US Government Podcasts » Black History Month Special Radio Features from the US Census Bureau

Black History Month Special Radio Features from the US Census Bureau

Edward Davis

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 28, 2006

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Profile America for this 28th day of Black History Month. Today marks the birthday of Edward Davis the nation's first African-American new car dealer. Unable to land a franchise of his own with one of the big three automakers, Davis turned to the Studebaker Corporation in South Bend, Indiana. With its backing, he opened a dealership in Detroit in 1940 which he operated until the carmaker closed 26 years later. In 1996, Davis was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, and the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers has created the annual Edward Davis Pioneer Award. There are more than 4-thousand automotive dealers and service stations owned by African-Americans, generating nearly 7-billion dollars in revenue annually. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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George Washington Bush

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 27, 2006

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Profile America for this 27th day of Black History Month. One of the pioneers who set out by wagon train to the West in 1844 was an African-American named George Washington Bush. His hope was to escape the discrimination of Missouri; but when he arrived in the Oregon Territory, he found the same attitudes flourishing there. This caused Bush to move north across the Columbia River into the British controlled area, in search of good land into what is now the state of Washington. One of Bush's sons, William Owen Bush, was elected to the first Washington state legislature, where he introduced the bill that established Washington State University. In 1850, the area that is now Washington state had a population of 1-thousand. Now, the state is home to more than 6-million people. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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George Edward Alcorn Jr.

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 26, 2006

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Profile America for this 26th day of Black History Month. Most Americans could not conceive of a life without their favorite electronic gadgets. Many of the technological advances that make these devices possible have come from the nation's space program. One man who has made many contributions is George Edward Alcorn Jr., the assistant director of Applied Engineering and Technology at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Honored as NASA's inventor of the year in 1984, he holds eight patents, and several of his inventions are used widely in the semiconductor industry. Alcorn holds degrees in nuclear and molecular physics from Howard University. Each year in the U.S., some 4-thousand men and women earn Ph.D.'s in the physical sciences. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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C. DeLores Tucker

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 25, 2006

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Profile America for this 25th day of Black History Month. When C. DeLores Tucker died last fall, her obituary noted that she had spent her entire adult life fighting for civil rights. She first came to public notice marching arm-in-arm with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama. In her final years, she campaigned against obscenities in rap music. Tucker was the first African-American and first woman to be Pennsylvania Secretary of State. During her tenure, Tucker helped streamline voter registration, lower the voting age to 18 and started the first state commission on the status of women. Across the country, 81 women have been elected to state executive offices, and nearly 17-hundred are members of state legislatures. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Gordon Parks

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 24, 2006

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Profile America for this 24th day of Black History Month. A magazine left behind on a train triggered the career of one of the most talented American photographers. A portfolio of pictures in the magazine prompted Gordon Parks to buy his first camera. His career since has included author, poet, pianist, composer and film director. For 20 years he was a photojournalist for "Life" magazine, producing 300 articles. He directed a number of movies, including "Shaft," for which he wrote the script and the musical score. Among numerous other honors, he is a member of the International Photography Hall of Fame. There are 158-thousand professional photographers in the U.S., about 8 percent of them African-American. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Harriet Tubman

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 23, 2006

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Profile America for this 23rd day of Black History Month. She was lauded by Frederick Douglass and John Brown and the Confederate states posted a 40-thousand dollar reward for her capture. Harriet Tubman was described as a short, black woman with missing teeth and no distinctive features. But she was very brave, making 19 trips into the South and helping over 300 slaves to freedom. During the Civil War, Tubman worked for the Union Army as a cook, scout, spy and as a nurse. At one point, she cared for wounded African-American soldiers at a hospital at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Now, there are some 2.5-million registered nurses in the U.S., 10 percent of them African-America. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Lewis Temple

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February 22, 2006

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Profile America for this 22nd day of Black History Month. Lewis Temple was a slave from Richmond, Virginia, who obtained his freedom and moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a blacksmith. At the time, the town was the center of the American whaling industry, and Temple opened a store to supply the long whaling voyages. A big concern at the time was the need for a better harpoon, since many whales were able to free themselves from the one-piece versions then in use. In 1848, Temple developed a harpoon with a pivoting head that stayed embedded in the huge mammal. The harpoon known as "Temple's Toggle," was a big success for its inventor, even though he did not apply for a patent. While America no longer hunts whales, its fishermen catch more than 9-billion pounds of fish and shellfish annually. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Sherian Grace Cadoria

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 21, 2006

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Profile America for this 21st day of Black History Month. Sherian Cadoria started life in a two-room house in Louisiana without electricity or running water, picking cotton as soon as she could walk. Her hard-working mother always stressed faith, cleanliness and the importance of education. In college, Cadoria joined an Army training program and was commissioned upon graduation. Shunning traditional career paths for women, she became the first woman to command the all-male Military Police Training Battalion at Fort McClellan, Alabama. She served for 33 months in Vietnam and, after 29 years in the Army, retired as a brigadier general. In the U.S., there are nearly 25-million veterans of military service, 1.7-million of them women. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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George Grant

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 20, 2006

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Profile America for this 20th day of Black History Month. Every time a golfer gets ready for a drive off the tee, he should say thanks to a little-known inventor. Dr. George Grant was one of the first African-American dentists and also one of the first of his race to play golf. Grant was tired of the method of teeing up in the 1890s pinching some damp sand into a little launching pad. So, using his dental skills, he fashioned the first golf tee, for which he received a patent in 1899. Grant's tee was a small wooden peg with a concave piece of rubber on top. It not only held the ball for better control, but aided in achieving longer drives. Today, every one of America's more than 27-million golfers use tees every time they play. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Arna Bontemps

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 19, 2006

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Profile America for this 19th day of Black History Month. Arna Bontemps was a writer who produced works in many different categories. He published only one volume of his poetry and is best known for one novel written in midcareer and rediscovered years later. But his overall impact as poet, novelist, historian, writer of children's books and short stories, editor and librarian helped shape modern African-American literature. Bontemps was a colleague of Langston Hughes, and his first published novel was made into a Broadway musical. His most important work is generally thought to be "Black Thunder," republished in 1968. Each year in the U.S., well over 2-billion books are sold, worth 39-billion dollars. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Ernest Just

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 18, 2006

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Profile America for this 18th day of Black History Month. Ernest Just was a leader in his scientific field, but for years his work was under appreciated. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Just entered a private school in New Hampshire, where he excelled. He continued his achievements at Dartmouth, graduating with honors, and went on to earn his Ph.D. Becoming a research biologist, Just specialized in the study of cells, hoping that learning about healthy cells could lead to understanding diseases such as cancer. His research was so well received that he was awarded the first Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and was honored by many foreign research facilities. Ironically, Just died of cancer in 1941. Today in the U.S., about 45-hundred doctorates are earned each year in biological and life sciences. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Miriam E. Benjamin

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 17, 2006

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Profile America for this 17th day of Black History Month. Airline passengers who take for granted the ability to press the call button above their seat to get the attention of a flight attendant owe their convenience to someone they probably never heard of. Miriam Benjamin was a Washington, D.C., school teacher when she got an idea for an invention a chair she called the "gong and signal chair for hotels." Guests pressed a button on the chair, which sent a signal to a waiting attendant. At the same time, a light was illuminated on the chair, showing which guest needed attention. Benjamin received a patent in 1888 the second African-American woman to do so. The system was a predecessor of the system universally used on airliners around the world. In the U.S., nearly 700-million passengers fly every year. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Sidney Bechet

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 16, 2006

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Profile America for the 16th day of Black History Month. Any fan of traditional jazz has to hear only a few notes to know that the performer on the recording he's listening to is Sidney Bechet. Bechet's large, warm tone and rapid vibrato on the soprano saxophone is a unique sound, and his virtuosity on the difficult instrument helped it to be recognized in the jazz world. His life paralleled the story of jazz born in New Orleans, he played with marching bands before moving to Chicago and playing with greats such as King Oliver. He went on many European tours and, in 1951, made his home in Paris, where he became a folk hero. Today, jazz has a small but loyal following in the U.S., accounting for 3 percent of the sales of recorded music. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Lorraine Hansberry

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 15, 2006

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Profile America for this 15th day of Black History Month. Lorraine Hansberry the first African- American woman to have a play produced on Broadway was greatly influenced by her realtor father. His landmark suit to overturn restrictive covenants that barred blacks from white neighborhoods in Chicago was successfully argued before the Supreme Court in 1940. Hansberry worked for a time on Paul Robeson's magazine, "Freedom." But she quit to work full time as a playwright and completed the script for "A Raisin in the Sun," which opened on Broadway in 1959. The play won the drama critics' Circle Award, making Hansberry the youngest American and the first black to receive the prestigious award. Nearly 40 new productions open on Broadway each year, drawing an audience of 11-million people. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Tony Dungy

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 14, 2006

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Profile America for this 14th day of Black History Month. A coach in the National Football League has to earn the respect of his players and fashion a winning team, while operating under pressure from the fans, the media and the club owner. One man who has accomplished this balancing act is Tony Dungy, now in his fourth season with the Indianapolis Colts. In his 10th year as an NFL head coach, he is widely respected for his knowledge of the game and his calm demeanor. He became the NFL's youngest assistant coach at the age of 25 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1996, Dungy was hired as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was credited with turning around the league's perennial last-place team. Dungy's Colts are one of 32 teams in the NFL, whose games are witnessed by nearly 22-million fans each year. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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John H. Johnson

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 13, 2006

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Profile America for this 13th day of Black History Month. Clipping newspaper and magazine articles about African-Americans gave John Johnson an idea one that not only made him wealthy and honored, but changed the self-perception of the black community. The idea was to publish a magazine about African-Americans. Borrowing $500 from his mother in 1942, Johnson began publishing. After three years, he brought out "Ebony" magazine, profiling rising African- American figures in business, politics and the arts. He added the weekly magazine "Jet" in 1951. Both proved to be widely read and influential. Now, there are 1.2-million black-owned businesses in the U.S., generating 93-billion dollars in revenue. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Condoleezza Rice

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 12, 2006

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Profile America for this 12th day of Black History Month. One of the most influential members of the Bush administration was studying to be a concert pianist when a course in international relations changed her career thinking. The student was Condoleezza Rice the course was taught by Josef Korbel, father of America's first female Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. Rice was the Soviet Affairs Adviser on President George H. W. Bush's National Security Council. When George W. Bush was elected, she became National Security Adviser and a year ago was appointed as the first African-American woman to be Secretary of State. Secretary Rice holds masters and doctorate degrees. In the U.S. today, more than 17 percent of African-Americans have earned at least a bachelor's degree. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Martin Robinson Delany

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 11, 2006

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Profile America for this 11th day of Black History Month. Many people don't excel at even one career, but Martin Robinson Delany had many doctor, editor, author, politician, judge and Army officer. He used his talents toward abolishing slavery and promoting emigration for African- Americans, even leading an expedition to Africa to find a suitable area. He went to Harvard to become a physician and during the Civil War recruited soldiers for all-black units in the Union Army. He attained the rank of major, becoming the first African-American with a regular Army commission. After the war, he was active in politics, wrote several books and became a judge. In his final years, he returned to the practice of medicine. Today, in the U.S., there are nearly 820- thousand physicians and surgeons nearly 51-thousand of them African-American. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Bobby Short

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 10, 2006

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Profile America for this 10th day of Black History Month. A sense of style. Professional. Distinctive. And above all, sophisticated. These were some of the words used to describe the great New York café society pianist and vocalist, Bobby Short. Short, who died just about a year ago at the age of 80, held court at the Café Carlyle since 1968. His love was the great American song the durable work of Rogers and Hart, Cole Porter and the Gershwins. He also made sure his audiences knew of the great African-American composers of the same period Eubie Blake, Billy Strayhorn and Fats Waller. In the U.S., nearly 9 percent of the nation's 180-thousand musicians and singers are African-American. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Rosa Parks

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 9, 2006

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Profile America for this 9th day of Black History Month. When a shy woman who became a symbol of the civil rights movement died last year at the age of 92, a member of Congress said: "There are very few people who can say their actions and conduct changed the face of the nation Rosa Parks is one." Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man. This sparked a boycott by African-Americans of the bus system and eventually leading to the civil rights movement and desegregation. During her life, Rosa Parks championed the cause of increased opportunities for youth. When she was arrested in 1955, the average black had gone to about seven years of school. Now, 80 percent of African-American adults have a high school diploma. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Frederick Branch

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 8, 2006

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Profile America for this 8th day of Black History Month. Captain Frederick Branch, U.S. Marine Corps, retired, was given a full military burial last April at Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia, shortly after his death at the age of 82. Some of those who attended had never met Branch but had seen a photograph of his wife Peggy pinning on his bars as a Marine Corps second lieutenant late in 1945 the first African-American to wear the uniform of a Marine officer. The couple reenacted the moment at a ceremony honoring his pioneer status in 1997. Branch, who had to overcome many hurdles to be commissioned, has been permanently honored with a building named after him at the Officer Candidate School at Quantico. There are 178-thousand men and women in the Marine Corps 24-thousand of them African-American. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Fannie Lou Hamer

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 7, 2006

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Profile America for this 7th day of Black History Month. Fannie Lou Hamer often called "the spirit of the civil rights movement" was the youngest of 20 children of a Mississippi sharecropper and left school after the sixth grade to pick cotton. In 1962, she helped organize a voter registration drive, which resulted in her and her husband being fired and evicted from the farm where they worked. She came to national attention making a televised speech at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, challenging the all-white delegation from Mississippi. Hamer's best-known quote was "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired." In the 2004 presidential election, 60 percent of potential African-American voters cast their ballots up 3 percent from 2000. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Sarah Goode

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 6, 2006

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Profile America for this 6th day of Black History Month. Many homes have an extra folding bed to use when more guests than usual come to visit. Both the guests and their host have Sarah Goode to thank for their comfort. Goode was freed from slavery at the end of the Civil War and moved to Chicago where she started a furniture store. Noting that many city apartment dwellers had little space for beds, she conceived the idea of a bed that folded up into a cabinet, which then served as a desk. It even had compartments for stationery and writing supplies. The idea was so accepted that she applied for a patent and, in 1885, Sarah Goode received the first patent ever granted to an African-American woman. Each year in the U.S., more than 340-thousand patents are applied for inventions. About 170-thousand are granted annually, only 20-thousand of them to individuals. The rest are granted to U.S. and foreign corporations. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Dorothy West

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February 5, 2006

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Profile America for this 5th day of Black History Month. Dorothy West was one of the members of the creative outburst in the 1920s among young African-American artists and writers known as the Harlem Renaissance. By the time she was 14, she had won several writing competitions sponsored by the Boston Post, and never stopped writing until her death at the age of 91. Her main contribution to the Harlem Renaissance was as a magazine publisher, giving a forum to gifted writers such as Ralph Ellison. In her later years, new fans were found for such neglected works as "The Living is Easy," and "The Wedding," which was adapted for television by Oprah Winfrey. In the U.S. each year, more than 120-thousand new book titles are published. The largest category is fiction. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Maurice Ashley

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February 4, 2006

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Profile America for this 4th day of Black History Month. When Maurice Ashley was 14, he was soundly beaten in a pickup game of chess. Humiliated, he found a paperback book on the game. Simply intending to learn a trick or two, instead he was stunned by the beauty and complexity of chess. Since then, he has focused his life on the game. Ashley began to play in local tournaments and in 1986 earned the rank of national master. In 1999, Maurice Ashley reached his goal of becoming an international grand master one of only 470 in the world and the first African-American to achieve the distinction. Some 7.5-million Americans enjoy the intellectual challenge of chess, more than 600-thousand of them playing at least twice a week. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Evelyn Ashford

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February 3, 2006

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Profile America for this 3rd day of Black History Month. Evelyn Ashford became one of the world's fastest sprinters, overcoming obstacles through a combination of faith and hard work. Her career peaked in time for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, but the U.S. boycotted the games that year. Four years later, she won two medals in spite of the lingering effects of a hamstring injury. By 1988, Ashford had won gold and silver medals. In 1992, at the age of 35, she became the oldest American woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal. In four Olympic games, Evelyn Ashford won five medals, four of them gold. There are 239-thousand professional athletes, along with coaches and umpires, in the U.S. nearly 8 percent are African-American and 32 percent of them women. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Robert Pelham

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 2, 2006

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Profile America for this 2nd day of Black History Month. Robert Pelham was born on the eve of the Civil War in Petersburg, Virginia. During his lifetime, he had many careers, including journalist and inspector of the Detroit Water Department. He also earned a law degree from Howard University. In 1900, he went to work for the U.S. Census Bureau. Watching clerks manually paste up statistical tables, he devised a mechanical device to do the job faster, which he patented in 1905. Pelham worked for the U.S. Census Bureau for 30 years and earned a second patent for a machine which tallied statistical totals. When Robert Pelham started work for the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population stood at just over 76-million. Now, it is approaching 300-million. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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William Greaves

Fetched: September 12th, 2006, 9:50pm PDT

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February 1, 2006

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Profile America for this 1st day of Black History Month. When it comes to making movies, William Greaves has done it all actor, director, producer and writer. One of his recent notable projects is a film for PBS about Ralph Bunche the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche is the latest historical black figure to be profiled in one of Greaves documentaries which include Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells and Malcolm X. Greaves was the executive producer and co-host of a pioneering television series in the 60s and 70s called Black Journal. About his work, William Greaves says: I am doing my best to raise peoples consciousness. There are 137-thousand producers and directors in the U.S. nearly 8 1/2 percent of them are African-American. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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