* Today in Black History - May 12 *
1896 - Juan Morel Campos joins the ancestors in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He
was a musician and composer who was one of the first to integrate
Afro-Caribbean styles and folk rhythms into the classical European
musical model. He was considered the father of the "danza."
1898 - Louisiana adopts a new constitution with a "grandfather clause"
designed to eliminate African American voters.
1902 - Joe Gans (born Joseph Gaines) becomes the first native-born African
American to win a world boxing championship, when he defeats Frank
Erne in one round for the World Lightweight Crown. He will be
elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954.
1910 - The Second NAACP conference opens in New York City. The three day
conference will create a permanent national structure for the
organization.
1916 - Albert L. Murray is born in Nokomis, Alabama. He will become an
author of several works of nonfiction, among them the influential
collection of essays, "The Omni Americans: New Perspectives on Black
Experience and American Culture." His other works will include
"South
to a Very Old Place," "The Hero and The Blues," "Train Whistle
Guitar," "The Spyglass Tree," "Stomping The Blues," "Good Morning
Blues," and "The Blue Devils of Nada."
1926 - Paulette Poujol-Oriol is born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She will
become a well-known literary personality in Haiti. She will be best
known for her innovative creative expression. Her works will
include
"Prayers for Two Vanished Angels" and "The Crucible."
1926 - Mervyn Dymally is born in Cedros, Trinidad. He will become the first
African American elected as lieutenant governor of California and
will be elected to Congress in 1980, where he will serve for 12
years.
1929 - Samuel Nujoma is born in Etunda, South West Africa (now Namibia). He
will become a nationalist politician and the first president of
Namibia. He will remain in exile for thirty years from 1959 to 1989
when he will return to Namibia and win a seat in the National
Assembly. He will vacate this seat in 1990 when he is elected
president.
1933 - Henry Hugh Proctor joins the ancestors in Brooklyn, New York at the
age of 64. He had been the pastor of Nazarene Congregational Church
for thirteen years. Prior to coming to New York, he had been pastor
of the First Congregational Church in Atlanta, Georgia for twenty
four years, where he had been instrumental in working with local
whites in order to reduce racial conflicts in the city.
1934 - Elechi Amadi is born in Aluu, Nigeria. He will become a novelist
whose works will illustrate the tradition and inner feelings of
traditional tribal life of his people. He will be known for his
works
"The Concubine," "Sunset in Biafra: A Civil War Diary," "The Great
Ponds," "The Slave," "Estrangement," "Isiburu," "Peppersoup," "The
Road to Ibadan," "Dancer of Johannesburg," and "Ethics in Nigerian
Culture." His writings reflect his upbringing as a member of the
Igbo
ethnic group in Nigeria.
1951 - Former U.S. Congressman Oscar Stanton DePriest joins the ancestors at
the age of 80 in Chicago, Illinois. He had been the first African
American elected to the U.S. Congress since Reconstruction and the
first-ever African American congressman from the North.
1955 - Samuel ("Toothpick Sam") Jones, of the Chicago Cubs, becomes the
first African American to pitch a major league no-hitter, against
the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1958 - At a summit meeting of national African American leaders, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower is sharply criticized for a speech which, in
effect, urges them to "be patient" in their demands for full civil
and voting rights.
1967 - H. Rap Brown replaces Stokely Carmichael as chairman of the Student
Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
1969 - Kim Fields (later Freeman) is born in Los Angeles, California. She
will become an actress as a child, starring in the sit-com, "The
Facts of Life" (1979-1988). She will continue her television career
on the "Living Single" show, which will premier in 1993.
1970 - Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs hits his 500th home run.
1970 - A racially motivated civil disturbance occurs in Augusta, Georgia.
Six African Americans are killed. Authorities say five of the
victims were shot by police.
1976 - Wynona Carr joins the ancestors. She had been a gospel singer who was
best known for her rendition of "The Ball Game." Her other
recordings
were "Each Day," "Lord Jesus," "Dragnet for Jesus," "Fifteen Rounds
for Jesus," "Operator, Operator," "Should I Ever Love Again," and
"Our Father."
1991 - Hampton University students stage a silent protest against President
George Bush's commencement address to highlight their opposition to
his civil rights policies.
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