Today in Black History: October 17th
1928 – Lerone Bennett Jr. Is Born
Lerone Bennett Jr. was a renowned historian of African American history, authoring numerous articles, poems, short stories, and over nine influential books. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on October 17th, he graduated from Morehouse College in 1949 and began his journalism career at the Atlanta Daily World. In 1952, Bennett moved to Chicago to work as city editor for JET magazine and later became an associate editor at Ebony. By 1958, he was senior editor at Ebony, where he was encouraged to write accessible history for a broader audience.
His seminal work, Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America, 1619-1962, published in 1963, explored the long history of black slavery and racial segregation in America. Bennett’s contributions include influential books such as What Manner of Man, a biography of Martin Luther King Jr., and Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln’s White Dream. He received numerous accolades throughout his career and passed away in Chicago on February 14, 2018.
1956 – Mae Jemison Is Born
Mae C. Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and moved to Chicago at age three. Inspired by her uncle, she developed an early interest in archaeology and anthropology, spending much time reading in libraries. Jemison graduated high school with honors and attended Stanford University, earning degrees in chemical engineering and African American studies.
She then attended Cornell University Medical School, graduating in 1981, and volunteered in a Thai refugee camp while participating in health studies in Kenya. In 1987, she joined NASA and became the first African American woman in space during the STS-47 mission in September 1992. After resigning from NASA in 1993, she founded The Earth We Share, a space camp for youth, and taught at Dartmouth College from 1995 to 2002. Currently, she directs the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in developing countries.
