Forman, James, 1928-2005

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Forman, James, 1928-2005

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Forman, James, 1928-2005

Forman, James, 1928-2005

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Forman, James

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Forman, James

Forman, James, 1928-

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Forman, James, 1928-

James Forman

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James Forman

Forman, James R., 1928-2005

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Forman, James R., 1928-2005

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1928-10-04

1928-10-04

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2005-01-10

2005-01-10

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19281004

19281004

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20050110

20050110

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1928

1928

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Biographical History

Social activist and organizer James Forman was born on October 4, 1928, in Chicago. He spent much of his childhood with his grandmother on a farm in Marshall County, Mississippi. His grandmother stressed the importance of education and his experiences in the segregated South proved very important in his developing social consciousness.

Forman completed high school in 1947. He attended Chicago's Wilson Junior College before joining the U.S. Air Force. After completing four years of military service, Forman enrolled at the University of Southern California. At the beginning of his second semester, Forman was beaten and arrested by the police. He then transferred to Chicago's Roosevelt University where he became a leader in student politics. Forman graduated in 1957 and attended Boston University as a graduate student.

During the late 1950s, Forman gradually became involved in the budding Civil Rights Movement. In 1958, he traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, to cover the school desegregation crisis for the Chicago Defender. In 1960, he joined the Congress of Racial Equality, providing relief services to sharecroppers in Tennessee who had been evicted for registering to vote. That same year, he met several of the Freedom Riders, who in turn asked Forman to work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In 1961, Forman moved south, joined SNCC, and began working full time for the Civil Rights Movement.

Forman's organizational skills, as well as his maturity and experience, thrust him into a leadership role at SNCC, where he supervised staff and directed fundraising. He served as SNCC's executive secretary from 1964 to 1966. Forman left SNCC in 1968 to assist in increasing the economic development opportunities for black communities. Remaining an activist, Forman served as president of the Unemployment and Poverty Action Committee. He later returned to academia, obtaining his M.A. degree from Cornell University in 1980 and his Ph.D. from the Union of Experimental Colleges and Universities.

Since 1968, Forman has published several books, including Sammy Younge, Jr., The Making of Black Revolutionaries; Liberation Viendra d'une Chose Noir; The Political Thought of James Forman; and Self-Determination: An Examination of the Question & its Application to the African-American People.

Forman passed away on January 10, 2005.

From The HistoryMakers™ biography: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/A2001.033

Author, journalist, and civil rights leader.

From the description of James Forman papers, 1848-2005 (bulk 1961-2001). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 498421203

Biographical Note

1928, Oct. 4 Born, Chicago, Ill. 1947 1951 Served, United States Air Force 1950 Married Mary Sears (divorced 1956) 1957 B.A., Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill. 1958 Attended African Research and Studies Program, Boston University, Boston, Mass. 1958 1959 Journalist, Chicago Defender, covering events in Little Rock, Ark. 1959 Married Mildred Thompson (divorced 1965) 1959 1960 Attended Chicago Teachers College, Chicago, Ill. 1959 1961 Public school teacher, Chicago, Ill. 1960 Worked with the Emergency Relief Committee of the Congress for Racial Equality, in Fayette County, Tenn. Wrote press releases for the Chicago Defender about his work with the Relief Committee 1961 1966 Executive secretary, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 1966 1969 Director, International Affairs Commission of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, New York, N.Y. 1968 Minister of foreign affairs, Black Panther Party Published Liberation Viendra d'une Chose Noir. Paris: F. Maspero Published Sammy Younge, Jr.: The First Black College Student to Die in the Black Liberation Movement. New York: Grove Press 1969 Gave speech about the “Black Manifesto,” Riverside Church, New York, N.Y. 1969 1970 Field director, Black Economic Development Conference 1970 Published Political Thought of James Forman. Detroit: Black Star Publishing Co. 1972 Published Law and Order. New York: T. Nelson Published Making of Black Revolutionaries: A Personal Account. New York: Macmillan 1974 Founder and publisher, Black America News Service 1974 2004 President, Unemployment and Poverty Action Committee 1980 M.A., African American Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 1981 Founder, Washington Times Published Self-Determination and the African-American People. Seattle: Open Hand Publishing 1982 Ph.D., Union of Experimental Colleges and Universities with the Institute for Policy Studies, Cincinnati, Ohio 1983 President, Unemployed Poverty Action Council, Legal Defense, Education, and Research Fund, Inc. Candidate, school board position from Ward 1, District of Columbia 1984 1986 Adams-Morgan Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, District of Columbia 1987 Ran unsuccessfully for Democratic Party shadow senator, District of Columbia 1990 Recipient, Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom Award of the National Conference of Black America Ran unsuccessfully for Democratic Party shadow senator, District of Columbia 1994 Published High Tide of Black Resistance and Other Political and Literary Writings. Seattle: Open Hand Publishing Ran unsuccessfully for Democratic Party shadow senator, District of Columbia 2005, Jan. 10 Died, Washington, D.C. From the guide to the James Forman Papers, 1848-2005, (bulk 1961-2001), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

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External Related CPF

https://viaf.org/viaf/111093901

https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n50024968

https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n50024968

https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q704746

https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/A2001.033

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eng

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fre

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spa

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Subjects

African American newspapers

African American periodicals

African American press

African Americans

African Americans

African Americans

African Americans

African Americans

African Americans

African Americans

African Americans

African Americans

Black militant organizations

Black militant organizations

Black power

Black power

Civil rights

Civil rights

Civil rights demonstrations

Civil rights demonstrations

Civil rights movement

Civil rights movements

Civil rights movements

Civil rights movements

Civil rights movements

Human rights

Human rights

Labor

Labor

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., 1963

Racism

Racism

Radicalism

Radicalism

School integration

School integration

Segregation

Segregation

Voter registration

Voter registration

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Civil Rights Activist

Civil rights leaders

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Central America

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Washington (D.C.)

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United States

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Washington (D.C.)

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Mississippi

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Africa

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South Africa

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South Africa

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Mississippi

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United States

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China

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Middle East

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Chicago (Ill.)

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Birth

Central America

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Alabama

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Africa

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Washington (D.C.)

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Georgia

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Middle East

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China

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w6vb9208

87850968