KRLemmons African American History

November 10 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – November 10 *

1891 – Granville T. Woods obtains a patent for the electric 
railway.

1898 – A race riot occurs in Wilmington, North Carolina 
resulting in the death of eight African Americans. 

1898 – The National Benefit Life Insurance Company is 
organized in Washington, DC, by Samuel W. Rutherford. 
National Benefit will be the largest African American 
insurance company for several years.

1919 – Moise Tshombe is born near Musumba, in the then-Belgian 
Congo. He will lead a secessionist movement in Katanga, 
the Congo’s (Zaire) richest province in 1960, following 
independence from Belgium. In January 1963, UN forces 
will succeed in capturing Katanga, driving him into 
exile in Northern Rhodesia, later to Spain. In July 1964, 
he will return to the Congo to serve as prime minister 
in a new Coalition government. Scarcely a year later he 
will be dismissed from his position in October 1965 by 
President Joseph Kasavubu. In late 1965, Prime Minister 
Joseph Mobutu, who had staged a successful coup against 
President Kasavubu, will bring charges of treason against 
him. He will again flee the country, this time settling 
in Spain. In 1967, he will be sentenced to death in 
absentia. On June 30, 1967, a jet aircraft in which he was 
traveling in will be hijacked. He will be taken to Algeria, 
jailed, then placed under house arrest. He will join the
ancestors on June 29, 1969, the official cause of death
listed as “death from heart failure”.

1930 – Clarence M. Pendleton, Jr. is born in Louisville, Kentucky. 
He will become the first African American chairman of the 
United States Civil Rights Commission in 1981(through 
1988), where he will oppose affirmative action and 
busing to achieve school desegregation. He will support 
the Reagan social agenda and hence come into conflict 
with long-established civil rights dogma. He will 
oppose the use of cross-town school busing to bring 
about racial balance among pupils. He will challenge 
the need for affirmative action policies because he will
claim that African Americans could succeed without 
special consideration being written into law. Under his
tenure, the commission will be split by an internal 
debate over fundamental principles of equality under the 
law. The commission will narrow the description of legal 
and political rights at the expense of social and economic 
claims. The debate will center principally between him
and Mary Frances Berry, an original appointee of President 
Jimmy Carter. Democrat Morris B. Abram, also a Reagan 
appointee, will be vice chairman under him. He will 
describe “an intellectual sea change” at the agency with 
the conservative view dominant at that time. Authorized 
under the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the commission will be
reconstituted by a 1983 law of Congress after Reagan 
dismisses three commissioners critical of his policies. He
will join the ancestors on June 5, 1988 after succumbing 
to a heart attack.

1951 – Hosea Richardson becomes the first African American 
jockey to ride in Florida. 

1956 – David Adkin is born in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He will 
become a comedian and actor, better known as “Sinbad.” 
He will get his big break on television’s “Star Search” 
in 1984. He will appear in the television series 
“Different World,” and become the emcee of “Showtime at 
the Apollo.” His movie credits will include “Necessary
Roughness,” “The Meteor Man,” “Coneheads,” “Sinbad-Afros 
and Bellbottoms,” “The Frog Prince,” “The Cherokee Kid,”
“Jingle All The Way,” “First Kid,” ” and “Good Burger.”
He will also produce and emcee the successful “Soul 
Music Festivals” that were held annually for a few years
in Caribbean countries.

1957 – Charlie Sifford becomes the first African American to 
win a major professional golf tournament, by winning the 
Long Beach Open.

1960 – Andrew Hatcher is named associate press secretary to 
President John F. Kennedy. He is the highest-ranking 
African American, appointed to date, in the executive 
branch. 

1968 – Ida Cox, blues singer of such songs as “Wild Women Don’t 
Have the Blues,” joins the ancestors in Knoxville, 
Tennessee.

1989 – The Rhythm and Blues Foundation presents its first 
lifetime achievement awards in Washington DC. Among the 
honorees are bluesmen Charles Brown, Ruth Brown, Percy 
Sledge (“When a Man Loves a Woman”), and Mary Wells (“My 
Guy”).

2006 – Gerald Levert, the fiery singer of passionate Rhythm & 
Blues love songs and the son of O’Jays singer Eddie 
Levert, joins the ancestors at the age of 40, at his 
home in Cleveland, Ohio.

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

KRLemmons African American History

May 13 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – May 13 *

1865 – Two white regiments and an African American regiment, the
Sixty-second U.S. Colored Troops, fight in the last action
of the civil war at White’s Ranch, Texas.

1871 – Alcorn A&M College (now Alcorn A&M University) opens in
Lorman, Mississippi.

1888 – Princess Isabel of Brazil signs the “Lei Aurea” (Golden
Law) which abolishes slavery. Slavery is ended in part to
appease the efforts of abolitionists, but mostly because
it is less expensive for employers to hire wageworkers
than to keep slaves. Plantation owners oppose the law
because they are not compensated for releasing their
slaves. The passage of the law hastens the fall of the
Brazilian monarchy.

1891 – Isaac Murphy becomes the first jockey to win three Kentucky
Derbys as he wins the fabled race astride Kingman.
Kingman was trained by Dud Allen, an African American
trainer.

1914 – Joseph Louis Barrow is born in Lexington, Alabama. He will
be better known as Joe Louis. “The Brown Bomber” will
hold the heavyweight crown from his 1937 title match with
James J. Braddock until his first retirement in 1949. In
his 71 professional fights, he will amass a record of 68
victories, 54 by knockouts. He will join the ancestors on
April 12, 1981.

1933 – John Junior “Johnny” Roseboro is born in Ashland, Ohio. He
will become a professional baseball player in 1957 and will
play as a catcher for the Dodgers from 1957-1967, Minnesota
Twins from 1968 to 1969, and the Washington Senators in
1970. He will join the ancestors on August 16, 2002.

1938 – Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra record the New Orleans’
jazz standard, “When The Saints Go Marching In”, on Decca
Records making it extremely popular.

1943 – Mary Wells is born in Detroit, Michigan. She will become a
singer for the Motown label and record the hits, “My Guy,”
“Two Lovers,” “You Beat Me to the Punch,” and “The One Who
Really Loves You.” She will join the ancestors on July 26,
1992 after succumbing to pneumonia and complications of
larynx cancer.

1949 – Franklin Ajaye is born in Brooklyn, New York. He will
become a comedy writer, comedian and actor. He will appear
in the movies “The Jazz Singer,” “Car Wash,” “Hysterical,”
“The Wrong Guys,” and “Jock Jokes.”

1950 – Steveland Judkins Morris is born in Saginaw, Michigan. As
12-year-old Little Stevie Wonder, he will become a singing
and musical sensation notable for “Fingertips, Part 2.”
Wonder will continue to record through-out adulthood, with
the albums “Talking Book,” “Songs in the Key of Life,” “The
Woman in Red,” and the soundtrack to the movie “Jungle
Fever.” Among other awards he will win more than 16 Grammys
and a 1984 best song Oscar for “I Just Called to Say I Love
You.” He will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1989.

1961 – Dennis Rodman is born in Texas. He will become a
professional basketball player and will help two different
teams win multiple NBA championships.

1966 – Federal education funding is denied to 12 school districts
in the South because of violations of the 1964 Civil Rights
Act.

1971 – (James) Charles Evers becomes the first African American
mayor of Fayette, Mississippi.

1971 – Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, receives a gold record
for her version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, originally
a Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel tune.

1978 – Henry Rono of Kenya sets the record for the 3,000 meter
steeplechase (8:05.4). The record will stand for eleven
years.

1979 – Max Robinson becomes the first African American network news
anchor when he anchors ABC’s World News Tonight.

1983 – Reggie Jackson becomes the first major leaguer to strike out
2,000 times.

1985 – Philadelphia Police bomb a house held by the group “Move”,
killing eleven persons. Ramona Africa and a 13-year-old
boy are the only people to escape the inferno that the
blast caused inside 6221 Osage Street. The heat from the
blast also ignites a fire that destroys 60 other homes and
leaves 250 people homeless, angry and heartbroken in a
working-class section of West Philadelphia.

1990 – George Stallings is ordained as the first bishop of the
newly established African American Catholic Church.
Stallings broke from the Roman Catholic Church in 1989,
citing the church’s failure to meet the needs of African
American Catholics.

1995 – Army Captain Lawrence Rockwood is convicted at his court-
martial in Fort Drum, New York, of conducting an
unauthorized investigation of reported human rights abuses
at a Haitian prison (the next day, Rockwood is dismissed
from the military, but receives no prison time).

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

KRLemmons African American History

November 10 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – November 10 *

1891 – Granville T. Woods obtains a patent for the electric
railway.

1898 – A race riot occurs in Wilmington, North Carolina
resulting in the death of eight African Americans.

1898 – The National Benefit Life Insurance Company is
organized in Washington, DC, by Samuel W. Rutherford.
National Benefit will be the largest African American
insurance company for several years.

1919 – Moise Tshombe is born. He will lead a secessionist
movement in Katanga, the Congo’s (Zaire) richest
province in 1960, following independence from Belgium.
Tshombe will end his secession and accept a
UN-brokered National Conciliation Plan in January 1963.
Eighteen months of further negotiations will lead to
him being appointed Prime Minister, but he will go
into exile in 1965. He will join the ancestors in 1969.

1930 – Clarence Pendleton is born in Louisville, Kentucky. He
will become the first African American chairman of the
United States Civil Rights Commission in 1981(through
1988), where he will oppose affirmative action and
busing to achieve school desegregation.

1951 – Hosea Richardson becomes the first African American
jockey to ride in Florida.

1956 – David Adkin is born in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He will
become a comedian and actor, better known as “Sinbad.”
He will get his big break on television’s “Star Search”
in 1984. He will appear in the television series
“Different World,” and become the emcee of “Showtime at
the Apollo.” His movie credits will include “Necessary
Roughness,” “The Meteor Man,” “Coneheads,” “Sinbad-Afros
and Bellbottoms,” “The Frog Prince,” “The Cherokee Kid,”
“Jingle All The Way,” “First Kid,” ” and “Good Burger.”
He will also produce and emcee the successful “Soul
Music Festivals” held annually in Caribbean countries.

1957 – Charlie Sifford becomes the first African American to
win a major professional golf tournament, by winning the
Long Beach Open.

1960 – Andrew Hatcher is named associate press secretary to
President John F. Kennedy. He is the highest-ranking
African American, appointed to date, in the executive
branch.

1968 – Ida Cox, blues singer of such songs as “Wild Women Don’t
Have the Blues,” joins the ancestors in Knoxville,
Tennessee.

1989 – The Rhythm and Blues Foundation presents its first
lifetime achievement awards in Washington DC. Among the
honorees are bluesmen Charles Brown, Ruth Brown, Percy
Sledge (“When a Man Loves a Woman”), and Mary Wells (“My
Guy”).

2006 – Gerald Levert, the fiery singer of passionate Rhythm &
Blues love songs and the son of O’Jays singer Eddie
Levert, joins the ancestors at the age of 40, at his
home in Cleveland, Ohio.

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

KRLemmons African American History

May 13 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – May 13 *

1865 – Two white regiments and an African American regiment, the
Sixty-second U.S. Colored Troops, fight in the last action
of the civil war at White’s Ranch, Texas.

1871 – Alcorn A&M College (now Alcorn A&M University) opens in
Lorman, Mississippi.

1888 – Princess Isabel of Brazil signs the “Lei Aurea” (Golden
Law) which abolishes slavery. Slavery is ended in part to
appease the efforts of abolitionists, but mostly because
it is less expensive for employers to hire wageworkers
than to keep slaves. Plantation owners oppose the law
because they are not compensated for releasing their
slaves. The passage of the law hastens the fall of the
Brazilian monarchy.

1891 – Isaac Murphy becomes the first jockey to win three Kentucky
Derbys as he wins the fabled race astride Kingman.
Kingman was trained by Dud Allen, an African American
trainer.

1914 – Joseph Louis Barrow is born in Lexington, Alabama. He will
be better known as Joe Louis. “The Brown Bomber” will
hold the heavyweight crown from his 1937 title match with
James J. Braddock until his first retirement in 1949. In
his 71 professional fights, he will amass a record of 68
victories, 54 by knockouts. He will join the ancestors on
April 12, 1981.

1933 – John Junior “Johnny” Roseboro is born in Ashland, Ohio. He
will become a professional baseball player in 1957 and will
play as a catcher for the Dodgers from 1957-1967, Minnesota
Twins from 1968 to 1969, and the Washington Senators in
1970. He will join the ancestors on August 16, 2002.

1938 – Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra record the New Orleans’
jazz standard, “When The Saints Go Marching In”, on Decca
Records making it extremely popular.

1943 – Mary Wells is born in Detroit, Michigan. She will become a
singer for the Motown label and record the hits, “My Guy,”
“Two Lovers,” “You Beat Me to the Punch,” and “The One Who
Really Loves You.” She will join the ancestors on July 26,
1992 after succumbing to pneumonia and complications of
larynx cancer.

1949 – Franklin Ajaye is born in Brooklyn, New York. He will
become a comedy writer, comedian and actor. He will appear
in the movies “The Jazz Singer,” “Car Wash,” “Hysterical,”
“The Wrong Guys,” and “Jock Jokes.”

1950 – Steveland Judkins Morris is born in Saginaw, Michigan. As
12-year-old Little Stevie Wonder, he will become a singing
and musical sensation notable for “Fingertips, Part 2.”
Wonder will continue to record through-out adulthood, with
the albums “Talking Book,” “Songs in the Key of Life,” “The
Woman in Red,” and the soundtrack to the movie “Jungle
Fever.” Among other awards he will win more than 16 Grammys
and a 1984 best song Oscar for “I Just Called to Say I Love
You.” He will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1989.

1961 – Dennis Rodman is born in Texas. He will become a
professional basketball player and will help two different
teams win multiple NBA championships.

1966 – Federal education funding is denied to 12 school districts
in the South because of violations of the 1964 Civil Rights
Act.

1971 – (James) Charles Evers becomes the first African American
mayor of Fayette, Mississippi.

1971 – Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, receives a gold record
for her version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, originally
a Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel tune.

1978 – Henry Rono of Kenya sets the record for the 3,000 meter
steeplechase (8:05.4). The record will stand for eleven
years.

1979 – Max Robinson becomes the first African American network news
anchor when he anchors ABC’s World News Tonight.

1983 – Reggie Jackson becomes the first major leaguer to strike out
2,000 times.

1985 – Philadelphia Police bomb a house held by the group “Move”,
killing eleven persons. Ramona Africa and a 13-year-old
boy are the only people to escape the inferno that the
blast caused inside 6221 Osage Street. The heat from the
blast also ignites a fire that destroys 60 other homes and
leaves 250 people homeless, angry and heartbroken in a
working-class section of West Philadelphia.

1990 – George Stallings is ordained as the first bishop of the
newly established African American Catholic Church.
Stallings broke from the Roman Catholic Church in 1989,
citing the church’s failure to meet the needs of African
American Catholics.

1995 – Army Captain Lawrence Rockwood is convicted at his court-
martial in Fort Drum, New York, of conducting an
unauthorized investigation of reported human rights abuses
at a Haitian prison (the next day, Rockwood is dismissed
from the military, but receives no prison time).

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