*                  Today in Black History - March 6                  *

1479 - The Treaty of Alcacovas is signed.  This will establish the
        territorial domains of Portugal and Castile (Spain) along a
        longitudinal line 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands.
        Spain thereby, recognizes Portugal's rights to explore the
        African coast.  Portugal becomes the first European nation to
        exploit the West African slave trade.

1775 - Prince Hall and fourteen other African Americans are initiated
        into British Military Lodge No. 441 of the Masons at Fort
        Independence, Massachusetts.  Hall is a leather-dresser and
        caterer.  On July 3, 1775, African Lodge No. 1 will be organized
        in Boston by this group of African American Masons.

1857 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules against citizenship for African
        Americans in the Dred Scott decision. The Court rules that Dred
        Scott, a slave, cannot sue for his freedom in a free state
        because he is property and, as such, "has no rights a white man
        has to respect."  This ruling also opens up the northern
        territory to slavery.

1862 - President Lincoln sends message to Congress recommending gradual
        and compensated emancipation of the slaves.

1901 - Virginia State University in Ettrick, Virginia (Outside of
        Petersburg), is founded.

1909 - Obafemi Awolowo is born in Ikenne, Nigeria.  He will become the
        first Premier of Western Nigeria.  He will also be a strong
        antagonist of the north's feudal system and its spread to other
        parts of Nigeria and an advocate of the creation of more states
        in Nigeria.  Chief Awolowo and 28 other members of his party
        will be later put on trial for treasonable felony.  He was
        sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment, and, on appeal to the
        Federal Court the sentence was upheld.  After spending just over
        three years in Calabar prison, he will be released with a state
        pardon. Nine days later, amid jubilation he was unanimously
        elected leader of the then 10,500,000 Yorubas and leader of the
        Western delegation to the All Nigerian Conference on the future
        association of Nigeria.  Chief Awolowo will be an author whose
        publications will include "Path to Nigerian Freedom, Thoughts on
        the Nigerian Constitution".

1923 - Charles Ethan Porter joins the ancestors in Rockville, Connecticut.
        A student of the National Academy of Design in New York City, the
        first African American artist in the United States to graduate
        from a four-year school of art, and member of the Connecticut
        Academy of Fine Arts, Porter did not receive the recognition that
        contemporaries Edward Bannister and Henry Ossawa Tanner won. He
        will be best known for the paintings "Still Life (Crock With
        Onions)," "Strawberries," and "Daisies," but there will not be a
        major retrospective of his work until 1987.

1941 - Wilver Dornel "Willie" Stargell is born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma.
        He will become an all-star baseball player for the Pittsburgh
        Pirates.   He will hit 475 career home runs - twice leading the
        National League with 48 in 1971 and with 44 in 1973.  He will
        drive in 1540 runs, score 1195 and have 2232 hits with a
        lifetime batting average of .282.  He will be inducted into
        Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1988.

1944 - Mary Wilson is born in Greenville, Mississippi.  In 1959, she will
        begin singing with a group called the "Primettes", a sister group
        to a male group, The Primes." The Primes will become "The
        Temptations" and the Primettes will become "The Supremes."  The
        Supremes will become the only American act to have five
        consecutive number one hits!  From their beginning to the end of
        the group, the Supremes will have 33 songs reach the top 40.
        After the group disbands in 1977, Mary Wilson will become a
        successful businesswoman, author, lecturer, actress, and singer of
        not just pop music, but Jazz, Rock, R&B, and Dance.   She will
        author the best-seller "Dreamgirl-My Life as a Supreme."  In 1988,
        Mary Wilson will become the first female rock star to accept her
        lifetime achievement award from the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame.

1957 - Ghana becomes the first African nation to achieve freedom from
        colonial rule when the Ashanti, Northern Protectorates, the
        Gold Coast and British Togoland declare their independence.
        The celebration ceremonies are attended by a number of American
        dignitaries, including African American leaders Ralph Bunche,
        A. Philip Randolph, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Martin Luther
        King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King.

1981 - Dr. Bernard Harleston, former dean of arts and sciences at Tufts
        University, is appointed president of New York's City College.

______________________________________________________________
           Munirah Chronicle is edited by Brother Mosi Hoj
              "The TRUTH shall make you free"

   E-mail:   <[log in to unmask]>
   Archives: <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/Munirah.html>
   ______________________________________________________________
   To SUBSCRIBE send E-mail to: <[log in to unmask]>
   In the E-mail body place:  Subscribe Munirah Your FULL Name
   ______________________________________________________________
   Munirah(TM) is a trademark of Information Man. Copyright 2000,
   All Rights Reserved by the Information Man in association with
   CODE One Communications.