* Today in Black History - June 15 *
1864 - Congress passes a bill equalizing pay, arms, equipment and medical
services of African American troops.
1877 - Henry Ossian Flipper, born a slave in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1856,
is the first African American cadet to graduate from the United
States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Flipper, who was
never spoken to by a white cadet during his four years at West
Point, was appointed a second lieutenant in the all-African
American 10th Cavalry, stationed at Fort Sill in Indian Territory.
1921 - Bessie Coleman, a 28-year-old native of Amarillo, Texas, who learned
French in order to communicate with instructors, receives a pilot's
certificate from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in
France. She is the first African American woman to become a licensed
pilot.
1921 - Erroll Garner is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He will become
an accomplished pianist who will play by ear. Much of his early work
will be lost because it will not be written down. His best known
composition will be "Misty." He will be an ASCAP Award-winning jazz
pianist. Some of his other hits will be "Dreamy," "That's My Kick,"
"Moment's Delight," and "Solitaire." He will be honored on a stamp
by the U.S. Postal Service.
1938 - Billie Lee Williams, baseball player (Rookie of the Year 1961), and
Chicago Cubs outfielder, is born.
1951 - Joe Louis knocks out Lee Savold in a closed-circuit TV fight seen by
fight fans in movie theatres in six cities.
1969 - O'Shea Jackson is born in Los Angeles, California. Known later as
"Ice Cube," he will be the first member of the seminal Californian
rap group N.W.A. to leave, and he will quickly establish himself as
one of hip-hop's best and most controversial artists. From the outset
of his career, he will court controversy, since his rhymes were
profane and political. As a solo artist, his politics and social
commentary will sharpen substantially, and his first two records,
"AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" and "Death Certificate," will be equally
praised and reviled for their lyrical stance, which happens to be
considerably more articulate than many of his gangsta peers. As his
career progresses, Ice Cube's influence begins to decline, particularly
as he tries to incorporate elements of contemporary groups like Cypress
Hill into his sound, but his stature never diminished, and he will
remain one of the biggest rap stars throughout the '90s. He will also
become an actor and will have his acting debut in John Singleton's
"Boyz N the Hood."
1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of closing
Jackson, Mississippi, swimming pools rather than integrating them.
The ruling is considered by many to indicate the Court's resistance
to increased integration.
1971 - Vernon E. Jordan Jr., former executive director of the United Negro
College Fund, is appointed executive director of the National Urban
League.
1987 - Michael Spinks defeats Gerry Cooney in round five of their
heavyweight
boxing match in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1990 - St. Clair Drake joins the ancestors after succumbing to a heart
attack
in Palo Alto, California. The noted sociologist and anthropologist was
the author of numerous books, including the important 'Black
Metropolis' which he co-authored with Horace Cayton. In 1969, he
established and served as Director of the African and Afro-American
Studies Program at Stanford University, a program often imitated by
other colleges and universities.
1996 - Ella Jane Fitzgerald joins the ancestors. Dubbed the 'First Lady of
Song,' she was the most popular female jazz singer in the United
States for more than half a century. During her lifetime, she sold
over 40 million albums and won 13 Grammy awards. Born in Newport News,
Virginia, Fitzgerald began singing after impressing the audience at
the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night in 1934. She could imitate every
instrument in an orchestra and worked with all the jazz greats, from
Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Nat King Cole to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy
Gillespie, and Benny Goodman. She performed at top venues all over the
world, and her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. She
received the National Medal of Arts, France’s Commander of Arts and
Letters Award, Kennedy Center Honors, and numerous honorary doctorates
for her continuing contributions to the arts.
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