* Today in Black History - December 21 *
1872 - Robert Scott Duncanson joins the ancestors in Detroit,
Michigan. He suffers a severe mental breakdown and ends
his life in the Michigan State Retreat. Duncanson
avoided painting in an ethnic style, favoring still
lifes and landscapes including "Mount Healthy," "Ohio,"
"Blue Hole," "Little Miami River," and "Falls of
Minnehaha. The Detroit Tribune, on December 26, 1872,
refers to Duncanson as "an artist of rare
accomplishments".
1911 - Joshua "Josh" Gibson is born in Buena Vista, Georgia. He
will become a professional baseball player in the Negro
Leagues. Gibson will begin playing in the Negro leagues
in 1930, at age 18. A catcher, he will play mostly for
teams in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, including
the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He will
also play winter baseball in Puerto Rico and the Dominican
Republic. He will join the ancestors suddenly on January 20,
1947, the year that Jackie Robinson will become the first
African American player in the major leagues. In
recognition of his accomplishments, Gibson will be
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. He will
be referred to as the "Negro Babe Ruth" hitting 800+ Home
Runs. Some say that Babe Ruth should have been referred
to as the "white Josh Gibson."
1921 - P.B.S. Pinchback, a major Reconstruction politician, joins
the ancestors at the age of 84.
1953 - Bessie Regina Norris is born in Miami, Florida. She will be
better known by her stage name Betty Wright. She will become
a soul and Rhythm & Blues singer, songwriter and background
vocalist, who will rise to fame in the 1970s with hits such
as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night". She will
also be prominent in regard to the use of the whistle register.
Several of her works will be sampled over the years by hip hop,
rock and Rhythm & Blues musicians. The riff from "Clean Up
Woman" will be sampled by acts such as Afrika Bambaataa, SWV,
Mary J. Blige, Sublime, Willie D, and Chance the Rapper. Her
first hit "Girls Can't Do What Guys Do" will be sampled for
Beyoncé's "Upgrade U". In 1992, she will sue the producers
behind Color Me Badd's breakthrough hit "I Wanna Sex You Up"
after claiming they used the sample of her live version without
clearance and without permission, and sued for royalties. She
will win her case, winning 35% of royalties for writing the
song. She will win the Best Rhythm & Blues Song award for
composing "Where Is the Love". She will receive one award from
six nominations. She will join the ancestors on May 10. 2020
after succumbing to cancer.
1959 - Delorez Florence Griffith is born in Los Angeles,
California. As Florence Griffith Joyner, she will bring
glamour to women's track and field. A world-classrunner,
"FloJo" will win three gold medals (in the 100-meter, 200-
meter and 400-meter races) at the 1988 Summer Olympic
Games in Seoul and a silver medal in the 1600-meter relay.
She will join the ancestors on September 21, 1998.
1959 - Citizens of Deerfield, Illinois block the building of
interracial housing.
1969 - Diana Ross makes her final television appearance as a
member of the Supremes on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
1976 - Patricia R. Harris is named Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
1986 - While seeking a tow for his disabled car in Howard Beach
(Queens), New York, Michael Griffith is struck by an
automobile and killed as he attempts to escape from a mob
of whites who were beating him. The incident will spark a
controversy that will further divide factions in New York
City, already troubled by racially motivated violence.
1988 - Jesse Jackson, in a speech in Chicago, urges the use of the
term "African American": "Every ethnic group in this
country has reference to some land base, some historical
cultural base. African Americans have hit that level of
maturity."
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