(AURN News) — On Nov. 2, 1954, Charles C. Diggs Jr. made history when he was elected Michigan’s first Black member of Congress.
A Democrat from Detroit, Diggs was just 31 years old when he won the election. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 25 years, from January 1955 until June 1980, becoming a prominent advocate for civil rights and racial equality.
Diggs was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 and served as its first chairman. He also advocated for African independence, opposed apartheid in South Africa and fought for greater political representation for Black Americans.
Diggs attended the historic 1955 trial of the men accused of murdering Emmett Till in Mississippi, bringing national attention to racial injustice in the South.
Diggs died on Aug. 24, 1998, at age 75. His contributions to civil rights and Black political representation remain part of American history.
