Born: October 26, 1947 Claim to fame: Hillary Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a U.S. Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009, and as the wife of the 42nd President, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the [...]

October 26, 2010 by ishita | Tags: Bill Clinton, feminist icon, Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, The Washington Post, women's rights | Comments Off

March 31st is the birthday of civil rights activist and labor organizer, César Chávez, and also a national holiday in the works.

March 31, 2010 by Annie | Tags: b-days, b-listed, breakthrough, César Chávez, Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, Dolores Huerta, United Farm Workers | Comments Off

Ratified by New York: March 30, 1870 Added to the Constitution: Feb 3, 1870 The 15th Amendment was apart of the Reconstruction Amendments, and it gave African-Americans the right to vote throughout the country, by banning voter discrimination based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.” Did you know? After the amendment was ratified, [...]

March 30, 2010 by Stefani | Tags: African American, b-days, b-listed, breakthrough, Civil Rights, Constitution, reconstruction, Rights, Slavery, The 15th Amendment, Vote | Comments Off

Born: 1910 Claim to fame: The NUL was founded in New York City by Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Hayes. It grew as a result of the Great Migration, the mass movement of African Americans from the south to northern cities in the early to mid 1900s. It responded to a need to [...]

March 4, 2010 by Stefani | Tags: b-days, b-listed, Blogging the Dream, breakthrough, Civil Rights, civil rights organizations, human rights, Marc Morial, National Urban League, The Great Migration | Comments Off

Born: March 2, 1904 Claim to fame: Theodor Seuss Geisel was the author of over 60 children’s books that inspired generation after generation with rhyming prose that told stories holding resonating messages. Although he died in 1991, his books continue to influence children and adults alike. Did you know? Before dedicating himself to children’s books, [...]

March 2, 2010 by Stefani | Tags: b-days, b-listed, breakthrough, children's books, Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs in Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Library of Congress, Michelle Obama, National Education Association, political cartoons, Read Across America, The Sneetches | Comments Off

Born: November 20, 1923 Claim to fame: Nadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. Her short stories and novels (The Lying Days- 1953, The Conservationist-1974)  have received world-wide acclaim, and almost always deal with political issues. From very early on, she was strongly involved in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and [...]

November 20, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Anti-apartheid movement, apartheid, HIV, Nadine Gordimer, Nelson Mandela, Nobel Prize for Literature, South Africa, The Conservationist, The Lying Days, writer | Comments Off

Born: November, 1969 Claim to fame:  Sesame Street (a show that many of us are proud to say we grew up on) taught and still teaches many to read, write, and solve math problems using colorful muppets, skits, and neighborhood visitors. Did you know? 1.One would assume that Sesame Street has a website, since most [...]

November 4, 2009 by crissy spivey | Tags: 40th Anniversary, Sesame Street | 1 Comment »

Born: October 29, 1938  Claim to fame: A member of the Council of Women World Leaders, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is a symbol of empowerment and strength for women worldwide as she overcame odds and opposition to become the first woman to be elected head of state in Africa on January 16, 2006. In 2005, she founded [...]

October 29, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Africa, civil war, Council of Women World Leaders, education, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia, Peace, President, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Woman President | Comments Off

In the face of the National Equality March that took place in DC this past weekend, we thought it especially appropriate to highlight the birthday of one of the world’s prolific authors – Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned for living his life. Born: October 16, 1854 Claim to fame: Wilde was an Irish playwright who [...]

October 16, 2009 by crissy spivey | Tags: b-days, LBGT, National Equality March, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray | Comments Off

Born: October 7, 1931 Claim to fame: Tutu is a South African cleric and activist who heavily opposed apartheid in the 1980s. In 1984 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the first Black South African Anglican Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa. My claim to fame: I fainted on his sister’s front lawn [...]

October 7, 2009 by crissy spivey | Tags: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, b-days, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize, South Africa | Comments Off