Richard Arrington

Richard Arrington made history as the first African American mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama, serving 20 years, from 1979 to 1999. He was a standout student at the all-black Fairfield Industrial High School, studying tailoring and later dry cleaning before graduating in 1951. After excelling as a biology major at Miles College, he received a doctorate in zoology from the University of Oklahoma.

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