KRLemmons African American History

March 18 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – March 18 *

1895 – 200 African Americans leave Savannah, Georgia for Liberia.

1901 – William Henry Johnson is born in Florence, South Carolina.
He will leave his home for New York and Europe, where
he will develop a deliberate and controversial primitive
painting style. Among his more famous works will be “Chain
Gang,” “Calvary,” and “Descent from the Cross.” He will
join the ancestors on January 1, 1970.

1939 – Charley Frank Pride is born in Sledge, Mississippi. Intent
on a career in baseball, he will begin his country music
career in 1960, singing between innings at a company-
sponsored baseball game where he is a player. A recording
contract will follow in 1964 and a debut with the “Grand
Ole Opry” in 1967. Pride will become the first African
American to become a successful country music star. His
awards will include a 1972 Grammy.

1941 – Wilson Pickett is born in Prattville, Alabama. He will become
Rhythm & Blues singer and will begin his career as the lead
tenor with The Falcons (“I Found a Love” – 1962). He will
become a solo artist and release the hits, “Funky Broadway,”
“In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1000 Dances,” “Mustang
Sally,” “It’s Too Late,” and “Don’t Knock My Love.” He will
be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He
will join the ancestors on January 19, 2006.

1943 – William Hastie wins the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal. A former
federal judge and law school dean, Hastie, a civilian aide
to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, had resigned his
position earlier in the year over the armed forces’
discriminatory practices.

1959 – Irene Cara is born in New York City. She will become an
actress, singer, and songwriter. She will receive an Academy
Award, two Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, plus numerous
other awards emanating from every aspect of the industry. Her
performance in the ground breaking 1980’s picture Fame (1980)
will catapult her into world wide stardom and motivate a
generation of young people to become involved in the
performing arts.

1963 – Vanessa L. Williams is born in Millwood, New York (Westchester
County). She will become the first African American Miss
America. She will later become a popular singer, major
recording star, and movie actress. She will star in the
Tony Award-winning musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” the
mini-series “Odyssey,” and the movies “Eraser,” “Hoodlum,”
“Soul Food,” and “Shut Up and Dance.”

1972 – The USS Jesse L. Brown, the first U.S. naval ship to be named
after an African American naval officer, is launched at
Westwego, Louisiana. Brown was the first African American
pilot in the U.S. Naval Reserve and was the first African
American pilot killed in the Korean War (1950). Editor’s
Note: This was not the first naval vessel named after an
African American. The USS Harmon was named after an enlisted
man, Leonard Roy Harmon, during World War II (1944).

1982 – Singer Teddy Pendergrass is paralyzed as a result of an
automobile accident.

1991 – The Philadelphia ’76ers retire Wilt Chamberlain’s #13 jersey.

1991 – Reggie Miller, of the Indiana Pacers ends his NBA free throw
streak of 52 games.

1992 – Donna Summers gets a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

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

KRLemmons African American History

March 5 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – March 5 *

1770 – Crispus Attucks joins the ancestors after becoming the first
of five persons killed in the Boston Massacre. Historians
have called him the first martyr of the American Revolution.

1897 – The American Negro Academy is founded by Alexander Crummel.
The purpose of the organization is the promotion of
literature, science, art, the fostering of higher education,
and the defense of the Negro.

1920 – Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly is born in Washington, DC. In
1984, she will become the first African American woman to be
named a bishop of a major religious organization, the United
Methodist Church. She will join the ancestors on June 28, 2012.

1938 – Fred “The Hammer” Williamson is born in Gary, Indiana. He
will become a professional football player after training in
college to be an architect. He will play for the San
Francisco 49’ers from 1962 to 1964, the Kansas City Chiefs
from 1964 to 1967 (played in Super Bowl I), and the Oakland
Raiders from 1967 to 1971. After football, he will become a
sportscaster on ABC’s Monday Night Football with Howard Cosell
for one year. He will then become active in Hollywood as an
actor, director, producer, and writer.

1954 – Marsha Francine Warfield is born in Chicago, Illinois. She
will become an actress and comedian and best known for her
role as “Roz Russell” on NBC’s “Night Court” from 1986 to 1992.

1981 – The United States government grants the city of Atlanta $1
million to finance mental health and social programs in the
wake of a mysterious series of abductions and slayings
involving at least twenty two African American youths.

1985 – The Mary McLeod Bethune commemorative stamp is issued by the
U.S. Postal Service as the eighth stamp in its Black Heritage
USA series.

1991 – Reggie Miller, of the Indiana Pacers begins a NBA free throw
streak of 52 games.

1999 – Avery C. Alexander, a patriarch of the New Orleans’ civil
rights movement, who was arrested 20 times before he lost
count, joins the ancestors at the age of 88. A Baptist
minister and six-term Democratic state representative,
Alexander championed anti-discrimination, voter registration,
labor, closer police oversight and environmental regulation.
In the 1950s, he served as an adviser to Gov. deLesseps “Chep”
Morrison, helping African Americans get their first chance at
political patronage in menial, janitor-level jobs. He went on
to become the first African American to hold seats on parish
and state Democratic Party committees. In 1963, New Orleans
police dragged him by his heels down the steps of City Hall
after he led an unsuccessful effort to integrate its
cafeteria.

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

KRLemmons African American History

August 24 African American Historical Events

* Today in Black History – August 24 *

1854 – John VanSurley deGrasse, M.D., who received his medical
degree from Bowdoin College in 1849, becomes a member of
the Massachusetts Medical Society, a first for an African
American.

1854 – National Emigration Convention meets in Cleveland with one
hundred delegates. William C. Munroe of Michigan is
elected president.

1937 – Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola is born in Abeokuta,
Nigeria. He will a member of a very poor household of
Yoruba-speaking Muslims. He will attend the Islamic Nawar
Ud-Deen School and the Christian-run African Central
School. After graduating from the Baptist Boys’ High
School, he will work as a bank clerk and a civil servant.
He will go on to win a scholarship to Glasgow University
to study accounting. He will graduate with several awards
in 1965. He will return to Nigeria and will work for
major firms before launching his own company, Radio
Communications of Nigeria, in 1974. He will accumulate
great wealth in a short period of time. His business
interests will span 60 countries and include firms engaged
in banking, shipping, oil prospecting, agriculture,
publishing, air transportation, and entertainment. His
Nigerian companies alone will employ close to 20,000
workers. He will oppose the Nigerian military
dictatorship and on June 12, 1993, will be elected
president in a long awaited presidential election, only to
have the election results nullified by the country’s
military leader. When Abiola announces a year later that
he is the country’s legitimate leader, he will be
imprisoned by the current dictator, General Sani Abacha.
After Abacha joins the ancestors suddenly in 1998,
attempts were made to free Abiola, but he will also join
the ancestors on July 7, 1998, before his freedom becomes
a reality. His death will cause violence to occur and spur
anti-government anger throughout the country.

1965 – Reggie Miller is born. He will become a professional
basketball player and guard for the Indiana Pacers. He
will play on the ‘Dream Team’ in the 1996 Olympics.

1967 – Amanda Randolph joins the ancestors at the age of 65. She
had been an actress and was best known for her roles on
the Danny Thomas Show and television’s Amos ‘n’ Andy
(Mama).

1987 – Bayard Rustin, longtime civil rights activist, early
Freedom Rider, and a key organizer of the 1963 March on
Washington, joins the ancestors in New York City. A
Quaker, Rustin was best known as a civil rights advocate,
first as one of the founders of the Congress for Racial
Equality (CORE), then as a key advisor to a young Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

KRLemmons African American History

March 18 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – March 18 *

1895 – 200 African Americans leave Savannah, Georgia for Liberia.

1901 – William Henry Johnson is born. The Florence, South Carolina
native will leave his home for New York and Europe, where
he will develop a deliberate and controversial primitive
painting style.  Among his more famous works will be “Chain
Gang,” “Calvary,” and “Descent from the Cross.”

1939 – Charley Pride is born in Sledge, Mississippi. Intent on a
career in baseball, he will begin his country music career
in 1960, singing between innings at a company-sponsored
baseball game where he is a player.  A recording contract
will follow in 1964 and a debut with the “Grand Ole Opry”
in 1967.  Pride will become the first African American to
become a successful country music star.  His awards will
include a 1972 Grammy.

1941 – Wilson Pickett is born in Prattville, Alabama.  He will become
Rhythm & Blues singer and will begin his career as the lead
tenor with The Falcons (“I Found a Love” – 1962).  He will
become a solo artist and release the hits, “Funky Broadway,”
“In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1000 Dances,” “Mustang
Sally,” “It’s Too Late,” and “Don’t Knock My Love.” He will
be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He
will join the ancestors on January 19, 2006.

1943 – William Hastie wins the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal.  A former
federal judge and law school dean, Hastie, a civilian aide
to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, had resigned his
position earlier in the year over the armed forces’
discriminatory practices.

1959 – Irene Cara is born in New York City.   She will become an
actress, singer, and songwriter.  She will receive an Academy
Award, two Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, plus numerous
other awards emanating from every aspect of the industry. Her
performance in the ground breaking 1980’s picture Fame (1980)
will catapult her into world wide stardom and motivate a
generation of young people to become involved in the
performing arts. 

1963 – Vanessa L. Williams is born in Millwood, New York (Westchester
County).  She will become the first African American Miss
America.  She will later become a popular singer, major
recording star, and movie actress.  She will star in the
Tony Award-winning musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” the
mini-series “Odyssey,” and the movies “Eraser,” “Hoodlum,”
“Soul Food,” and “Shut Up and Dance.”

1972 – The USS Jesse L. Brown, the first U.S. naval ship to be named
after an African American naval officer, is launched at
Westwego, Louisiana.  Brown was the first African American
pilot in the U.S. Naval Reserve and was the first African
American pilot killed in the Korean War (1950).   Editor’s
Note:  This was not the first naval vessel named after an
African American.  The USS Harmon was named after an enlisted
man, Leonard Roy Harmon, during World War II (1944).

1982 – Singer Teddy Pendergrass is paralyzed as a result of an
automobile accident.

1991 – The Philadelphia ’76ers retire Wilt Chamberlain’s #13 jersey.
 
1991 – Reggie Miller, of the Indiana Pacers ends his NBA free throw
streak of 52 games.

1992 – Donna Summers gets a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. 

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

KRLemmons African American History

March 5 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – March 5 *

1770 – Crispus Attucks joins the ancestors after becoming the first
of five persons killed in the Boston Massacre. Historians
have called him the first martyr of the American Revolution.

1897 – The American Negro Academy is founded by Alexander Crummel.
The purpose of the organization is the promotion of
literature, science, art, the fostering of higher education,
and the defense of the Negro.

1920 – Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly is born in Washington, DC. In
1984, she will become the first African American woman to be
named a bishop of a major religious organization, the United
Methodist Church.

1938 – Fred “The Hammer” Williamson is born in Gary, Indiana. He
will become a professional football player after training in
college to be an architect. He will play for the San
Francisco 49’ers from 1962 to 1964, the Kansas City Chiefs
from 1964 to 1967 (played in Super Bowl I), and the Oakland
Raiders from 1967 to 1971. After football, he will become a
sportscaster on ABC’s Monday Night Football with Howard Cosell
for one year. He will then become active in Hollywood as an
actor, director, producer, and writer.

1954 – Marsha Warfield is born in Chicago, Illinois. She will become
an actress and comedian and best known for her role as “Roz
Russell” on NBC’s “Night Court” from 1986 to 1992.

1981 – The United States government grants the city of Atlanta $1
million to finance mental health and social programs in the
wake of a mysterious series of abductions and slayings
involving at least twenty two African American youths.

1985 – The Mary McLeod Bethune commemorative stamp is issued by the
U.S. Postal Service as the eighth stamp in its Black Heritage
USA series.

1991 – Reggie Miller, of the Indiana Pacers begins a NBA free throw
streak of 52 games.

1999 – Avery C. Alexander, a patriarch of the New Orleans’ civil
rights movement, who was arrested 20 times before he lost
count, joins the ancestors at the age of 88. A Baptist
minister and six-term Democratic state representative,
Alexander championed anti-discrimination, voter registration,
labor, closer police oversight and environmental regulation.
In the 1950s, he served as an adviser to Gov. deLesseps “Chep”
Morrison, helping African Americans get their first chance at
political patronage in menial, janitor-level jobs. He went on
to become the first African American to hold seats on parish
and state Democratic Party committees. In 1963, New Orleans
police dragged him by his heels down the steps of City Hall
after he led an unsuccessful effort to integrate its
cafeteria.

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

KRLemmons African American History

August 24 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – August 24 *

1854 – John VanSurley deGrasse, M.D., who received his medical
degree from Bowdoin College in 1849, becomes a member of
the Massachusetts Medical Society, a first for an African
American.

1854 – National Emigration Convention meets in Cleveland with one
hundred delegates. William C. Munroe of Michigan is
elected president.

1937 – Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola is born in Abeokuta,
Nigeria. He will a member of a very poor household of
Yoruba-speaking Muslims. He will attend the Islamic Nawar
Ud-Deen School and the Christian-run African Central
School. After graduating from the Baptist Boys’ High
School, he will work as a bank clerk and a civil servant.
He will go on to win a scholarship to Glasgow University
to study accounting. He will graduate with several awards
in 1965. He will return to Nigeria and will work for
major firms before launching his own company, Radio
Communications of Nigeria, in 1974. He will accumulate
great wealth in a short period of time. His business
interests will span 60 countries and include firms engaged
in banking, shipping, oil prospecting, agriculture,
publishing, air transportation, and entertainment. His
Nigerian companies alone will employ close to 20,000
workers. He will oppose the Nigerian military
dictatorship and on June 12, 1993, will be elected
president in a long awaited presidential election, only to
have the election results nullified by the country’s
military leader. When Abiola announces a year later that
he is the country’s legitimate leader, he will be
imprisoned by the current dictator, General Sani Abacha.
After Abacha joins the ancestors suddenly in 1998,
attempts were made to free Abiola, but he will also join
the ancestors on July 7, 1998, before his freedom becomes
a reality. His death will cause violence to occur and spur
anti-government anger throughout the country.

1965 – Reggie Miller is born. He will become a professional
basketball player and guard for the Indiana Pacers. He
will play on the ‘Dream Team’ in the 1996 Olympics.

1967 – Amanda Randolph joins the ancestors at the age of 65. She
had been an actress and was best known for her roles on
the Danny Thomas Show and television’s Amos ‘n’ Andy
(Mama).

1987 – Bayard Rustin, longtime civil rights activist, early
Freedom Rider, and a key organizer of the 1963 March on
Washington, joins the ancestors in New York City. A
Quaker, Rustin was best known as a civil rights advocate,
first as one of the founders of the Congress for Racial
Equality (CORE), then as a key advisor to a young Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

KRLemmons African American History

March 18 African American Historical Events

Today in Black History – March 18 *

1895 – 200 African Americans leave Savannah, Georgia for Liberia.

1901 – William Henry Johnson is born. The Florence, South Carolina
native will leave his home for New York and Europe, where
he will develop a deliberate and controversial primitive
painting style. Among his more famous works will be “Chain
Gang,” “Calvary,” and “Descent from the Cross.”

1939 – Charley Pride is born in Sledge, Mississippi. Intent on a
career in baseball, he will begin his country music career
in 1960, singing between innings at a company-sponsored
baseball game where he is a player. A recording contract
will follow in 1964 and a debut with the “Grand Ole Opry”
in 1967. Pride will become the first African American to
become a successful country music star. His awards will
include a 1972 Grammy.

1941 – Wilson Pickett is born in Prattville, Alabama. He will become
Rhythm & Blues singer and will begin his career as the lead
tenor with The Falcons (“I Found a Love” – 1962). He will
become a solo artist and release the hits, “Funky Broadway,”
“In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1000 Dances,” “Mustang
Sally,” “It’s Too Late,” and “Don’t Knock My Love.” He will
be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He
will join the ancestors on January 19, 2006.

1943 – William Hastie wins the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal. A former
federal judge and law school dean, Hastie, a civilian aide
to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, had resigned his
position earlier in the year over the armed forces’
discriminatory practices.

1959 – Irene Cara is born in New York City. She will become an
actress, singer, and songwriter. She will receive an Academy
Award, two Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, plus numerous
other awards emanating from every aspect of the industry. Her
performance in the ground breaking 1980’s picture Fame (1980)
will catapult her into world wide stardom and motivate a
generation of young people to become involved in the
performing arts.

1963 – Vanessa L. Williams is born in Millwood, New York (Westchester
County). She will become the first African American Miss
America. She will later become a popular singer, major
recording star, and movie actress. She will star in the
Tony Award-winning musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” the
mini-series “Odyssey,” and the movies “Eraser,” “Hoodlum,”
“Soul Food,” and “Shut Up and Dance.”

1972 – The USS Jesse L. Brown, the first U.S. naval ship to be named
after an African American naval officer, is launched at
Westwego, Louisiana. Brown was the first African American
pilot in the U.S. Naval Reserve and was the first African
American pilot killed in the Korean War (1950). Editor’s
Note: This was not the first naval vessel named after an
African American. The USS Harmon was named after an enlisted
man, Leonard Roy Harmon, during World War II (1944).

1982 – Singer Teddy Pendergrass is paralyzed as a result of an
automobile accident.

1991 – The Philadelphia ’76ers retire Wilt Chamberlain’s #13 jersey.

1991 – Reggie Miller, of the Indiana Pacers ends his NBA free throw
streak of 52 games.

1992 – Donna Summers gets a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

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

KRLemmons African American History

March 5 African American Historical Events

oday in Black History – March 5 *

1770 – Crispus Attucks joins the ancestors after becoming the first
of five persons killed in the Boston Massacre. Historians
have called him the first martyr of the American Revolution.

1897 – The American Negro Academy is founded by Alexander Crummel.
The purpose of the organization is the promotion of
literature, science, art, the fostering of higher education,
and the defense of the Negro.

1920 – Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly is born in Washington, DC. In
1984, she will become the first African American woman to be
named a bishop of a major religious organization, the United
Methodist Church.

1938 – Fred “The Hammer” Williamson is born in Gary, Indiana. He
will become a professional football player after training in
college to be an architect. He will play for the San
Francisco 49’ers from 1962 to 1964, the Kansas City Chiefs
from 1964 to 1967 (played in Super Bowl I), and the Oakland
Raiders from 1967 to 1971. After football, he will become a
sportscaster on ABC’s Monday Night Football with Howard Cosell
for one year. He will then become active in Hollywood as an
actor, director, producer, and writer.

1954 – Marsha Warfield is born in Chicago, Illinois. She will become
an actress and comedian and best known for her role as “Roz
Russell” on NBC’s “Night Court” from 1986 to 1992.

1981 – The United States government grants the city of Atlanta $1
million to finance mental health and social programs in the
wake of a mysterious series of abductions and slayings
involving at least twenty two African American youths.

1985 – The Mary McLeod Bethune commemorative stamp is issued by the
U.S. Postal Service as the eighth stamp in its Black Heritage
USA series.

1991 – Reggie Miller, of the Indiana Pacers begins a NBA free throw
streak of 52 games.

1999 – Avery C. Alexander, a patriarch of the New Orleans’ civil
rights movement, who was arrested 20 times before he lost
count, joins the ancestors at the age of 88. A Baptist
minister and six-term Democratic state representative,
Alexander championed anti-discrimination, voter registration,
labor, closer police oversight and environmental regulation.
In the 1950s, he served as an adviser to Gov. deLesseps “Chep”
Morrison, helping African Americans get their first chance at
political patronage in menial, janitor-level jobs. He went on
to become the first African American to hold seats on parish
and state Democratic Party committees. In 1963, New Orleans
police dragged him by his heels down the steps of City Hall
after he led an unsuccessful effort to integrate its
cafeteria.

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