* Today in Black History - March 24 *
1912 - Dorothy Irene Height is born in Richmond, Virginia. In 1965, she
will inaugurate the Center for Racial Justice, which is still a
major initiative of the National YWCA. She will serve as the
10th National President of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
from 1946 to 1957, before becoming president of the National
Council of Negro Women in 1958. Working closely with Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, A. Philip Randolph
and others, Dr. Height will participate in virtually all major
civil and human rights event in the 1950's and 1960's. For her
tireless efforts on behalf of the less fortunate, President
Ronald Reagan will present her the Citizens Medal Award for
distinguished service to the country in 1989. She will receive
the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in July, 1993. She will be
inducted into the "National Womens Hall of Fame" in October,
1993 and President Bill Clinton will present her the
Presidential Medal of Freedom Award in August 1994.
1941 - "Native Son," a play adapted from Richard Wright's novel of
the same name, opens at the St. James Theatre in New York
City.
1944 - Patricia Louise Holt is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She
will become a singer best known as Patti Labelle. As a teenager,
she and Cindy Birdsong (later a member of the Supremes) will
sing with the Ordettes. When two girls leave the group, Nona
Hendrix and Sarah Dash will sign on and Patti LaBelle and the
Bluebells will be born in 1961. By the next year, they will have
their first multimillion seller, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman."
With other hits, including "All Or Nothing" and "You'll Never Walk
Alone," the group will develop a strong following worldwide.
After years of success and being "Rocked and Rolled out," as Patti
describes it, the group will disband on good terms in 1977. She
will continue to perform as a solo artist and will release top-
selling albums. She will receive numerous awards including
Philadelphia's Key to the City, a medal from the Congressional
Black Caucus, a citation from Congress on her 20th anniversary in
the music business, another citation from President Reagan, a
cable ACE, the B'nai B'rith Creative Achievement Award, two NAACP
Entertainer of the Year Awards, the NAACP Image Award for three
consecutive years, the Ebony Achievement Award, the Martin Luther
King Lifetime Achievement Award, three Emmy nominations, eight
Grammy nominations and a 1992 Grammy Award for Best R&B Female
Vocal Performance for her album "Burnin."
1958 - Bill Russell, center for the Boston Celtics, becomes the NBA's
MVP. He is again named as MVP in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1965.
1962 - Benny 'Kid' Paret is knocked out in the twelfth round by Emile
Griffith, in a welterweight title bout in New York City. Paret
will join the ancestors 10 days later.
1969 - Joseph Kasavubu, President of the Congo, joins the ancestors. In
1960, he and Mobutu Sese Seko overthrew the government of Patrice
Lumumba.
1972 - Z. Alexander Looby, the first African American to serve on the
Nashville City Council, joins the ancestors in Nashville,
Tennessee. He had also been a successful Nashville attorney, in
the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, for many years. In
1960, he survived the April 19th bombing of his home.
1975 - Muhammad Ali beats Chuck Wepner in a 15-round bout to retain
his world heavyweight crown.
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