Mar. 20, 1960: Civil rights icon Dr. Ossian Sweet dies of apparent suicide
Sweet was best known for being a victim of a racially-charged ambush in September 1925.
Feb. 7, 1968: Michigan Chronicle columnist Joseph “Ziggy” Johnson joins the ancestors
Johnson was a Michigan Chronicle columnist, nightclub impresario and local dance studio instructor.
Jan. 24, 1971: Actress Kenya Moore is born in Detroit
She will attend Cass Technical High School,Wayne State University and earn the prestigious title and crown of Miss USA in 1993.
Jan 21, 1968: Robert Earl Hayden Day celebrated
It is a special tribute to the city native, renowned poet and current professor of English at Fisk University in Nashville.
Jan. 20, 1986: MLK Day observed for the first time
The holiday was initially proposed by Rep. John Conyers (D., MI) and Sen. Edward Brooke (D., Mass) in 1979.
Jan. 17, 1977: Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” tops the R&B charts
The song focuses on his childhood from the 1950s into the early 1960s.
Jan. 16, 1979: R&B singer Aaliyah is born in Brooklyn
Raised in Detroit, Aaliyah attended Gesu Catholic School and the Detroit Public Schools’ High School for the Fine and Performing Arts.
Jan. 10, 1974: Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” is the No. 1 R&B song in the US
The song is ranked #105 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 songs of all time.
Jan. 8, 1961: Wayne State student begins journey to desegregate University of Georgia
“I don’t expect any trouble from other students,” she tells the Michigan Chronicle.
Jan. 7, 1985: Mayor Young arrested protesting apartheid outside South African Embassy
“Young marched in a picket line with about 75 demonstrators near the embassy, wearing a placard that said ‘Free South Africa Now 3/8’ He was released on his own recognizance following arrest.”