AT&T Unveils 2014 Edition of The Alabama African American history Calendar
Honorees Include Civil Rights Activists, Educators, Doctors, and Musicians
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – AT&T* has announced the unveiling of the 2014 edition of the Alabama African American History Calendar. The publication highlights individuals from across the state who have made a lasting impact on communities and individuals in Alabama and around the world.
“The 2014 history calendar is a testimonial to the hard work and dedication of the people honored in the calendar,” said Fred McCallum, president, AT&T Alabama. “I am very pleased that AT&T, along with our valuable partners, is once again presenting this inspirational calendar that will serve as an educational guide to tens of thousands of children across Alabama.”
Representing communities from across Alabama, the class of 2014 represents a wide variety of fields, including education, community activism, civil rights, local government, law, medicine, and music.
To download an electronic copy of the 2014 calendar or to access biographies of current and past honorees and resources for educators, please visit http://alafricanamerican.com/.
The 2014 History Calendar’s honorees include:
Thom Gossom – Athlete, actor, author, entrepreneur, and speaker are a few of the titles listed on his resume. He was the second African American to play football at Auburn, and reportedly the first African American to walk-on and earn a scholarship in the Southeastern Conference, which he later wrote about is his acclaimed memoir Walk-On: My Reluctant Journey to Integration at Auburn University.
Benjamin Sterling Turner – Born into slavery, he went on to become an entrepreneur, business executive, civic leader, and legislator. In 1870, he became the first African American from Alabama elected to the United States Congress, where he served from 1871 to 1873.
Ralph David Abernathy – Over the course of his lifetime, he served as a pastor, veteran, author, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Civil Rights activist. From organizing the historic yearlong Montgomery bus boycott to leading the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968, he was deeply involved with leveling the playing field and improving the lives of African Americans throughout the country.
Herschell Lee Hamilton – He committed his life to the advancement of civil rights and the health and well-being of all people, but particularly African-Americans. Under his direct care, many sick and injured civil rights participants received free medical and surgical care. In 1965, he served as a medical coverage team member on the first day of the Selma to Montgomery March, and two of his well-known patients included Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
John LeFlore – For more than 50 years, he was the voice and face of the civil rights movement along the Gulf Coast. He played a key role in the desegregation of the Mobile public schools and worked to change the at-large election format in Mobile to ensure African Americans had a voice in government.
Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr. – As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, he works to bring to life both the anguish and the accomplishments of the long march to freedom through interactive, multi-media exhibits, along with an impressive archives and oral history collection that records firsthand accounts from more than 400 of the movement’s courageous followers and celebrated leaders.
Alexis M. Herman – At the age of 29, an appointment by President Jimmy Carter made her the youngest director of the Women’s Bureau in the history of the Labor Department. In 1997, she was sworn in as the first African American ever to lead the United States Department of Labor, where under her tenure, unemployment in the country reached a 30-year low and the nation witnessed the safest workplace record in the history of the department.
Amelia Boynton Robinson – She was a leader in the civil rights movement and a key figure in the 1965 march that became known as Bloody Sunday. Her efforts and work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were instrumental in leading to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Arthur Shores – Called “Alabama’s Drum Major for Justice”, he became one of the most successful African American and civil rights attorneys in Alabama and the nation. His landmark case, Lucy v. Adams, opened the doors at the University of Alabama for all African Americans. The case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1955, and the Court’s decision struck down the University of Alabama’s policy of denying admission based solely on race or color.
Richard Arrington – In 1979, he was elected as Birmingham’s first African American mayor and served as the chief executive of Alabama’s largest city for 20 years. He was at the helm of the city’s transition to the most-diversified economy in the southeast – an economy now led by biomedical research and health care, telecommunications, engineering, and banking. When he left office in 1999, the city had a record number of jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in its history.
Henry Panion – As a producer, composer, arranger, and orchestrator, his work has produced two Grammy Awards, two Dove Awards, and a host of other national music awards and nominations. He is most known for his work as conductor and arranger for superstar Stevie Wonder, for whose performances and recordings he has led many of the world’s most notable orchestras. He made history by topping the Billboard charts on both the Gospel and Classical Crossover Charts simultaneously.
Dinah Washington – Known as the “Queen of the Blues,” she became the most popular African American female recording artist of the decade with a string of hits during the 1950s. Her talents landed her performances at the most prestigious national and international jazz festivals and a royal performance at the London Palladium. From 1948 to 1955, she produced 27 Top Ten hits on the R&B charts and earned a Grammy for best Rhythm & Blues Performance.
Primary partners on the History Calendar project are Fox 6 WBRC, Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama State University, Alabama Learning Exchange, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and The Birmingham Times.
