*                Today in Black History - January 31            *

 

1863 - The first African American Civil War regiment, the South 

            Carolina Volunteers, are mustered into the United States 

            Army. 

 

1865 - Congress abolishes slavery with the 13th Amendment to the

            Constitution.  The vote in the House is 121 to 24.

 

1914 - Arnold Raymond Cream is born in Merchantville, New Jersey.  

            He will become "Jersey Joe Walcott" and World Heavyweight

            Champion at the age of 37. After retiring from boxing, he

            will stay active in boxing as a referee and later will 

            become chairman of the New Jersey Athletic Commission. He

            will be elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame 

            in 1990. 

 

1919 - Jackie Robinson, the first African American to break racial 

            barriers in major league baseball, is born in Cairo, 

            Georgia. He will start playing baseball in the Negro 

            Leagues in preparation for a career as a physical 

            education coach.  His major league baseball career with 

            the Brooklyn Dodgers will begin in 1947 and he will play 

            for nine years before leaving baseball to become a bank 

            official, land developer, and director of programs to 

            fight drug addiction.  Among his honors will be the 

            NAACP's Spingarn Medal in 1956. He will join the ancestors

            on October 24, 1972 in Stamford, Connecticut.

 

1920 - Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity is incorporated at Howard 

            University. 

 

1925 - Benjamin Hooks is born in Memphis, Tennessee.  He will 

            become a public defender and minister after graduating 

            from DePaul University Law School.  Through this work, he 

            will become a prominent leader in the civil rights 

            movement.  In 1965, he will become the first African 

            American criminal court judge in Tennessee.  He will also 

            become the first African American to become a commissioner 

            on the Federal Communications Commission. In 1977, he will 

            become the executive director of the NAACP.

 

1928 - Harold "Chuck" Willis is born in Atlanta, Georgia.  He will 

            become a rhythm and blues singer and be best known for his 

            recording of "C.C. Rider" in 1957.  He will join the 

            ancestors in 1958 after succumbing to peritonitis.

 

1931 - Ernest "Ernie" Banks is born in Dallas, Texas.  He will 

            become the first African American baseball player to wear 

            a Chicago Cubs uniform (September 17, 1953).  Banks will 

            also be quick to say "Let's play two!"  Banks will be the 

            Cubs' outstanding shortstop from 1954 to 1960. In 1961 he 

            will be moved to left field, then to first base, where he 

            will spend the rest of his career.  In 1969, Ernie Banks 

            will be voted the Cub's best player ever by Chicago fans. 

            'Mr. Cub' will retire in 1971.  He will be elected to the 

            Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.

 

1934 - Etta Moten sings for President and Mrs. Franklin D. 

            Roosevelt at a White House dinner for family and friends.  

            Moten, a stage and screen star, sings songs from her role 

            in the movie "Golddiggers of 1933 and "Swing Low Sweet 

            Chariot."  It is the first time an African American 

            actress performs at the White House.

 

1962 - Lt. Commander Samuel L. Gravely assumes command of the 

            destroyer escort, USS Falgout.  The Navy reports that he 

            is the first African American to command a U.S. warship.

 

1963 - James Baldwin's influential collection of essays "The Fire 

            Next Time" is published.

 

1972 - Aretha Franklin sings "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" at 

            Mahalia Jackson's funeral.  Over 40,000 mourners view the 

            coffin.

 

1988 - Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams is named Most 

            Valuable Player for leading his team to a 42-10 win over 

            the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.  He is the first 

            African American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl game.

 

2006 - Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 

            joins the ancestors after succumbing to complications of a 

            stroke and heart attack at the age of seventy eight.


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