Civil rights activist and president of branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Louisiana and Los Angeles.
California State College, Los Angeles professor of history. The first black graduate of the University of Oregon and the first black individual to receive a doctorate from Ohio State University.
Co-founder and owner of the Aquarian Spiritual Center and the Aquarian Bookshop, a black-owned bookstore specializing in materials relevant to African American politics and life.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1979 to 1980 and 1992 to 2008.