* Today in Black History - May 27 *
1863 - Captain Andre' Callioux and his Native Guard Regiment, which had
once fought for the Confederacy, charge Port Hudson, Louisiana.
The Union Army Guard, intent on disproving white contentions that
"Negroes" lacked the intelligence for combat, will make six
different assaults on the stronghold.
1917 - One African American is killed and hundreds are left homeless in
race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois.
1935 - Ramsey Lewis is born in Chicago, Illinois. While attending Chicago
Musical College, he will form the Gentlemen of Swing (later called
The Ramsey Lewis Trio) with The Cleff's old rhythm section, Eldee
Young (bass) and Redd Holt (drums). Their weekend gig will catch
the attention of an influential deejay (Daddio-O-Dayle), who
convinces blues record company owner Phil Chess to expand into
jazz and sign the trio. From the start (1958) their records were
popular, although in the early days they had a strong jazz content.
In 1958 Lewis will also record with Max Roach and Lem Winchester.
On the 1965 albums "The In Crowd" and "Hang On Sloopy," Ramsey
will make the piano into a major attraction and from that point on,
his records will become much more predictable and pop-oriented. In
1966, his trio's personnel will change with bassist Cleveland Eaton
and drummer Maurice White (later the founder of Earth, Wind and
Fire) joining Lewis. In the 1970s Lewis will often play electric
piano, although by later in the decade, he was sticking to acoustic
and hiring an additional keyboardist. He plays melodic jazz when
he wants to, but will stick to easy-listening pop music during the
his career.
1936 - Louis Gossett, Jr. is born in Brooklyn, New York. He will make his
acting debut at 17 in "Take a Giant Step" and act in numerous
stage, film and television roles including Fiddler in "Roots," for
which he will win an Emmy. His portrayal of the tough drill
instructor in "An Officer and a Gentleman" will win him an Academy
Award as best supporting actor in 1982, the third African-American
to win an Oscar for acting.
1941 - A race riot begins in East St. Louis, Illinois. After four days of
rioting, one African American will be killed.
1942 - Dorie Miller, a messman from Waco, Texas, is awarded the Navy cross
for his heroic deeds at Pearl Harbor. The Cross is pinned on his
chest by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
1958 - Ernest Green graduates from Little Rock's Central High School with
six hundred white classmates, becoming the first of the "little
Rock Nine" to graduate from high school.
1961 - Ralph Boston of the United States, sets the long jump record.
1963 - Jomo Kenyatta is elected first prime minister of self-governing
Kenya. In the early 1950s, Kenyatta was sentenced to seven years
of hard labor for alleged links to the Mau Mau, a clandestine
anti-British organization. In 1964, Kenyatta will become the first
president of Kenya, remaining in that position until 1978.
1965 - Todd Bridges is born in San Francisco, California. He will become
a child actor and is best known for his roles in the TV series
"Diff'rent Strokes," and "Fish."
1968 - The Supreme Court orders schools to present a realistic
desegregation plan immediately. The ruling comes almost 13 years
to the day after the Court's "all deliberate speed" desegregation
order in 1955.
1975 - Ezzard Charles, former heavyweight boxing champion, joins the
ancestors in Chicago at the age of 53.
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