KRLemmons African American History

April 13 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – April 13 *

1723 – The governor of Massachusetts issues a proclamation on
the “fires which have been designedly and
industriously kindled by some villainous and desperate
Negroes or other dissolute people as appears by the
confession of some of them.”

1873 – The Colfax Massacre occurs on Easter Sunday morning, in
Grant Parish, Louisiana. More than sixty African
Americans are killed.

1891 – Nellallitea “Nella” Walker is born in Chicago, Illinois
to an African American father and Danish mother. She
will become a writer known as Nella Larsen and one of
the most celebrated novelists of the Harlem Renaissance.
She will receive many awards for her writings, including
the Harmon Foundation’s bronze medal for literature in
1929, and the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1930. When she
receives the Guggenheim award, she becomes the first
African American woman recipient. She will best known
for her novels, “Quicksand” and “Passing.” She will
join the ancestors on March 30, 1964.

1906 – Riots occur in Brownsville, Texas, when African American
soldiers retaliate against white citizens for racial
slurs.

1907 – Harlem Hospital opens in New York with 150 beds. It will
become one of the early leading African American
hospitals.

1946 – Albert “Al” Green is born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He
will become one of the most popular soul and pop singers
of the 1970’s, known for his recordings “Tired of Being
Alone,” “Let’s Stay Together,” “Here I Am (Come and Take
Me)” and “I’m Still in Love with You.” Green will later
become a minister and return to performing as a gospel
singer, where he will win numerous Grammy awards.

1963 – Sidney Poitier receives an Oscar for best actor for his
performance in “Lilies of the Field.” He is the first
African American male to receive the Academy Award. He
will later become a director and make 1980’s “Stir
Crazy,” the largest-grossing movie by an African
American director ever.

1997 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods wins the 61st Masters Tournament
in Augusta, Georgia at the age of 21, becoming the
youngest person and first person of Black African descent
to ever win this tournament.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Mr. Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

February 27 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – February 27

1844 – The Dominican Republic gains its independence from Haiti, which
had occupied the whole island of Hispaniola since 1822. Prior
to Haitian rule, France had administered the eastern part of
the island starting in 1795, when Spain ceded the territory to
France. The leader of Dominican independence against Haiti
was Juan Pablo Duarte.

1869 – John Willis Menard, the first African American elected to
Congress (1868) is never seated. When he pleads his own
case before the House of Representatives, he becomes the first
African American to speak on the floor of the House.

1872 – Charlotte Ray graduates from Howard Law School in Washington,
DC. She will become the first African American woman lawyer
in the United States and the third woman admitted to the bar
to practice law (April 23, 1872).

1897 – Marian Anderson is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She
will become the first modern African American to win
international renown as an opera singer and will be
considered one of the great operatic voices of the
century. Singing at a time of great social upheaval for
African Americans, Anderson’s professional career will
contain many operatic and civil rights milestones and
recognition, including Kennedy Center Honors in 1978. The
Kennedy Center will hold a gala in observance of the 100th
anniversary of her birth in 1997. Many sources, including
the “Encyclopedia Britannica” and “Africana” have her
birth year as 1902 or 1900. In a Kennedy Center interview
with her nephew (with whom she lived until her death), he
indicated that when she became the first African American to
sing a principal role with the Metropolitan Opera, her
publicist thought her age should be reduced by five years.
The media therefore, establishes her birth year erroneously
as 1902.

1942 – Charlayne Hunter is born in Due West, South Carolina. One of
the first students to integrate the University of Georgia,
Charlayne Hunter-Gault will become a print and broadcast
journalist and win two Emmy awards for her work on public
TV’s “The MacNeil/Lehrer News-Hour.”

1961 – James Worthy is born in Gastonia, North Carolina. He will
become a starting forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. He will
be selected as the 1988 NBA Playoff Most Valuable Player. He
will play with three NBA championship Laker teams(1985,
1987, 1988).

1967 – Antigua & St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla become associated
states of the United Kingdom.

1967 – Dominica gains its independence from England.

1988 – Debi Thomas, a world-class figure skater, wins a bronze medal
in the Winter Olympic Games in Calgary. She will be the
first and only African American, until 2002, to win a medal in
the Winter Games.

1992 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods is the youngest amateur golfer in 35
years to play in a PGA tournament when he tees off at the Los
Angeles Open at the age of 16.

1999 – The Rev. Henry Lyons, president of the National Baptist
Convention USA, is convicted in Largo, Florida, of swindling
millions of dollars from companies seeking to do business with
his followers.

1999 – Nigerians vote to elect Olusegun Obasanjo their new president,
as the country marks the final phase of its return to
democracy.

2013 – Richard Street, former member of the Motown group, “The
Temptations”, joins the ancestors at the age of 70, succumbing
to a pulmonary embolism. He was a member of the group from 1971
to 1993.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Mr. Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

December 30 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – December 30 *

***********************************************************************
* The Nguzo Saba – The seven principles of Kwanzaa – Principle for *
* Day #5 – Nia (nee-AH) Purpose: To make as our collective vocation *
* the building and developing of our community in order to restore *
* our people to their traditional greatness. *
***********************************************************************

1842 – Josiah T. Walls is born near Winchester, Virginia. He will
become, in 1871, Florida’s first African American congressman.

1892 – Physician, Dr. Miles V. Lynk, publishes the first African
American medical journal.

1916 – Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard, of Brown University, becomes
the first African American running back named to the All-
American team.

1928 – Ellas Otha Bates McDaniel is born in Magnolia, Mississippi. Better
known as Bo Diddley, he will influence a generation of musicians
including such groups as the Rolling Stones and the Doors. A
favorite of President John F. Kennedy, who invited Diddley to
play in the White House in 1962, he will be inducted into the
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He will join the ancestors
on June 2, 2008.

1929 – The Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority is incorporated.

1929 – The “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” campaign begins in Chicago
with picketing of Chain stores on the South Side. The campaign
spread to New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles and other cities and
continued throughout the Depression.

1929 – Mordecai W. Johnson receives the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal for his
work as the first African American president of Howard
University.

1935 – Marian Anderson makes a historic appearance in New York City’s
Town Hall. Fresh from a triumphant tour in Europe, Anderson
will be hailed by New York critics as one of the “great singers
of our time.” Her performance will mark a new era in the
Philadelphian’s long and successful career. Her performance is
described by Howard Taubman, the New York Times reviewer, as
“music-making that probed too deep for words.”

1952 – Tuskegee Institute reports there were no lynchings during the
year for the first time in the 71 years it has been keeping such
records.

1960 – Poet Langston Hughes is presented the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal and
cited as “the poet laureate of the Negro race.”

1960 – Two U.S. courts issues temporary injunctions to prevent eviction
of about seven hundred African American sharecroppers in Haywood
and Fayette counties, Tennessee.

1961 – Ben Johnson is born in Falmouth, Jamaica. He will become a world
class 100 meter runner. He win the Olympic gold medal in 1988
and will be later disqualified for using steroids.

1975 – The constitution of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar comes
into effect.

1975 – Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods is born in Cypress, California. He will
become the first African American or Asian American to win the
Masters Golf tournament. He will accomplish this feat in his
first year on the PGA tour at the age of 21 also making him the
youngest person to win the Masters tournament.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

August 20 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – August 20 *

1565 – Artisans and farmers of African descent aid explorer
Menendez in the building of St. Augustine, Florida.

1619 – The first group of 20 Africans is brought by the Dutch
to the colony at Jamestown, Virginia. The early
African arrivals will be considered indentured servants,
and indeed records in the Chesapeake area will show
many freed people of African descent. In 1650, the laws
will be changed to make servitude permanent for Africans
and their offspring.

1856 – Wilberforce University is established in Wilberforce,
Ohio. It will become the nation’s oldest, private
African American university.

1931 – Donald “Don” King is born in Cleveland, Ohio. He will
become a boxing promoter who will control the heavyweight
title from 1978-1990 while Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson
are champions. He will gain fame in 1974 by sponsoring
the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
in Zaire, popularly known as “The Rumble in the Jungle.”
He will solidify his position as an influential promoter
the next year by sponsoring a third match for Ali against
Joe Frazier in Manila, the capital of the Philippines,
which King named the “Thrilla In Manila.” He will also
promote one of the final fights of Ali’s career against
Larry Holmes. He will be known for his flamboyant manner
and outrageous hair styled to stand straight up. He will
promote the fights of such fighters as Sugar Ray Leonard,
Leon Spinks, Roberto Durán, Julio César Chávez, Mike
Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Felix Trinidad. His
financial success will continue into the 1980s and ’90s.
In 1983, he will promote 12 world championship bouts.
In 1994, he will promote 47 such bouts. He will be
heavily criticized, however, for a business strategy
that results in his control over many of the top boxers,
especially in the lucrative heavyweight division. He will
use a contractual clause that requires a boxer who wished
to challenge a fighter belonging to King to agree to be
promoted by King in the future should he win. Thus, no
matter which boxer won, he represented the winner. Those
who were unwilling to sign contracts with this obligatory
clause found it very difficult to obtain fights,
especially title fights, with boxers who were promoted by
him. He will be the focus of a myriad of criminal
investigations and will be indicted numerous times. In
1999, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation seized
thousands of records from his offices that concerned
alleged payoffs by him to the president of the
International Boxing Federation for the purpose of
procuring more favorable rankings for his boxers. He will
be a mixed blessing to the sport. On one hand, he will
organize some of the largest purses in the history of the
sport and creatively promote boxing and his bouts. On the
other hand, his legal problems and controversial tactics
will reinforce the public perception of boxing as a
corrupt sport.

1942 – Isaac Lee Hayes is born in Covington, Tennessee. He will
begin his recording career in 1962, soon playing saxophone
for The Mar-Keys. After writing a string of hit songs at
Stax Records with songwriting partner David Porter,
including “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Comin” for Sam and
Dave, he will release his debut album “Presenting Isaac
Hayes.” A moderate success, the album will be recorded
immediately following a wild party. The top-selling “Hot
Buttered Soul” (1969) will be a breakthrough album, and
establish his image (gold jewelry, sunglasses, etc) which
eventually will become a template for much of the fashion
of gangsta rap and similar trends in the 1980s and 90s.
His biggest hit will be 1971’s soundtrack to the movie
“Shaft.” The title song will win an Oscar (the first for
a Black composer), and will clearly presaged disco.
“Black Moses” (1971) will become almost as successful. By
1975, he will leave Stax Records and form his own label
called Hot Buttered Soul Records. A series of unsuccessful
albums will lead to bankruptcy in 1976. The late 1970s
will see a major comeback for him, following the release
of “A Man and a Woman” (1977, with Dionne Warwick). In
spite of moderate success as a singer, his records will
not sell very well. He will also forge a career as an
actor in TV shows and feature films. He will be inducted
into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. On June 9,
2005, he will be inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of
Fame. He will also voice the character “Chef”, a singing
ladies’ man and elementary school cook, on the popular
animated sitcom “South Park” from 1997 until 2006. He will
join the ancestors on August 10, 2008.

1954 – Albert Lincoln “Al” Roker, co-anchor of the “Today” show,
is born in Queens, New York. He will attend the State
University of New York at Oswego, where he will double
major in graphic design and broadcasting/journalism. He
will work in television around the Cleveland and New York
areas before becoming a weatherman for WNBC in New York.
He will get more exposure, especially when David Letterman
asks him to do an elevator race with him in one episode of
his talk show, “Late Night with David Letterman.” That
will lead to him getting a job as the weekend weatherman
for “Weekend Today,” where he will do the weather for
nine years. He will also substitute on the weekday edition
of “Today” when Willard Scott is ill or away. In 1996,
Scott will announce his semi-retirement from the show, and
Al will receive the weekday weatherman position on
“Today.” He will become popular for doing his forecasts
outside of the studio, interviewing audience members and
giving some of them camera time. One of his best known
lines from the show will be “…and here’s what’s
happening in your neck of the woods.”

1964 – The Economic Opportunity Act is signed by President Lyndon
B. Johnson. The act initiates what will popularly be
called the “War on Poverty.”

1989 – The first National Black Theater Festival closes in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Organized by Larry Leon
Hamlin, the festival will draw over 20,000 people to
performances of African American classical and
contemporary plays by groups such as the Crossroads
Theater from New Brunswick, New Jersey and the Inner City
Cultural Center of Los Angeles.

1993 – Dr. David Satcher is named director of the Centers for
Disease Control.

1994 – Benjamin Chavis, Jr. is terminated as head of the NAACP
after a turbulent 16-month tenure.

2000 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods beats Bob May in a three-hole
playoff to win the P.G.A. Championship. Woods is the
first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953, to win three major
championships in a year. He also becomes the first repeat
winner of the championship since 1936.

2012 – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a strongman in the
troubled Horn of Africa and a key United States ally, joins
the ancestors at the age of 57.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

April 13 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – April 13 *

1723 – The governor of Massachusetts issues a proclamation on
the “fires which have been designedly and
industriously kindled by some villainous and desperate
Negroes or other dissolute people as appears by the
confession of some of them.”

1873 – The Colfax Massacre occurs on Easter Sunday morning, in
Grant Parish, Louisiana. More than sixty African
Americans are killed.

1891 – Nellallitea “Nella” Walker is born in Chicago, Illinois
to an African American father and Danish mother. She
will become a writer known as Nella Larsen and one of
the most celebrated novelists of the Harlem Renaissance.
She will receive many awards for her writings, including
the Harmon Foundation’s bronze medal for literature in
1929, and the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1930. When she
receives the Guggenheim award, she becomes the first
African American woman recipient. She will best known
for her novels, “Quicksand” and “Passing.” She will
join the ancestors on March 30, 1964.

1906 – Riots occur in Brownsville, Texas, when African American
soldiers retaliate against white citizens for racial
slurs.

1907 – Harlem Hospital opens in New York with 150 beds. It will
become one of the early leading African American
hospitals.

1946 – Albert “Al” Green is born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He
will become one of the most popular soul and pop singers
of the 1970’s, known for his recordings “Tired of Being
Alone,” “Let’s Stay Together,” “Here I Am (Come and Take
Me)” and “I’m Still in Love with You.” Green will later
become a minister and return to performing as a gospel
singer, where he will win numerous Grammy awards.

1963 – Sidney Poitier receives an Oscar for best actor for his
performance in “Lilies of the Field.” He is the first
African American male to receive the Academy Award. He
will later become a director and make 1980’s “Stir
Crazy,” the largest-grossing movie by an African
American director ever.

1997 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods wins the 61st Masters Tournament
in Augusta, Georgia at the age of 21, becoming the
youngest person and first person of Black African descent
to ever win this tournament.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

February 27 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – February 27 *

1844 – The Dominican Republic gains its independence from Haiti, which
had occupied the whole island of Hispaniola since 1822. Prior
to Haitian rule, France had administered the eastern part of
the island starting in 1795, when Spain ceded the territory to
France. The leader of Dominican independence against Haiti
was Juan Pablo Duarte.

1869 – John Willis Menard, the first African American elected to
Congress (1868) is never seated. When he pleads his own
case before the House of Representatives, he becomes the first
African American to speak on the floor of the House.

1872 – Charlotte Ray graduates from Howard Law School in Washington,
DC. She will become the first African American woman lawyer
in the United States and the third woman admitted to the bar
to practice law (April 23, 1872).

1897 – Marian Anderson is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She
will become the first modern African American to win
international renown as an opera singer and will be
considered one of the great operatic voices of the
century. Singing at a time of great social upheaval for
African Americans, Anderson’s professional career will
contain many operatic and civil rights milestones and
recognition, including Kennedy Center Honors in 1978. The
Kennedy Center will hold a gala in observance of the 100th
anniversary of her birth in 1997. Many sources, including
the “Encyclopedia Britannica” and “Africana” have her
birth year as 1902 or 1900. In a Kennedy Center interview
with her nephew (with whom she lived until her death), he
indicated that when she became the first African American to
sing a principal role with the Metropolitan Opera, her
publicist thought her age should be reduced by five years.
The media therefore, establishes her birth year erroneously
as 1902.

1942 – Charlayne Hunter is born in Due West, South Carolina. One of
the first students to integrate the University of Georgia,
Charlayne Hunter-Gault will become a print and broadcast
journalist and win two Emmy awards for her work on public
TV’s “The MacNeil/Lehrer News-Hour.”

1961 – James Worthy is born in Gastonia, North Carolina. He will
become a starting forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. He will
be selected as the 1988 NBA Playoff Most Valuable Player. He
will play with three NBA championship Laker teams(1985,
1987, 1988).

1967 – Antigua & St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla become associated
states of the United Kingdom.

1967 – Dominica gains its independence from England.

1988 – Debi Thomas, a world-class figure skater, wins a bronze medal
in the Winter Olympic Games in Calgary. She will be the
first and only African American, until 2002, to win a medal in
the Winter Games.

1992 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods is the youngest amateur golfer in 35
years to play in a PGA tournament when he tees off at the Los
Angeles Open at the age of 16.

1999 – The Rev. Henry Lyons, president of the National Baptist
Convention USA, is convicted in Largo, Florida, of swindling
millions of dollars from companies seeking to do business with
his followers.

1999 – Nigerians vote to elect Olusegun Obasanjo their new president,
as the country marks the final phase of its return to
democracy.

2013 – Richard Street, former member of the Motown group, “The
Temptations”, joins the ancestors at the age of 70, succumbing
to a pulmonary embolism. He was a member of the group from 1971
to 1993.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry,

KRLemmons African American History

December 30 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – December 30 *

***********************************************************************
* The Nguzo Saba – The seven principles of Kwanzaa – Principle for *
* Day #5 – Nia (nee-AH) Purpose: To make as our collective vocation *
* the building and developing of our community in order to restore *
* our people to their traditional greatness. *
* http://www.endarkenment.com/kwanzaa/ *
***********************************************************************

1842 – Josiah T. Walls is born near Winchester, Virginia. He will
become, in 1871, Florida’s first African American congressman.

1892 – Physician, Dr. Miles V. Lynk, publishes the first African
American medical journal.

1916 – Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard, of Brown University, becomes
the first African American running back named to the All-
American team.

1928 – Ellas Otha Bates McDaniel is born in Magnolia, Mississippi. Better
known as Bo Diddley, he will influence a generation of musicians
including such groups as the Rolling Stones and the Doors. A
favorite of President John F. Kennedy, who invited Diddley to
play in the White House in 1962, he will be inducted into the
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He will join the ancestors
on June 2, 2008.

1929 – The Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority is incorporated.

1929 – The “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” campaign begins in Chicago
with picketing of Chain stores on the South Side. The campaign
spread to New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles and other cities and
continued throughout the Depression.

1929 – Mordecai W. Johnson receives the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal for his
work as the first African American president of Howard
University.

1935 – Marian Anderson makes a historic appearance in New York City’s
Town Hall. Fresh from a triumphant tour in Europe, Anderson
will be hailed by New York critics as one of the “great singers
of our time.” Her performance will mark a new era in the
Philadelphian’s long and successful career. Her performance is
described by Howard Taubman, the New York Times reviewer, as
“music-making that probed too deep for words.”

1952 – Tuskegee Institute reports there were no lynchings during the
year for the first time in the 71 years it has been keeping such
records.

1960 – Poet Langston Hughes is presented the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal and
cited as “the poet laureate of the Negro race.”

1960 – Two U.S. courts issues temporary injunctions to prevent eviction
of about seven hundred African American sharecroppers in Haywood
and Fayette counties, Tennessee.

1961 – Ben Johnson is born in Falmouth, Jamaica. He will become a world
class 100 meter runner. He win the Olympic gold medal in 1988
and will be later disqualified for using steroids.

1975 – The constitution of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar comes
into effect.

1975 – Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods is born in Cypress, California. He will
become the first African American or Asian American to win the
Masters Golf tournament. He will accomplish this feat in his
first year on the PGA tour at the age of 21 also making him the
youngest person to win the Masters tournament.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

August 20 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – August 20 *

1565 – Artisans and farmers of African descent aid explorer
Menendez in the building of St. Augustine, Florida.

1619 – The first group of 20 Africans is brought by the Dutch
to the colony at Jamestown, Virginia. The early
African arrivals will be considered indentured servants,
and indeed records in the Chesapeake area will show
many freed people of African descent. In 1650, the laws
will be changed to make servitude permanent for Africans
and their offspring.

1856 – Wilberforce University is established in Wilberforce,
Ohio. It will become the nation’s oldest, private
African American university.

1931 – Donald “Don” King is born in Cleveland, Ohio. He will
become a boxing promoter who will control the heavyweight
title from 1978-1990 while Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson
are champions. He will gain fame in 1974 by sponsoring
the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
in Zaire, popularly known as “The Rumble in the Jungle.”
He will solidify his position as an influential promoter
the next year by sponsoring a third match for Ali against
Joe Frazier in Manila, the capital of the Philippines,
which King named the “Thrilla In Manila.” He will also
promote one of the final fights of Ali’s career against
Larry Holmes. He will be known for his flamboyant manner
and outrageous hair styled to stand straight up. He will
promote the fights of such fighters as Sugar Ray Leonard,
Leon Spinks, Roberto Durán, Julio César Chávez, Mike
Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Felix Trinidad. His
financial success will continue into the 1980s and ’90s.
In 1983, he will promote 12 world championship bouts.
In 1994, he will promote 47 such bouts. He will be
heavily criticized, however, for a business strategy
that results in his control over many of the top boxers,
especially in the lucrative heavyweight division. He will
use a contractual clause that requires a boxer who wished
to challenge a fighter belonging to King to agree to be
promoted by King in the future should he win. Thus, no
matter which boxer won, he represented the winner. Those
who were unwilling to sign contracts with this obligatory
clause found it very difficult to obtain fights,
especially title fights, with boxers who were promoted by
him. He will be the focus of a myriad of criminal
investigations and will be indicted numerous times. In
1999, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation seized
thousands of records from his offices that concerned
alleged payoffs by him to the president of the
International Boxing Federation for the purpose of
procuring more favorable rankings for his boxers. He will
be a mixed blessing to the sport. On one hand, he will
organize some of the largest purses in the history of the
sport and creatively promote boxing and his bouts. On the
other hand, his legal problems and controversial tactics
will reinforce the public perception of boxing as a
corrupt sport.

1942 – Isaac Lee Hayes is born in Covington, Tennessee. He will
begin his recording career in 1962, soon playing saxophone
for The Mar-Keys. After writing a string of hit songs at
Stax Records with songwriting partner David Porter,
including “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Comin” for Sam and
Dave, he will release his debut album “Presenting Isaac
Hayes.” A moderate success, the album will be recorded
immediately following a wild party. The top-selling “Hot
Buttered Soul” (1969) will be a breakthrough album, and
establish his image (gold jewelry, sunglasses, etc) which
eventually will become a template for much of the fashion
of gangsta rap and similar trends in the 1980s and 90s.
His biggest hit will be 1971’s soundtrack to the movie
“Shaft.” The title song will win an Oscar (the first for
a Black composer), and will clearly presaged disco.
“Black Moses” (1971) will become almost as successful. By
1975, he will leave Stax Records and form his own label
called Hot Buttered Soul Records. A series of unsuccessful
albums will lead to bankruptcy in 1976. The late 1970s
will see a major comeback for him, following the release
of “A Man and a Woman” (1977, with Dionne Warwick). In
spite of moderate success as a singer, his records will
not sell very well. He will also forge a career as an
actor in TV shows and feature films. He will be inducted
into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. On June 9,
2005, he will be inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of
Fame. He will also voice the character “Chef”, a singing
ladies’ man and elementary school cook, on the popular
animated sitcom “South Park” from 1997 until 2006. He will
join the ancestors on August 10, 2008.

1954 – Albert Lincoln “Al” Roker, co-anchor of the “Today” show,
is born in Queens, New York. He will attend the State
University of New York at Oswego, where he will double
major in graphic design and broadcasting/journalism. He
will work in television around the Cleveland and New York
areas before becoming a weatherman for WNBC in New York.
He will get more exposure, especially when David Letterman
asks him to do an elevator race with him in one episode of
his talk show, “Late Night with David Letterman.” That
will lead to him getting a job as the weekend weatherman
for “Weekend Today,” where he will do the weather for
nine years. He will also substitute on the weekday edition
of “Today” when Willard Scott is ill or away. In 1996,
Scott will announce his semi-retirement from the show, and
Al will receive the weekday weatherman position on
“Today.” He will become popular for doing his forecasts
outside of the studio, interviewing audience members and
giving some of them camera time. One of his best known
lines from the show will be “…and here’s what’s
happening in your neck of the woods.”

1964 – The Economic Opportunity Act is signed by President Lyndon
B. Johnson. The act initiates what will popularly be
called the “War on Poverty.”

1989 – The first National Black Theater Festival closes in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Organized by Larry Leon
Hamlin, the festival will draw over 20,000 people to
performances of African American classical and
contemporary plays by groups such as the Crossroads
Theater from New Brunswick, New Jersey and the Inner City
Cultural Center of Los Angeles.

1993 – Dr. David Satcher is named director of the Centers for
Disease Control.

1994 – Benjamin Chavis, Jr. is terminated as head of the NAACP
after a turbulent 16-month tenure.

2000 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods beats Bob May in a three-hole
playoff to win the P.G.A. Championship. Woods is the
first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953, to win three major
championships in a year. He also becomes the first repeat
winner of the championship since 1936.

2012 – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a strongman in the
troubled Horn of Africa and a key United States ally, joins
the ancestors at the age of 57.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

April 13 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – April 13 *

1723 – The governor of Massachusetts issues a proclamation on
the “fires which have been designedly and
industriously kindled by some villainous and desperate
Negroes or other dissolute people as appears by the
confession of some of them.”

1873 – The Colfax Massacre occurs on Easter Sunday morning, in
Grant Parish, Louisiana. More than sixty African
Americans are killed.

1891 – Nellie Walker is born in Chicago, Illinois to an African
American father and Danish mother. She will become a
writer known as Nella Larsen and one of the most
celebrated novelists of the Harlem Renaissance. She
will receive many awards for her writings, including
the Harmon Foundation’s bronze medal for literature in
1929, and the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1930. When she
receives the Guggenheim award, she becomes the first
African American woman recipient. She will best known
for her novels, “Quicksand” and “Passing.” She will
join the ancestors in 1964.

1906 – Riots occur in Brownsville, Texas, when African American
soldiers retaliate against white citizens for racial
slurs.

1907 – Harlem Hospital opens in New York with 150 beds. It will
become one of the early leading African American
hospitals.

1946 – Albert “Al” Green is born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He
will become one of the most popular soul and pop singers
of the 1970’s, known for his recordings “Tired of Being
Alone,” “Let’s Stay Together,” “Here I Am (Come and Take
Me)” and “I’m Still in Love with You.” Green will later
become a minister and return to performing as a gospel
singer, where he will win numerous Grammy awards.

1963 – Sidney Poitier receives an Oscar for best actor for his
performance in “Lilies of the Field.” He is the first
African American male to receive the Academy Award. He
will later become a director and make 1980’s “Stir
Crazy,” the largest-grossing movie by an African
American director ever.

1997 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods wins the 61st Masters Tournament
in Augusta, Georgia at the age of 21 becoming the
youngest person and first person of Black African descent
to ever win this tournament.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.

KRLemmons African American History

February 27 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – February 27 *

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“Once a year we go through the charade of February being ‘Black
History Month.’ Black History Month needs to be a 12-MONTH THING.
When we all learn about our history, about how much we’ve
accomplished while being handicapped with RACISM, it can only
inspire us to greater heights, knowing we’re on the giant shoulders
of our ANCESTORS.” Subscribe to the Munirah Chronicle and receive
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1844 – The Dominican Republic gains its independence from Haiti, which
had occupied the whole island of Hispaniola since 1822. Prior
to Haitian rule, France had administered the eastern part of
the island starting in 1795, when Spain ceded the territory to
France. The leader of Dominican independence against Haiti
was Juan Pablo Duarte.

1869 – John Willis Menard, the first African American elected to
Congress (1868) is never seated. When he pleads his own
case before the House of Representatives, he becomes the first
African American to speak on the floor of the House.

1872 – Charlotte Ray graduates from Howard Law School in Washington,
DC. She will become the first African American woman lawyer
in the United States and the third woman admitted to the bar
to practice law (April 23, 1872).

1897 – Marian Anderson is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She
will become the first modern African American to win
international renown as an opera singer and will be
considered one of the great operatic voices of the
century. Singing at a time of great social upheaval for
African Americans, Anderson’s professional career will
contain many operatic and civil rights milestones and
recognition, including Kennedy Center Honors in 1978. The
Kennedy Center will hold a gala in observance of the 100th
anniversary of her birth in 1997. Many sources, including
the “Encyclopedia Britannica” and “Africana” have her
birth year as 1902 or 1900. In a Kennedy Center interview
with her nephew (with whom she lived until her death), he
indicated that when she became the first African American to
sing a principal role with the Metropolitan Opera, her
publicist thought her age should be reduced by five years.
The media therefore, establishes her birth year erroneously
as 1902.

1942 – Charlayne Hunter is born in Due West, South Carolina. On
the first students to integrate the University of Georgia,
Charlayne Hunter-Gault will become a print and broadcast
journalist and win two Emmy awards for her work on public
TV’s “The MacNeil/Lehrer News-Hour.”

1961 – James Worthy is born in Gastonia, North Carolina. He will
become a starting forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. He will
be selected as the 1988 NBA Playoff Most Valuable Player. He
will play with three NBA championship Laker teams(1985,
1987, 1988).

1967 – Antigua & St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla become associated
states of the United Kingdom.

1967 – Dominica gains its independence from England.

1988 – Debi Thomas, a world-class figure skater, wins a bronze medal
in the Winter Olympic Games in Calgary. She will be the
first and only African American, until 2002, to win a medal in
the Winter Games.

1992 – Eldrick “Tiger” Woods is the youngest amateur golfer in 35
years to play in a PGA tournament when he tees off at the Los
Angeles Open at the age of 16.

1999 – The Rev. Henry Lyons, president of the National Baptist
Convention USA, is convicted in Largo, Florida, of swindling
millions of dollars from companies seeking to do business with
his followers.

1999 – Nigerians vote to elect Olusegun Obasanjo their new president,
as the country marks the final phase of its return to
democracy.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.