Notable African American Figures and Events in U.S. History

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L. Douglas Wilder

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He was the first African American to be elected as a state governor in U.S. history.

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Arthur Ashe, Jr.

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First African American winner of a major men’s tennis championship, spoke out for social change.

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The Norfolk 17

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Seventeen students who integrated public schools in Norfolk, Virginia.

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Brown v. Board of Education

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Segregation of schools is unconstitutional.

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Oliver W. Hill, Sr.

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A lawyer from Virginia who helped fight for desegregation of schools.

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Senator Harry F. Byrd

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Led the Massive Resistance movement, refusing to support school desegregation.

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Barbara Johns

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A high school student from Farmville, Va. who led a student strike against segregation in 1951.

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Maggie L. Walker

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The first African American woman to establish a bank and become a bank president.