Timuel Black facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Timuel Black
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Black during a visit to Dutch secondary school Notre Dame des Anges, 2010.
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| Born |
Timuel Dixon Black Jr.
December 7, 1918 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | October 13, 2021 (aged 102) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Wendell Phillips High School (attended) DuSable High School |
| Alma mater | B.A. Roosevelt University University of Chicago |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1955–2020 |
| Known for | Historian of Chicago's African American history |
| Spouse(s) |
Norisea J. Cummings
(m. 1946; div. 1958)Ruby P. Battle
(m. 1959; div. 1968)Zenobia Johnson
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 2 |
Timuel Dixon Black Jr. (born December 7, 1918 – died October 13, 2021) was an American teacher, civil rights leader, historian, and writer. He was born in Alabama but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He became an expert on the history of African Americans in Chicago.
Black was very active in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He notably worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Chicago Freedom Movement in 1965 and 1966. He also helped elect Chicago's first African-American mayor, Harold Washington, in 1983. Later, he guided a young Barack Obama, who would become a U.S. president, on how to build support in Chicago's South Side.
Contents
Timuel Black's Life Story
Early Life and Family
Timuel Dixon Black Jr. was born on December 7, 1918, in Birmingham, Alabama. His great-grandparents were slaves. His grandparents were born into slavery and became free because of the Emancipation Proclamation. His parents were sharecroppers.
Black's parents, Timuel Dixon Black Sr. and Mattie (McConner), were part of the Great Migration. This was a time when many African Americans moved from the Southern United States to the North. They moved to Chicago to find better jobs and education. They also wanted to be able to vote and fight against unfair treatment.
Education and Military Service
Black grew up in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. He went to Burke Elementary School and Englewood High School. He also attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School and graduated from DuSable High School in June 1937.
After high school, Black worked for a while before going to college. In 1952, he earned a bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University. Later, he earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago. Black also served in World War II. He received several awards for his service, including four Battle Stars, the Croix de Guerre, and the Legion of Honour.
Career and Activism
Black started his career as a teacher. In 1954, he began teaching at Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana. In 1957, he moved back to Chicago and taught at his old school, DuSable High School, until 1959.
During the 1960s, Black was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was president of the Chicago chapter of the Negro American Labor Council. He also helped organize Chicago's participation in the 1963 March on Washington.
In 1975, Black became a history, sociology, and anthropology teacher at Loop College. This college is now known as Harold Washington College. In 1982, he asked Harold Washington, who was a congressman at the time, to run for mayor of Chicago. Black helped gather support and voters, which convinced Washington to run. Washington then successfully became Chicago's first African-American mayor.
In the 1990s, Black met with Barack Obama. He helped Obama learn how to build a political career on Chicago's South Side. Black also introduced Obama to people who became important in the future president's career.
Black was also involved in a lawsuit called Black v. McGuffage. This lawsuit argued that Illinois' voting system was unfair to minority groups. It claimed that faulty punch card ballots used in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago stopped people from voting correctly in the 2000 presidential election. Because of this lawsuit, punch card ballots were removed, and a fair voting system was put in place.
Tributes and Legacy
In 2017, Senator Dick Durbin honored Timuel Black in the Congressional Record. He described Black as a "decorated World War II veteran, an educator, author, labor leader, civil rights activist, and historian." He called Black a "visionary" and a "personal hero."
Black's memoir, Sacred Ground, was published in 2019. It is based on interviews with Black about the African-American history of Chicago's South Side. Black said he wanted to share this history with younger people of all backgrounds.
Personal Life and Passing
Timuel Black was married three times and had two children. He was married to Norisea J. Cummings from 1946 to 1958, and they had two children, Ermetra and Timuel Kerrigan Black. His second marriage was to Ruby P. Battle from 1959 to 1968. From 1981 until his death, Black was married to Zenobia Johnson.
Timuel Black passed away at his home in Chicago on October 13, 2021. He was 102 years old.
Works
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