*                    Today in Black History - May 20                    *

1746 - Francois-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture is born into slavery in
        Haiti.  He will lead the revolution in his country against French
        and English forces to free the slaves.  Although he will nominally
        rule in the name of France, he will in actuality become political
        and military dictator of the country.  His success in freeing the
        slaves in Haiti caused his name to become the biggest influence in
        the slave cabins of the Americas.  His name will be whispered in
        Brazil, in the Caribbean, and the United States.

1868 - The Republican National Convention, meeting in Chicago, nominates
        U.S. Grant for the presidency.  The convention marks the national
        debut of African American politicians.  P.B.S. Pinchback of
        Louisiana and James J. Harris were delegates to the convention.
        Harris will be named to the committee which informed Grant of his
        nomination.  African Americans also serve for the first time as
        presidential electors.  Robert Meacham will be a presidential
        elector in Florida. The South Carolina electoral ticket will
        include three African American Republican leaders, B.F. Randolph,
        Stephen A. Swails, and Alonzo J. Ransier.

1951 - The New York branch of the NAACP honors Josephine Baker for her work
        to combat racism.  Baker, the American chanteuse who was acclaimed
        in Europe, had led a personal crusade to force integration of clubs
        where she appeared in Miami and Las Vegas.  She also campaigned
        against segregated railroad facilities in Chicago and buses in
        Oakland.

1961 - A mob attacks freedom riders in Montgomery, Alabama.  Attorney
        General Robert F. Kennedy dispatches four hundred U.S. marshals to
        Montgomery to keep order in the freedom rider controversy.

1964 - Buster Mathis defeats Joe Frazier to qualify for the U.S. Olympic
        team.

1971 - A Pentagon report states that African Americans constituted 11 per
        cent of U.S. soldiers in Southeast Asia.  The report also states
        that 12.5 per cent of all soldiers killed in Vietnam since 1961
        were African American.

1985 - Larry Holmes retains the heavyweight boxing title of the
        International Boxing Federation in Reno, Nevada -- by defeating
        Carl Wilson in 15 rounds.  The fight marks the first heavyweight
        title fight in Reno since Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries fought
        there in 1910.

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