On April 28, 1957, W. Robert Ming—a prominent civil rights attorney and World War II veteran from Chicago—was elected chairman of the American Veterans Committee (AVC), making him the first Black person to lead a major national veterans organization. A former member of the legal team in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, Ming had long championed civil rights within the military and beyond. His election was a milestone not only for Black veterans, but for the broader fight for equality and representation in national leadership roles during the civil rights era.
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