*                   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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