* Today in Black History - August 19 *
1791 - Benjamin Banneker sends a copy of his just-published
almanac to Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, along
with a letter confronting his hypocrisy-if not indeed the
hypocrisy of white America-in enslaving African Americans
while at the same time declaring the "true and invaluable
doctrine" of the "natural rights" of humankind.
1888 - The first beauty contest is held in Spa, Belgium. The
winner is an eighteen year old beauty from the West
Indies.
1926 - Theodore Flowers, known as the "Georgia Deacon," wins the
world middleweight boxing title in New York City.
1940 - John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is born in Houston, Texas.
He will become a singer and will be known for his songs,
"I Can See Clearly Now," "Stir It Up," "Hold Me Tight,"
and "A Very Special Love."
1946 - Charles F. Bolden, Jr., is born in Columbia, South
Carolina. A pilot who flew over 100 sorties in Southeast
Asia, Bolden will be named an astronaut in 1981. He will
become a veteran pilot of several missions, including the
Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1992, when he will participate
as a presenter of a special Academy Award to science-
fiction film producer George Lucas. He will retire from
the Marine Corps in 2004 as a major general. He will
become the first African American administrator of NASA,
on a permanent basis, on July 15, 2009, after Senate
confirmation of his appointment by President Barack Obama.
1950 - Edith Spurlock Sampson becomes the first African American
appointed to serve on the United States delegation to the
United Nations.
1954 - Dr. Ralph J. Bunche is named undersecretary of the United
Nations.
1982 - Renaldo Nehemiah of the United States sets record for the
110 meter hurdles in 12.93 seconds.
1989 - Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu is among
hundreds of Black demonstrators who are whipped and
sandblasted from helicopters as they attempt to picnic on
a "whites-only" beach near Cape Town, South Africa.
2017 - Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, who broke
barriers in the 1960s and became one of the first African
Americans to perform at white clubs, joins the ancestors after
succumbing to heart failure. He satirized segregation and
racial injustice in his acts, and was arrested several times
in the 1960s for joining civil rights rallies. When he was not
making people laugh, he attended marches and parades to support
various issues, including civil rights and the opposition to
the Vietnam War. He was also a health and spiritual advocate
and a motivational speaker. He wrote several books, including
"Murder in Memphis," which analyzed the assassination of Martin
Luther King Jr. Following the news of his passing, fellow civil
rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson paid tribute to him. "He
taught us how to laugh. He taught us how to fight. He taught us
how to live," he tweeted. "Dick Gregory was committed to justice.
I miss him already."
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