* Today in Black History - November 16 *
1873 - William Christopher Handy is born in Florence, Alabama.
He will be best known as a composer and blues musician
and earn the nickname "Father of the Blues." Among
his most noteworthy compositions will be "Memphis
Blues," "St. Louis Blues," and "Beale Street Blues."
He will also form a music publishing company with
Harry Pace and become one of the most important
influences in African American music. His 1941
autobiography, "Father of the Blues," will be a
sourcebook and reference on this uniquely African
American musical style. He will join the ancestors on
March 28, 1958 in New York City, the same year "The St.
Louis Blues", an biographical movie of his life debuts.
1873 - Richard T. Greener, who was the first African American
graduate of Harvard University, is named professor of
metaphysics at the University of South Carolina.
1873 - African Americans win three state offices in the
Mississippi election: Alexander K. Davis, Lieutenant
governor; James Hill, secretary of state; T.W. Cardozo,
superintendent of education. African Americans win 55
of the 115 seats in the house and 9 out of 37 seats in
the senate, 42 per cent of the total number.
1904 - Nnamdi Azikiwe, PC is born in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria
Protectorate. Usually referred to as "Zik", he will be a
Nigerian statesman who will be Governor General of Nigeria
from 1960 to 1963 and the first President of Nigeria from
1963 to 1966 (when Nigeria became a republic). Considered
a driving force behind the nation's independence, he will
come to be known as the "father of Nigerian Nationalism".
Born to Igbo parents in Zungeru in present-day Niger State,
as a young boy he will learn to speak Hausa (the main
indigenous language of the Northern Region). he will be
later sent to live with his aunt and grandmother in Onitsha
(his parental homeland), where he will learn the Igbo
language. A stay in Lagos will expose him to the Yoruba
language; by the time he will be in college, he will be
exposed to different Nigerian cultures and will speak three
languages (an asset as president). He will travel to the
United States where he will be known as Ben Azikiwe and
attend Storer College, Columbia University, the University
of Pennsylvania and Howard University. He will contact
colonial authorities with a request to represent Nigeria at
the Los Angeles Olympics. He will return to Africa in 1934,
where he will begin work as a journalist in the Gold Coast.
In British West Africa, he will advocate Nigerian and
African nationalism as a journalist and a political leader.
1930 - Albert Chinualumogu Achebe is born in Ogidi, Nigeria
Protectorate. He will become an internationally acclaimed
author known as Chinua Achebe. His first novel, "Things
Fall Apart" (1958) will be considered his magnum opus, and
will be the most widely read book in modern African
literature. His later novels will include "No Longer at
Ease" (1960), "Arrow of God" (1964), "A Man of the People"
(1966), and "Anthills of the Savannah" (1987). He will
write his novels in English and defend the use of English,
a "language of colonisers", in African literature. In 1975,
his lecture "An Image of Africa: Racism" in Conrad's 'Heart
of Darkness' will feature a famous criticism of Joseph
Conrad as "a thoroughgoing racist". It will be later
published in The Massachusetts Review amid some controversy.
A titled Igbo chieftain, his novels will focus on the
traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian
influences, and the clash of Western and traditional African
values during and after the colonial era. His style will rely
heavily on the Igbo oral tradition, and combine straight-
forward narration with representations of folk stories,
proverbs, and oratory. He will also publish a number of short
stories, children's books, and essay collections. From 2009
until 2013, he will serve as David and Marianna Fisher
University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at
Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He will join the
ancestors on March 21, 2013.
1931 - Hubert Charles Sumlin is born on a farm near Greenwood,
Mississippi. He will leave home at seventeen to tour clubs and
taverns throughout the South with his childhood friend James
Cotton. The Jimmy Cotton band will record for the Sun label in
Memphis from 1950 to 1953. In 1954, he will join the Howlin'
Wolf band and move to Chicago. It will be Howlin' Wolf who will
mentor him, prodding and encouraging him to find his own style
and develop as a performer. He will perform with Howlin' Wolf
for twenty five years. He will be best known for his "wrenched,
shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and
daring rhythmic suspensions". He will be listed as number 43 in
the Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He will
join the ancestors on December 4, 2011.
1933 - Garrett Mims is born in Ashland, West Virginia. Known as Garnet
Mims, he will become a singer, influential in soul music and
rhythm and blues. He will first achieve success as the lead
singer of Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, and will be best known
for the 1963 hit "Cry Baby", later recorded by Janis Joplin.
According to Steve Huey at AllMusic, his "pleading, gospel-
derived intensity will make him one of the earliest true soul
singers [and] his legacy will remain criminally underappreciated."
He will first record as a member of the Norfolk Four, for Savoy
Records in 1953. He will return to Philadelphia after serving in
the military and, after a spell in a doo-wop group, the Deltones,
will form another group, the Gainors, in 1958, with Sam Bell,
Willie Combo, John Jefferson, and Howard Tate. The Gainors will
record several singles over the next few years for the Red Top,
Mercury and Talley Ho labels, but will fail to have any chart
success. Mimms and Bell will leave the group in 1961, and join
with Charles Boyer and Zola Pearnell to form Garnet Mimms and the
Enchanters. The group will move from Philadelphia to New York in
1963, and begin to work with the songwriter and record producer
Bert Berns, who will sign them to the United Artists label and
team them with fellow songwriter and producer Jerry Ragovoy.
Dominic Turner will write that "the partnership between the
Enchanters on the one hand and Ragovoy and Berns on the other will
be very much an experiment in applying Mimms' gospel and deep soul
roots to the new uptown soul in vogue in New York." The new team
will have an immediate hit with "Cry Baby", written by Berns and
Ragovoy, and with uncredited vocal backing by the Gospelaires,
featuring Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick, and Estelle Brown. The
song will top the R&B chart and will go on to number4 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1963. It will sell over one million
copies, and will be awarded a gold disc. The group will follow it
up with "For Your Precious Love," a cover of Jerry Butler and the
Impressions' original, which will hit the Billboard Top 30 later
that year, as did the flip side, "Baby Don't You Weep." Another
hit recording with the Enchanters, "A Quiet Place", will become a
popular song among the Carolina beach music community. In 1964 he
will leave the Enchanters for a solo career; with Sam Bell as lead
vocalist, the group will go on to have a minor hit with "I Wanna
Thank You". He will continue to record for United Artists, and will
have several minor R&B hits over the next two years, including "One
Girl" and a cover of the Jarmels' "A Little Bit of Soap." Some of
his recordings at that time, including "It Was Easier to Hurt Her",
"As Long As I Have You", and "Looking For You", will later become
\ popular on the British Northern soul scene. Berns and Ragovoy will
produce Mimms' final Top 40 hit in 1966, "I'll Take Good Care Of
You", which will climb to #15 in the R&B chart and number 30 in the
Hot 100. he will also release three albums on United Artists, As
Long As I Have You (1964), I'll Take Good Care Of You and Warm and
Soulful (both 1966). He will move to the UA subsidiary label Veep
in 1966, releasing several singles including "My Baby", later
recorded by Janis Joplin and will make the live setlist of the last
edition of The Yardbirds and early Led Zeppelin, and the following
year toured in the UK with Jimi Hendrix. An album, Garnet Mimms Live,
will be recorded with Scottish band the Senate (who featured drummer
Robbie McIntosh, later of the Average White Band), and will be
released in the UK in 1967. He will continue to work with Ragovoy,
and in 1968 will start recording for Verve Records. In 1968–69, Led
Zeppelin will perform an extended version of Mimms' "As Long As I
Have You" on their UK and US tours. Mimms' final recordings for
several years will be issued on the GSF label in 1972. In the late
1970s, he will release a few funk songs under the name Garnet Mimms
and the Truckin' Company. He will have his only hit in the UK at
this time, when "What It Is", produced by Randy Muller of Brass
Construction, will reache number 44 for one week on the UK Singles
Chart in June 1977. He will give up his music career shortly
afterwards. He will become a born-again Christian, and in the 1980s
will find his calling ministering to lost souls as part of the New
Jerusalem Prison Ministry. He will later establish the Bottom Line
Revival Ministries, again ministering to prisoners. In 2007 he will
return to recording, and a year later will release a new gospel
album Is Anybody Out There? on the Evidence label, produced and
(primarily) written by Jon Tiven. He will be given a Pioneer Award
in 1999 by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
1944 - Capt. Woodrow W. Crockett of the 100th Fighter Squadron is awarded
the Soldier's Medal after he pulls Lt. William Hill from a P-51
Mustang before it explodes.
1946 - Joseph Henry White is born in St. Louis, Missouri. He will become
a professional basketball player. As an amateur, he will play
basketball at the University of Kansas and will represent the U.S.
men's basketball team during the 1968 Summer Olympics. As a
professional, he will be best known for his ten-year stint with
0 the Boston Celtics of the NBA, where he will lead the team towards
two NBA championships and set a franchise record of 488
consecutive games played. He will be inducted into the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
1961 - Franklin Roy Bruno, MBE is born in Wandsworth, London, England. He
will become a professional boxer who will compete from 1982 to 1996.
He will have highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out
of the ring. The pinnacle of his boxing career will be winning the
WBC heavyweight title from Oliver McCall at a packed Wembley Stadium
in 1995, in what will be his fourth world championship challenge. He
will face multiple top-rated heavyweights throughout his career,
including two fights against Mike Tyson in 1989 and 1996, and a
domestic clash against Lennox Lewis in 1993. He will also be known for
his exceptional punching power, scoring 38 knockouts in 40 wins and
giving him a 95% knockout-to-win ratio; his overall knockout
percentage will be 84.44%. Like Henry Cooper before him, he will
remain a popular celebrity with the British public following his
retirement from boxing, including his well-documented struggles with
mental health.
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of the NBA San Francisco Warriors scores 73 points
against the New York Knicks.
1963 - Zina Lynna Garrison is born in Houston, Texas. She will become a
professional tennis player. During her career, she will be a
women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1990, a three-time
Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, a women's doubles gold
medalist and women's single bronze medalist at the 1988 Olympic
Games. After retiring from the tour, she will work as a television
commentator and maintain active roles in the community and in
tennis. She will found the Zina Garrison Foundation for the
Homeless in 1988, and the Zina Garrison All-Court Tennis Program,
which will support inner-city tennis in Houston, in 1992. She will
also serve as a member of the United States President's Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports. She will maintain a presence on the
professional tennis scene, and be the captain for the United States
Federation Cup team until 2008. This role involves coaching the
team and giving on-court advice. She will also lead the U.S. women's
team at the 2008 Beijing Games tennis event where team members Venus
and Serena Williams will win a doubles gold medal.
1964 - Dwight Eugene "Doc" Gooden is born in Tampa, Florida. He will become
a professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets (1984-1994),
the New York Yankees (1996-1997), the Cleveland Indians (1998-1999),
the Houston Astros (2000), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000) and the
New York Yankees (2000). "The Doctor" will set the record for most
strikeouts in a rookie season and become Rookie of the Year in 1984.
He will receive the Cy Young Award in 1985, becoming the youngest to
win that award.
1967 - A one-man showing of 48 paintings by Henry O. Tanner is presented at
the Grand Central Galleries in New York City. The presentation of
the canvases, not in the best of condition, is criticized by The New
York Times as an "injustice to a proud man."
1967 - Lisa Michele Bonet is born in San Francisco, California. She will
become an actress and be actress. She will be best known for her role
as Denise Huxtable-Kendall on the NBC sitcom, "The Cosby Show"
(1984-92) and originally starring in its spinoff comedy, "A Different
World" for its first season (1987-88). After The Cosby Show, she will
begin to accept jobs on straight-to-video releases and made-for-TV
movies. In 1998, she will have a supporting role in "Enemy of the State"
with Will Smith. In 2000, she will appear in the movie "High Fidelity."
In 2003, she will play the role of Queenie in "Biker Boyz," which will
reunite her with former co-star Kadeem Hardison of "A Different World."
She will also co-star in the 2006 film "Whitepaddy" alongside Sherilyn
Fenn, Hill Harper, Debra Wilson, Karen Black, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Two years later, she will appear in the US adaptation of the British
television series, "Life on Mars."
1972 - The Louisiana National Guard mobilizes after police officers kill two
students during demonstrations at Southern University.
1975 - Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears rushes for 105 yards in a game against
the San Francisco '49ers. It will be Payton's first game of 100 plus
yards. He will repeat this feat over 50 times throughout his career
and add two 200-yard games.
1989 - South African President F.W. de Klerk announces the scrapping of the
Separate Amenities Act, opening up the country's beaches to all races.
1995 - Noah Gray-Cabey is born in Newry, Maine. He will become an actor and
pianist. He will be known for his roles in the television series "My Wife
and Kids" and "Heroes." He will appear on the television shows "Ripley's
Believe It or Not," "48 Hours," "The Tonight Show," "Good Morning America"
and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." He will also star in the CBS medical drama
"Code Black" as Dr. Eliot Dixon. He will start playing piano using a toy
keyboard. He will claim in an interview that by the time he reaches the
age of four in 1999, he will decide that he wants to play a real piano. At
age four, he will perform in several venues throughout New England and
Washington. He will journey to Jamaica for his first tour with the New
England Symphonic Ensemble. In July 2001, he will continue on to Australia,
and at age five, will become the youngest soloist ever to perform with an
orchestra at the Sydney Opera House, as well as the Queensland Conservatory
and the International Convention in Brisbane. He will record a CD together
with his family. They will perform pieces by J. S. Bach, Haydn and Vivaldi,
among others. The CD will also contain recordings of him playing when he
was 4 years old. He will make his feature film debut as Joey Dury in "Lady in
the Water." His career in television will begin in December 2001. He will
appear on "My Wife & Kids" playing the recurring role of Franklin Aloysius
Mumford. He will also act in roles in television series including "Grey's
Anatomy," "CSI: Miami," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Ghost Whisperer."
On the superhero television series "Heroes," he will perform the role of Micah
Sanders, a major character. Sanders is able to control machines and is the son
of Niki Sanders and D.L. Hawkins. He will play the recurring role of Mason on
"Freeform's Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists."
1996 - Texaco agrees to pay $176.9 million dollars to settle a two-year old race
discrimination class action suit.
1998 - The Supreme Court rules that union members can file discrimination lawsuits
against employers even when labor contracts require arbitration.
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