Harold Washington In April 1983 example essay topic

Ronald Ervin McNair, was born on October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina to Carl and Pearl McNair. He attended North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, where, in 1971, he graduated magna cum l aude with a BS degree in physics. In 1976 he earned his Ph. D. degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. McNair's many distinctions include: Presidential Scholar (1967-71), Ford Foundation Fellow (1971-74), and National Fellowship Fund Fellow (1974-75).

He was also named Omega Psi Phi Scholar of the Year (1975), was honored as the Distinguished National Scientist by the National Society of Black Professional Engineers (1979), and received the Friend Of Freedom Award (1981). Ronald E. McNair was nationally recognized for his work in the field of laser physics. In 1978, he was one of 35 applicants selected from a pool of ten thousand for NASA's space shuttle program and assigned as a mission specialist aboard the 1984 flight of the shuttle Challenger. On his first space shuttle mission in February 1984, McNair orbited the earth 122 times aboard Challenger. He was the second African American to fly in space. In addition to his academic achievements, he received three honorary doctorates and numerous fellowships and commendations.

He was also a sixth degree black belt in karate and an accomplished jazz saxophonist. He was married to Cheryl Moore and had two children, Reginald Ervin and Joy Cherry. On the morning of January 28, 1986, McNair and his six crew members died in an explosion aboard the space shuttle Challenger. in full JESSE LOUIS JACKSON (b. Oct. 8, 1941, Greenville, S.C., U.S. ), American civil-rights leader, Baptist minister, and politician, the first black man to make a serious bid for the U.S. presidency (in the Democratic Party's nomination races in 1983-84 and 1987-88). Born into a poor family, Jackson attended the University of Illinois (1959-60) on a scholarship and then transferred to the predominantly black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (Greensboro), receiving a B.A. in sociology (1964). He moved to Chicago in 1966, did postgraduate work at the Chicago Theological Seminary, and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1968.

While an undergraduate, Jackson became involved in the black Civil Rights Movement. In 1965 he went to Selma, Alabama, to march with Martin Luther King, Jr., and became a worker in King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In 1966 he helped found the Chicago branch of Operation Breadbasket, the economic arm of the SCLC, and served as the organization's national director from 1967 to 1971. In 1971 he founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), a Chicago-based organization in which he advocated black self-help and achieved a broad audience for his liberal views. He gained international attention by traveling widely and trying to mediate or spotlight a number of international problems and disputes. Jackson became a leading spokesman and advocate for black Americans in the 1980's.

His voter-registration drive was a key factor in the election of Chicago's first black mayor, Harold Washington, in April 1983. In 1989 Jackson took residency in Washington, D.C., and in 1990, when the Washington City Council created two unpaid offices of 'statehood senator' -- popularly called 'shadow senator' -- to lobby the U.S. Congress for statehood for the District of Columbia, Jackson won election to one of the posts, his first elective office. Born, April 15, 1922. Harold Washington was elected to the office of Mayor of the City of Chicago in April, 1983 marking the first time a Black held that position. Mr. Washington brought an extensive background in government on a local and national level to his run for office. He served 16 years in the Illinois House of Representatives and a two-year term as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC.

Washington was born in Chicago, the son of Roy L. Washington and Bertha Jones Washington. His father was a Methodist minister, lawyer and a Democratic precinct captain. The future mayor graduated from Du Sable High School in the city and entered the Army Air Corps where he served during WWII in the South Pacific. After the war, Washington entered Roosevelt University in Chicago where he earned a BA degree in 1949. In 1952 he earned a JD degree from Northwestern University Law School.

From 1952 until 1964 Washington was active as a Democratic Precinct Captain, and served as an assistant city prosecutor for 4 years. He also served for a four-year term as an arbitrator for the Illinois Industrial Commission. Washington held elected office as a state representative from 1965-1976 and as a member of the state senate from 1977-1980. During his service in the Illinois legislature, Washington championed legislation making the birthday of the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a state holiday and pushed for aid to elderly and low-income consumers and pushed legislation to protect working men and women. On the national legislative front, Washington led the successful fight for extension of the voting rights act. When approached to run for the office of mayor, Washington embarked on a campaign that ended in the general election on April 12, 1983 when a record 82% of the 1.8 million registered voters in Chicago went to the polls.

Washington defeated his opponent, Republican Bernard Ept on, by 3.3. percent. The Washington victory drew national attention and during his four-year term since that time the efforts of the mayor in office have gained him wide-spread respect and increased his support among Chicago voters.