* Today in Black History - July 4 *
1776 - The Declaration of Independence is adopted. A section written by
Thomas Jefferson denouncing slavery is deleted.
1779 - Colonel Arent Schuyler De Puyster notes the presence of "Jean
Baptiste Point DuSable, a handsome Negro, well-educated and settled
at Eschikagou." It is the first recorded mention of "DuSable, who
settled the area that will become known as Chicago.
1827 - New York State abolishes slavery.
1845 - Wildfire Lewis is born in Greenwich, New York. After living with
Chippewa relatives, she will enroll in Oberlin College's preparatory
and college program. Changing her name to Mary Edmonia Lewis, she
will travel to Boston and abroad where she will become one of the
most outstanding sculptors of her day. Among her most famous works
will be "Forever Free," "Hagar in Her Despair in the Wilderness" and
"Death of Cleopatra."
1875 - White Democrats kill several African Americans in terrorist attacks
in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
1881 - Tuskegee Institute opens in Tuskegee, Alabama, with Booker T.
Washington as its first president.
1892 - Arthur George Gaston is born in a log cabin, built by his
grandparents, former slaves, in Marengo County, Alabama, near
Demopolis. He will drop out of school after the tenth grade and
will
become one of the most successful proponents of Booker T.
Washington's
brand of capitalism. A Washington disciple as a child, Gaston
became
a self-made millionaire and one of the richest African American men
in
America in the 1950s. His many businesses thrived on the social
separateness legislated by the Jim Crow laws in segregated Alabama.
Gaston will make it his personal mission to urge African Americans
to
seek "green power," a term he remembered Washington using. His
quiet
role in the civil right movement was also noted, saying once that
African Americans needed a Martin Luther King, Jr. of economics to
fire them up the way King had about integration. Gaston made the
following statement that summed up his position on economic
empowerment for people of color -- "It doesn't do any good to arrive
at first-class citizenship, if you arrive broke." He will live to
the
age of 103.
1910 - Jack Johnson KOs James Jeffries in 15 rounds, ending Jeffries' come-
back try.
1938 - Bill Withers, rhythm & blues singer ("Lean on Me"), is born in West
Virginia.
1959 - The Cayman Islands, separated from Jamaica, are made a British Crown
Colony.
1963 - Marian Anderson and Ralph Bunche receive the first Medals of Freedom
from President John F. Kennedy, the creator of the award.
1970 - 100 persons are injured in racially motivated disturbances in Asbury
Park, New Jersey.
1990 - "2 Live Crew" release "Banned in the USA"; the lyrics quote "The Star
Spangled Banner" & "The Gettysburg Address."
1991 - The National Civil Rights Museum officially opens at the Lorraine
Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, the site of the assassination of civil
rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
1994 - Rwandan Tutsi rebels seize control of most of their country's
capital, Kigali, and continue advancing on areas held by the
Hutu-led
government.
2003 - Barry White, Rhythm & Blues balladeer, joins the ancestors at the age
of 58 after succumbing to Kidney failure and a mild stroke. His
hits
included "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" and "I've Got So Much
to Give."
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