Charles c diggs biography template

December 2,  to August 24,

The first African American to be elected to Congress from Michigan, Charles C. Diggs made significant contributions to the struggle for civil rights through his business and political ties. In an April telegram to Martin Luther King, Diggs commended the Montgomery Improvement Association president for his “cherished leadership in the fight for equality,” that he described as an “indestructible monument which will defy the ravages of time” (Papers ).

Diggs was born on 2 December , in Detroit.

Charles c diggs biography template word ISBN Kildee Knollenberg Peters S. August 24, aged 75 Washington, D. Following the trial, Diggs continued the fight for justice, calling upon President Eisenhower to call a special session of Congress to consider civil rights.

He attended the University of Michigan ( to ) and Fisk University ( to ) before joining the Army Air Corps in After his honorable discharge in , he graduated from Wayne State University School of Mortuary Science ( to ) and began working with his family’s business, the House of Diggs funeral home.

In his first year at the Detroit College of Law ( to ), Diggs was elected to the Michigan State Senate, where he served until , when he won a seat in Congress with the slogan “Make Democracy Live.” Diggs was passionate about civil rights for Africans and African Americans.

In , prompted by the murder of Emmett Till and the realization that Tallahatchie County in Mississippi did not have any African American registered voters, Diggs advocated slashing Mississippi’s representation in Congress in proportion to its disenfranchised African American population. Diggs then made an unsuccessful request to President Dwight Eisenhower for a special session of Congress to address civil rights.

In , Diggs raised nearly $4, from his radio program, House of Diggs, to aid the Montgomery bus boycott.

He attended King’s boycott violation trial in Montgomery and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) advisory board in As an elected official, Diggs was interested in the low rates of African American registered voters in the South, and shared his views on the problem with King.

In March , King expressed his deep gratitude to Diggs for his interest and “wise and judicial counsel” on African American voter registration.

Charles c diggs biography template He was a committed publicist for the liberation cause in South Africa , and his 'Action Manifesto' displayed his support for the armed struggle against apartheid. Lesinski Jr. Detroit Free Press. In office January 3, — January 3,

Three months after that letter, Diggs followed up with King and suggested that SCLC consider South Carolina as a focal point for registration activities (Papers ).

As the chairman of the African Affairs Subcommittee of the House of Representative’s Committee on Foreign Relations, Diggs strongly advocated ending apartheid in South Africa.

In , he became a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, a group of African American representatives and senators working to promote black interests.

In , Diggs was convicted of illegally diverting office operating funds to pay his own personal expenses. Although his conviction did not prevent him from winning reelection, he resigned from his congressional seat in After serving seven months in prison, he went back to the family funeral business in Michigan, where he resided until his death in

Footnotes

Christopher, America’s Black Congressmen,

Diggs to King, 20 April , in Papers 

Introduction, in Papers 

King to Diggs, 25 March , in Papers