ACRM Evening Institute - UTech

February 23, 1966 – Constance Baker Motley- first black woman to become a federal judge.

Constance Baker Motley, née Constance Baker, (born September 14, 1921, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.—died September 28, 2005, New York, New York), American lawyer and jurist, an effective legal advocate in the civil rights movement and the first African American woman to become a federal judge. In 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, making Motley the first black woman to be appointed to a federal judgeship.

Although opposed by southern conservatives in the Senate, she was eventually confirmed and later became chief judge (1982) and senior judge (1986), serving in the latter post until her death. In addition to numerous awards and honorary degrees recognizing her contributions to civil rights and the legal profession, Motley was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993. Her autobiography, Equal Justice Under Law, was published in 1998.

Retrieved from http://www.myblackhistory.net/Constance_Motley.htm
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2019, September 24). Constance Baker Motley.

Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constance-Baker-Motley

February 22,
Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr. (March 2, 1932 – August 25, 2015) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general.

He was the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general.

Petersen retired from the Marine Corps in 1988 after 38 years of service. "At the time of his retirement he was by date of aviator designation the senior ranking aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps and the United States Navy with respective titles of 'Silver Hawk' and 'Gray Eagle'. His date of designation as an aviator also precedes all other aviators in the U.S. Air Force and Army."
In 2010, President Obama appointed Petersen to the Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy.

Image and Text From:
Frank E. Petersen. (2019, December 25).

Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_E._Petersen

February 20, 1895
Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author and public speaker.

He became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end the practice of slavery, before and during the Civil War. After that conflict and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, he continued to push for equality and human rights until his death in 1895.

Douglass’ 1845 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, described his time as a slave in Maryland. It was one of five autobiographies he penned, along with dozens of noteworthy speeches, despite receiving minimal formal education. An advocate for women’s rights and specifically the right of women to vote, Douglass’ legacy as an author and leader lives on. His work served as an inspiration to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and his name even became part of 21st-century political discourse after he was referenced in a speech by President Donald Trump for Black History Month 2017.

Image and text from
History.com Editors. (2009, October 27). Frederick Douglass.

Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass
Hunt, J. (2018, February 19). Frederick Douglass was a Christian and a patriot – why is this so hard for the left to accept? Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/frederick-douglass-was-a-christian-and-a-patriot-why-is-this-so-hard-for-the-left-to-accept