* Today in Black History - May 19 *
1881 - Blanche Kelso Bruce is appointed Register of the Treasury by
President Garfield.
1925 - Malcolm Little, later known as Malcolm X and El Hajj Malik
El-Shabazz, is born in Omaha, Nebraska. In prison, he is
introduced to the Nation of Islam and begins studies that will
lead him to become one of the most militant and electrifying
Black leaders of the 1950s and 1960s. On many occasions, he
would indicate that he was not for civil rights, but human
rights. When asked about the Nation of Islam undermining the
efforts of integrationists by preaching racial separation,
Malcolm's response was "It is not integration in America that
Negroes want, it is human dignity." Malcolm X regularly
criticized civil rights leaders for advocating the integration
of African Americans into white society. He believed that African
Americans should be building Black institutions and businesses
and defending themselves against racist violence based opposition
from both conservative and liberals. Until he joined the
ancestors, Malcolm X was a staunch believer in Black Nationalism,
Black Self-determination and Black Self-organization. He will
begin to lobby with the newly independent African nations to
protest in the United Nations about the American abuse of their
Black citizens human rights, when he was assassinated in 1965. His
story will be immortalized in the book "Autobiography of Malcolm
X," ghostwritten by Alex Haley.
1930 - Lorraine Hansberry is born in Chicago, Illinois. She will become a
noted playwright and will be best known for her play, "A Raisin in
the Sun." On March 11, 1959, when it opened at the Ethel Barrymore
Theater, it will become the first Broadway play written by an
African American woman. Her other works will include "The Sign in
Sidney Brustein's Window," "To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Lorraine
Hansberry in Her Own Words," "Les Blancs," and "The Movement:
Documentary of a Struggle for Equality." She will join the ancestors
on January 12, 1965.
1952 - Grace Mendoza is born in Spanishtown, Jamaica. She will move with her
family to Syracuse, New York at the age of 12. She will become a
performance artist known as Grace Jones and a transatlantic model
for the Ford and Wilhemina agencies. She will later write music and
perform as a singer. Her releases will extend from 1977 through
1998. She also will succeed as a movie star appearing in the movies
"A View to a Kill," "Conan the Destroyer," and "Deadly Vengeance."
1965 - Patricia Harris is named U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. She is the
first African American woman to become an ambassador for the U.S.
1968 - Piano stylist and vocalist, Bobby Short, gains national attention as
he presents a concert with Mabel Mercer at New York's Town Hall.
He has been the featured artist at the intimate Hotel Carlisle for
years.
1969 - Coleman Randolph Hawkins joins the ancestors in New York City at the
age of 65. He was responsible for the coming of age of the tenor
saxophone in jazz ensembles and called the "father of the tenor
saxophone."
1973 - Stevie Wonder moves to the number one position on the "Billboard"
pop music chart with "You Are the Sunshine of My Life". It is the
third number one song for Wonder, following earlier successes with
"Fingertips, Part 2" in 1963 and "Superstition" in 1973. He will
have seven more number one hits between 1973 and 1987: "You
Haven't Done Nothin'", "I Wish", "Sir Duke", "Ebony & Ivory" (with
Paul McCartney), "I Just Called to Say I Love You", "Part-Time
Lover" and "That's What Friends are for".
1991 - Willy T. Ribbs becomes the first African American driver to qualify
for the Indianapolis 500. During the race, which occurs the
following week, Ribbs will be forced to drop out due to engine
failure.
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