* Today in Black History - June 27 *
1833 - The operator of an academy for African American females in
Canterbury, Connecticut, Prudence Crandall - a white woman, is
arrested for providing this service.
1872 - Paul Laurence Dunbar, short story writer, is born in Dayton, Ohio.
He will be so talented and versatile that he will succeed in two
worlds. He will be so adept at writing verse in Black English that
he will become known as the "poet of his people," while also
cultivating a white audience that appreciated the brilliance and
value of his work. "Majors and Minors" (1895), Dunbar's second
collection of verse, will be a remarkable work containing some of
his best poems in both Black and standard English. When the
country's reigning literary critic, William Dean Howells reviews
"Majors and Minors" favorably, Dunbar becomes famous. And Howells'
introduction in "Lyric of Lowly Life" (1896) will help make Dunbar
the most popular African American writer in America at the time.
Dunbar will join the ancestors after succumbing to tuberculosis in
1906. The U.S. Postal Service will issue a commemorative stamp in
his honor on May 1, 1975.
1890 - George Dixon, a Canadian, becomes the first person of African descent
to win a world boxing championship. He defeats Nunc Wallace to win
the bantamweight title. He will also become the first person of
African descent to win an American title in any sport, when he
knocks out Cal McCarthy in 1891.
1914 - The United States signs a treaty of commerce with Ethiopia.
1919 - Archibald H. Grimke', noted lawyer and civil rights advocate who had
served as U.S. Consul in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and
president of the American Negro Academy among his accomplishments,
receives the NAACP's Spingarn Medal. An original member of the
"Committee of Forty" that helped establish the NAACP, Grimke' is
honored for his "years of distinguished service to his race and
country."
1941 - Richard Wright is awarded the Spingarn Medal. He is cited for the
power of his books "Uncle Tom's Children" and "Native Son" in
depicting "the effects of proscription, segregation and denial of
opportunities on the American Negro."
1960 - British Somaliland becomes part of Somalia.
1967 - A racially motivated disturbance occurs in Buffalo, New York. 200
persons are arrested. The disturbance will last four days.
1970 - The Jackson Five: Marlon, Tito, Jackie, Jermaine and Michael, jump
to number one on the music charts with "The Love You Save". The
song will stay at the top of the charts for a two week run. It will
be the third of four number-one hits in a row for the group. The
other three are: "I Want You Back", "ABC" and "I'll Be There". In
15 years, from 1969 to 1984, The Jackson Five/Jacksons will have 23
hits, score two platinum singles ("Enjoy Yourself" and "Shake Your
Body [Down To The Ground]") and one gold record ("State of Shock").
1972 - Patricia Roberts Harris, the first African American U.S. Ambassador,
is named permanent chairman of the Democratic National Convention.
The Mattoon, Illinois native will later break new ground as
Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development.
1977 - Djibouti gains independence from France. Djibouti is located in
East Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Gulf
of Aden.
1978 - Henry Rono of Kenya sets a world record for 3,000 meters, running in
7 minutes 32 and 1/10 seconds.
1979 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules, in Weber v. Kaiser Aluminum and
Chemical Corporation, that employers and unions can establish
voluntary programs, including the use of quotas, to aid minorities
in employment.
1988 - Mike Tyson knocks out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first
round, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1989 - The Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 16-6. Each team is
coached by an African American, Frank Robinson of the Orioles and
Cito Gaston of the Blue Jays. Robinson, who will direct his team
to an 87-75 season, will be named manager of the year by both the
Associated Press and the United Press International.
1991 - Justice Thurgood Marshall, 82, the first African American on the
U.S. Supreme Court, announces his retirement after 24 years
service, citing "advancing age and medical condition." As chief
counsel for the NAACP, Marshall had played a major role in the
legal fight that led to the Brown v. Board of Education decision,
overturning legal segregation. In his final dissent on the court
on June 27, Marshall says that the court's conservative majority
was recklessly overturning decisions protecting the right of
African Americans and minorities.
1994 - U.S. Coast Guard cutters intercept 1,330 Haitian boat people on the
high seas in one of the busiest days since refugees began leaving
Haiti following a 1991 military coup.
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