* Today in Black History - December 21 *
1872 - Robert Scott Duncanson joins the ancestors in Detroit, Michigan.
He suffers a severe mental breakdown and ends his life in the
Michigan State Retreat. Duncanson avoided painting in an ethnic
style, favoring still lifes and landscapes including "Mount
Healthy," "Ohio," "Blue Hole," "Little Miami River," and "Falls
of Minnehaha. The Detroit Tribune, on December 26, 1872, refers
to Duncanson as "an artist of rare accomplishments".
1911 - Joshua "Josh" Gibson is born in Buena Vista, Georgia. He will
become a professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues. Gibson
will begin playing in the Negro leagues in 1930, at age 18. A
catcher, he will play mostly for teams in and around Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, including the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh
Crawfords. He will also play winter baseball in Puerto Rico and the
Dominican Republic. He will join the ancestors suddenly in early
1947, the year that Jackie Robinson will become the first African
American player in the major leagues. In recognition of his
accomplishments, Gibson will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame in 1972. He will be referred to as the "Negro Babe Ruth"
hitting 800+ Home Runs. Some say that Babe Ruth should have been
referred to as the "white Josh Gibson."
1921 - P.B.S. Pinchback, a major Reconstruction politician, joins at
the ancestors at the age of 84.
1959 - Delorez Florence Griffith is born in Los Angeles, California.
As Florence Griffith Joyner, she will bring glamour to women's
track and field. A world-classrunner, "FloJo" will win three
gold medals (in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter races)
at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul and a silver medal
in the 1600-meter relay.
1959 - Citizens of Deerfield, Illinois block the building of interracial
housing.
1969 - Diana Ross makes her final television appearance as a member of
the Supremes on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
1976 - Patricia R. Harris is named Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
1986 - While seeking a tow for his disabled car in Howard Beach(Queens),
New York, Michael Griffith is struck by an automobile and
killed as he attempts to escape from a mob of whites who were
beating him. The incident will spark a controversy that will
further divide factions in New York City, already troubled by
racially motivated violence.
1988 - Jesse Jackson, in a speech in Chicago, urges the use of the term
"African American": "Every ethnic group in this country has
reference to some land base, some historical cultural base.
African Americans have hit that level of maturity."
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