospel, R&B, soul and jazz. They have won three Grammy awards, one Emmy nomination, an NAACP Image Award nomination and had several Billboard hits in the 1990s.
Kimberly Elise was born in Minneapolis in 1967. She recieved a degree in Communication from the University of Minnesota and attended the American Film Institute. Elise starred in movies such as John Q, The Manchurian Candidate and Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
Roy Wilkins grew up in St. Paul. He held the executive secretary position of the NAACP and edited The Crisis for 15 years. Wilkins is considered one of the most articulate spokespeople in the civil rights movement. The Roy Wilkins Auditorium at the St. Paul River Centre is named in his honor. He died in 1981 at the age of 80.
Special thanks to Hamline University Pride BSA
Sources: www.aaregistry.com; www.wikipedia.com
Posted by dwright at February 20, 2007 11:27 AM
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