This Week in History, January 9-15:
Contributions of African-Americans
   
Note: Here, learn about some of the African-Americans who have influenced history and contributed to the culture we now enjoy. To learn more about each individual, click on that person's name. Information for "This Week in History" is taken from the African American Registry.

January 9
On this day in 1935, African-American businessman, entrepreneur and activist Earl Graves was born. He formed Earl G. Graves Associates, a management-consulting firm to advise corporations on urban affairs and economic development, and planned, developed, and produced Black Enterprise, a monthly periodical devoted to news, commentary, and articles for Blacks interested in business. He remains one of the most influential Black business leaders in the country.

January 10
On this day in 1864, African-American innovator George Washington Carver was born. His exhaustive series of experiments with peanuts—he developed several hundred industrial uses for them—sweet potatoes, and soybeans convinced Southern farmers to raise crops other than cotton. He also pioneered methods of soil improvement.

January 11
On this date in 1867, African-American educator and journalist Irving Garland Penn was born. Closely associated with Booker T. Washington, he was a news correspondent for several publications and served as an officer in the Methodist Church.

January 12
On this day in 1890, African-American educator, clergyman, administrator and public speaker Wyatt Mordecai Johnson was born. A great influence on Martin Luther King, Jr., he was the first Black president of Howard University; while he was president, faculty tripled, salaries doubled, Congressional appropriations increased to $6 million a year, and Howard University's Freedmen's Hospital was turning out half of the African-American physicians in the country.

January 13
On this day in 1850, Charlotte E. Ray was born. Her admission to the District of Columbia bar in 1872 made her the first woman admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the first Black woman certified as a lawyer in the United States.

January 14
On this day in 1940, civil rights activist and politician Julian Bond was born. Chairman of the NAACP and a prolific author and commentator, he was the first Black to be nominated as vice-president of the United States.

January 15
On this day in 1889, African-American physician, administrator, and activist Dorothy Ferebee was born. Among other activities, she was a member of the executive board of UNICEF and the White House’s Children and Youth Council. President John F. Kennedy appointed her to the Council for Food for Peace, sending her on a five-month tour of Africa. As a delegate to an international conference of women of African descent, she represented nineteen countries in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.