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Booker Taliaferro Washington, arguably Black America’s most visible leader in his prime, was born on this day in 1856 in Virginia. An educator, author, orator, and businessman, Washington emphasized vocational education and political accommodation to Jim Crow.

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General Colin Luther Powell, soldier, politician, diplomat, statesman, was born on this day in 1937 in New York City. He was the first Black person to Chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the First Black appointed to be the National Security Advisor to the President, and the first Black to be appointed the Secretary of State.