* Today in Black History - March 20 *
1852 - Uncle Tom's Cabin, by white abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe,
is published. The controversial novel will be credited by many,
including Abraham Lincoln, with sparking the Civil War. Mr.
Lincoln will later tell Mrs. Stowe, that she was "the little
woman who wrote the book that started this great war",
Martin R. Delany publishes "The Condition, Elevation, Emigration
and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States," the
the first major statement of the African American nationalist
position. Delany says, "The claims of no people, according to
established policy and usage, are respected by any nation, until
they are presented in a national capacity." He adds: "We are a
nation within a nation; as the Poles in Russia, the Hungarians
in Austria, the Welsh, Irish, and Scotch in the British
dominions."
1883 - Jan Matzeliger receives patent #274,207 for his shoe lasting
machine. His invention will revolutionize the shoe industry,
allowing for the first mass production of shoes.
1890 - The Blair Bill, which provides federal support for education and
allocates funds to reduce illiteracy among the freedmen is
defeated in the U.S. Senate, 37-31.
1950 - Dr. Ralph Bunche receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as
a mediator in the Palestine crisis. He is the first African
American to be so honored.
1957 - Shelton "Spike" Lee is born in Atlanta, Georgia. He will grow up
in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York, the son of an
accomplished jazz bassist and art teacher, Bill Lee. He will
become a motion picture director, producing many of his own
films. His films, among them "She's Gotta Have It," "Do the
Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever" explore the social, political,
and interpersonal relationships between African Americans and
whites not seen since the work of director Oscar Micheaux.
1970 - Students strike at the University of Michigan and demand
increased African American enrollment. The strike ends on April
2, after the administration agrees to meet their demands.
1973 - Roberto Clemente is elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame, 11 weeks
after his death. He becomes the first person of African descent
to be elected to the Hall of Fame in a special election (before
the five-year waiting period). He also is the first Hispanic
to enter the Hall of Fame.
1987 - "Hollywood Shuffle" premieres. The film is directed by, produced
by, and stars Robert Townsend. Townsend also used his own money
to bring his comedic vision to the screen.
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The source for these facts are "Encyclopedia Britannica,
"InfoBeat," "I, Too, Sing America - The African American
Book of Days," and independent research by the
Information Man.
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