Tina Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, was born on November 26, 1939 (not November 25, 1941). Known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Turner rose to fame in the 1960s alongside Ike Turner before launching a hugely successful solo career.

Her powerful voice, electrifying performances, and resilience made her a global icon. She won multiple Grammy Awards, sold over 100 million records worldwide, and inspired generations with both her artistry and her story of personal strength.

On this day, the National Negro Medical Association of Physicians, Dentists, and Pharmacists was established in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Cotton States and International Exposition. The organization was created to support African American healthcare professionals who were excluded from white medical societies.

Led by pioneers like Dr. Robert F. Boyd, the association aimed to promote medical education, improve public health in Black communities, and advocate for the rights of Black healthcare workers.

This organization would later evolve into what is known today as the National Medical Association (NMA), the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States.

Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first African American to achieve the rank of general in the U.S. Army, died at age 93 in Chicago. Commissioned as an officer in 1901, Davis had a distinguished military career spanning over 50 years. He broke racial barriers in a segregated military and served as an advisor on race relations within the armed forces. His legacy paved the way for future generations, including his son, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who became the commander of the Tuskegee Airmen and the first Black general in the U.S. Air Force.

Charles Gordone became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play No Place to Be Somebody, a powerful work about race, identity, and survival in America. The award marked a historic milestone in American theater, breaking barriers for Black playwrights.

That same year, renowned painter Jacob Lawrence was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP. The award recognized “the compelling power of his work which has opened to the world…a window on the Negro’s condition in the United States,” and “his unswerving commitment to the Black struggle.” Lawrence was best known for his vivid visual storytelling in works like The Migration Series.

On this day, William Henry Lewis was appointed Assistant Attorney General of the United States by President William Howard Taft, becoming the first African American to hold a sub-cabinet level position in the U.S. federal government. A Harvard-educated lawyer and former All-American football player, Lewis was a respected legal mind and a symbol of Black excellence in public service during the Jim Crow era. Despite facing racial discrimination, his appointment broke significant ground in the legal and political arenas.

Sojourner Truth, renowned abolitionist, women’s rights advocate, and powerful orator, died on this day in Battle Creek, Michigan, at approximately 86 years old. Born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree in New York around 1797, she escaped bondage and dedicated her life to fighting for the freedom and equality of both African Americans and women. Her most famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?”, delivered in 1851, remains one of the most iconic declarations of intersectional activism in American history. Truth left a profound legacy as a courageous voice for justice and human dignity.

On this day, the South Carolina General Assembly convened in Columbia and marked a major milestone during the Reconstruction era:

• Stephen A. Swails, a Civil War veteran and lawyer, was elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate—the first African American to hold that position.

• Samuel J. Lee, a prominent African American legislator and lawyer, was elected Speaker of the House.

• In a groundbreaking move, the Assembly appointed four Black men to the seven-member Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina, making it one of the first major universities in the U.S. to be governed in part by African Americans.

These appointments reflected the political gains made by African Americans during Reconstruction and symbolized efforts to integrate leadership and education in the South—though many of these advances would be rolled back in the decades that followed.

On this day, Macon B. Allen was elected judge of the Inferior Court of Charleston, becoming the first African American to hold a major judicial position at the municipal level. Previously, Allen had already made history as the first Black licensed lawyer in the United States (1844, Maine). His 1872 election made him the second African American to hold a significant judicial role in U.S. history and a trailblazer in municipal justice.