* Today in Black History - April 5 *
1839 - Robert Smalls is born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina.
He will become a Civil War hero by sailing an armed Confederate
steamer out of Charleston Harbor and presenting it to the Union
Navy. He will later become a three-term congressman from his
state.
1856 - Booker Taliaferro Washington is born a slave near Hale's Ford,
Virginia. He will become a world reknown educator, founder of
Tuskegee Institute. He will become one of the most famous African
American educators and leaders of the 19th century. His message
of acquiring practical skills and emphasizing self-help over
political rights will be popular among whites and segments of the
African American community. His 1901 autobiography, "Up From
Slavery", which details his rise to success despite numerous
obstacles, will become a best-seller and further enhances his
public image as a self-made man. As popular as he will be in some
circles, Washington will be aggressively opposed by critics such
as W.E.B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter. He will join the
ancestors on November 14, 1915. He will become the first African
American to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp.
1879 - Charles W. Follis is born in Cloverdale, Virginia. He is the first
African American to play professional football. He will play
halfback for the Blues of Shelby, Ohio in 1904. The Blues were part
of the American Professional Football League, a forerunner of the
National Football League.
1915 - Jess Willard defeats Jack Johnson for the heavyweight boxing
crown in twenty three rounds.
1934 - Stanley Turrentine is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He will
become a jazz saxophonist and in 1953, will replace the famed
John Coltrane in the popular big band of Earl Bostic. After a
three-year army stint, which affords him his only formal musical
training, Turrentine comes to prominence on the New York Jazz scene
as a member of Max Roach's group in 1959. Over the years,
Turrentine's recordings will combine musical energies with friends
such as Ron Carter, Roland Hanna, Ray Charles, Freddie Hubbard, Jon
Hendricks, George Benson, Cedar Walton, Herbie Hancock, Kenny
Burrell,
Milt Jackson, Joe Sample, Shirley Scott, Jimmy Smith, Grady Tate,
and
many others. He will be nominated for the Grammy Award four times.
1937 - Colin Powell is born in New York City. He will become a highly
decorated Army officer, receiving the Bronze Star and Purple
Heart during the Vietnam War, and will be later promoted to four-
star general in 1988. He will become the first African American
to serve as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the U.S.
Armed Forces.
1956 - Booker T. Washington becomes the only African American honored
twice on a U.S. postage stamp. To commemorate the centennial of
his birth, the U.S. Postal Service issues a stamp depicting the
cabin where he was born.
1967 - Philadelphia '76er Wilt Chamberlain sets a NBA record of 41
rebounds in a single game.
1976 - FBI documents, released in response to a freedom of information
suit, reveal that the government mounted an intensive campaign
against civil rights organizations in the sixties. In a letter
dated August 25, 1967, the FBI said the government operation,
called COINTELPRO, was designed "to expose, disrupt, misdirect,
discredit or otherwise neutralize the activities of Black
nationalists, hate-type groups, their leadership, spokesmen,
membership and supporters, and to counter their propensity for
violence and civil disorders." A later telegram specifically
named the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference as organizations having
"radical and violence prone leaders, members and followers."
1977 - Gertrude Downing receives a patent for the corner cleaner
attachment.
1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Wilt Chamberlain's all-time career
scoring record of 31,419 points (31,421).
1990 - Seven African American journalists are inducted into the newly
created Hall of Fame of the National Association of Black
Journalists in Washington, DC. Dubbed "pioneers of mainstream
journalism," the inductees include Dorothy Butler Gilliam of the
Washington Post, Malvin R. Goode of ABC News, Mal H. Johnson of
Cox Broadcasting, Gordon Parks of Life Magazine, Ted Poston of
the New York Post, Norma Quarles of Cable News Network, and Carl
T. Rowan of King Features Syndicate. Twelve Pulitzer Prize
winners are also honored at the awards ceremonies.
2000 - Ending a two-year investigation, an independent counsel clears
Labor Secretary Alexis Herman of allegations that she had
solicited $ 250,000 in illegal campaign contributions.
______________________________________________________________
Munirah Chronicle is edited by Brother Mosi Hoj
"The TRUTH shall make you free"
E-mail: <[log in to unmask]>
Archives: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/Munirah.html
http://blackagenda.com/cybercolonies/index.htm
_____________________________________________________________
To SUBSCRIBE send E-mail to: <[log in to unmask]>
In the E-mail body place: Subscribe Munirah Your FULL Name
______________________________________________________________
Munirah(TM) is a trademark of Information Man. Copyright 1998 - 2006,
All Rights Reserved by the Information Man in association with
The Black Agenda.
|
