* Today in Black History - May 27 *
1863 - Captain Andre' Callioux and his Native Guard Regiment, which had
once
fought for the Confederacy, charge Port Hudson, La. The Union Army
Guard, intent on disproving white contentions that "Negroes" lacked
the intelligence for combat, will make six different assaults on the
stronghold.
1917 - One African American is killed and hundreds are left homeless in
race
riots in East St. Louis, Illinois.
1935 - Ramsey Lewis is born in Chicago, Illinois. While attending
Chicago
Musical College, he will form the Gentlemen of Swing (later called
The Ramsey Lewis Trio) with The Cleff's old rhythm section, Eldee
Young (bass) and Redd Holt (drums). Their weekend gig will catch the
attention of an influential deejay (Daddio-O-Dayle), who convinces
blues record company owner Phil Chess to expand into jazz and sign
the trio. From the start (1958) their records were popular, although
in the early days they had a strong jazz content. In 1958 Lewis will
also record with Max Roach and Lem Winchester. On the 1965 albums
"The In Crowd" and "Hang On Sloopy," Ramsey will make the piano into
a major attraction and from that point on, his records will become
much more predictable and pop-oriented. In 1966, his trio's personnel
will change with bassist Cleveland Eaton and drummer Maurice White
(later the founder of Earth, Wind and Fire) joining Lewis. In the
1970s Lewis will often play electric piano, although by later in the
decade, he was sticking to acoustic and hiring an additional
keyboardist. He plays melodic jazz when he wants to, but will stick
to easy-listening pop music during the his career.
1936 - Louis Gossett, Jr. is born in Brooklyn, New York. He will make
his
acting debut at 17 in "Take a Giant Step" and act in numerous stage,
film and television roles including Fiddler in "Roots," for which he
will win an Emmy. His portrayal of the tough drill instructor in "An
Officer and a Gentleman" will win him an Academy Award as best
supporting actor in 1982, the third African-American to win an Oscar
for acting.
1941 - A race riot begins in East St. Louis, Illinois. After four days
of
rioting, one African American will be killed.
1942 - Dorie Miller, a messman from Waco, Texas, is awarded the Navy
cross for
his heroic deeds at Pearl Harbor. The Cross is pinned on his chest by
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
1958 - Ernest Green graduates from Little Rock's Central High School
with six
hundred white classmates.
1961 - Ralph Boston of the United States, sets the long jump record.
1965 - Todd Bridges is born in San Francisco, California. He will
become a
child actor and is best known for his roles in the TV series "Diff'rent
Strokes," and "Fish."
1968 - The Supreme Court orders schools to present a realistic
desegregation
plan immediately. The ruling comes almost 13 years to the day after
the Court's "all deliberate speed" desegregation order in 1955.
1975 - Ezzard Charles, former heavyweight boxing champion, dies in
Chicago
at the age of 53.
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The source for these facts are "Encyclopedia Britannica,
"InfoBeat," "I, Too, Sing America - The African American
Book of Days," "Before the Mayflower", "Black Firsts" and
independent research by the Information Man.
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