Timuel Black
Timuel Black | |
---|---|
Born | Timuel Dixon Black, Jr. December 7, 1918 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
Died | |
Education | DuSable High School Roosevelt University University of Chicago |
Occupation(s) | Social worker, civil rights activist, historian |
Spouse | Zenobia Johnson-Black[1] |
Timuel Black (born 7 December 1918 Birmingham, Alabama) is an American historian, author, civil rights activist, and expert in African American history in Chicago.
Background
Timuel Black was born on December 7, 1918, in Birmingham, Alabama.[2] His great-grandparents were slaves and his grandparents were born as slaves and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation; his parents were sharecroppers.[3] He grew up in Chicago, where he graduated from DuSable High School in 1937.[4] He graduated from Roosevelt University, where he earned a bachelor's degree, and he earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago.[4] Black served in World War II, and he received four Battle Stars, the Croix de Guerre, and the Legion of Honour.[4]
Career
Black began his career as a social worker.[4] During the 1960s, Black was president of the Negro American Labor Council (Chicago Chapter) and an organizer of Chicago participation in the 1963 March on Washington.[5]
Black was the named plaintiff in the lawsuit Black v. McGuffage[6]. The suit claimed that the Illinois voting system discriminated against minorities in its use of faulty punch card ballots. Deployed in black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago, the faulty ballots prevented residents from casting valid votes in the 2000 presidential election. After Black v. McGuffage, punch card ballots were eliminated and a uniform voting system was put in place.[7]
Personal life
A book of interviews with Black about the African-American history of the South side of Chicago conducted by Susan Klonsky and edited by Bart Schultz was published in 2019. Black explained, "I'm here to personalize and transfer that history to younger people across all lines--race and gender."[8]
At the age of one hundred and five years, eight months, four weeks, and two days (as of today, 6 September 2024), Black serves on the board of Defending Rights & Dissent.[9]
Works
- Black, Timuel D. (2003). Bridges of Memory: Chicago's First Wave of Great Migration. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press. ISBN 9780810123151. OCLC 567296988.
- Black, Timuel D.; Klonsky, Susan (2019). Schultz, Eduard (ed.). Sacred Grounds: The Chicago Streets of Timuel Black as Told to Susan Klonsky. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press. ISBN 9780810139244. OCLC 1088790146.
References
General
- "Timuel D. Black, Jr. Papers," Chicago Public Library (link); OCLC 773740819
- "Timuel Black papers, 1956–1973," Chicago History Museum; OCLC 718738158
In line
- ^ Gettinger, Aaron. "Timuel Black honored for a life of achievement". HPHerald.com. Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ^ "Timuel Black". The History Makers. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ Ihejirika, Maudlyne (December 8, 2018). "Timuel Black — historian, civil rights activist, griot — reflects at age 100". Chicago Sun Times.
- ^ a b c d Briscoe, Tony (February 26, 2018). "Historian Timuel Black celebrates school's past". Chicago Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved August 31, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff Writer. "Documenting the Life of Dr. Timuel D. Black". ChiPubLib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ Staff Writer. "Black v. McGuffage, 209 F. Supp. 2d 889 (N.D. Ill. 2002)". Court Listener. Free Law Project. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ Staff Writer. "HISTORIAN TIMUEL BLACK'S GIFT TO CHICAGO". acluofillinois@aclu-il.org. ACLU Illinois. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ Rockett, Darcel (February 3, 2019). "100 years of South Side history". Chicago Tribune. p. 4. Retrieved August 31, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Board of Directors". Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- 1918 births
- Living people
- Military personnel from Birmingham, Alabama
- Writers from Birmingham, Alabama
- Writers from Chicago
- Roosevelt University alumni
- University of Chicago alumni
- American army personnel of World War II
- Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
- Recipients of the Legion of Honour
- African-American centenarians
- American centenarians
- American historian stubs