* Today in Black History - April 5 * 1839 - Robert Smalls is born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. He will become a Civil War hero by sailing an armed Confederate steamer out of Charleston Harbor and presenting it to the Union Navy. He will later become a three-term congressman from his state. 1856 - Booker Taliaferro Washington is born a slave near Hale's Ford, Virginia. He will become a world reknown educator, founder of Tuskegee Institute and will be the first African American to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp. 1879 - Charles W. Follis is born in Cloverdale, Virginia. He is the first African American to play professional football. He will play halfback for the Blues of Shelby, Ohio in 1904. The Blues were part of the American Professional Football League, a forerunner of the National Football League. 1915 - Jess Willard defeats Jack Johnson for the heavyweight boxing crown in twenty three rounds. 1934 - Stanley Turrentine is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He will become a jazz saxophonist and in 1953, will replace the famed John Coltrane in the popular big band of Earl Bostic. After a three-year army stint, which affords him his only formal musical training, Turrentine comes to prominence on the New York Jazz scene as a member of Max Roach's group in 1959. Over the years, Turrentine's recordings will combine musical energies with friends such as Ron Carter, Roland Hanna, Ray Charles, Freddie Hubbard, Jon Hendricks, George Benson, Cedar Walton, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Burrell, Milt Jackson, Joe Sample, Shirley Scott, Jimmy Smith, Grady Tate, and many others. He will be nominated for the Grammy Award four times. 1937 - Colin Powell is born in New York City. He will become a highly decorated Army officer, receiving the Bronze Star and Purple Heart during the Vietnam War, and will be later promoted to four- star general in 1988. He will become the first African American to serve as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the U.S. Armed Forces. 1956 - Booker T. Washington becomes the only African American honored twice on a U.S. postage stamp. To commemorate the centennial of his birth, the U.S. Postal Service issues a stamp depicting the cabin where he was born. 1967 - Philadelphia '76er Wilt Chamberlain sets a NBA record of 41 rebounds in a single game. 1976 - FBI documents, released in response to a freedom of information suit, reveal that the government mounted an intensive campaign against civil rights organizations in the sixties. In a letter dated August 25, 1967, the FBI said the government operation, called COINTELPRO, was designed "to expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit or otherwise neutralize the activities of Black nationalists, hate-type groups, their leadership, spokesmen, membership and supporters, and to counter their propensity for violence and civil disorders." A later telegram specifically named the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as organizations having "radical and violence prone leaders, members and followers." 1977 - Gertrude Downing receives a patent for the corner cleaner attachment. 1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Wilt Chamberlain's all-time career scoring record of 31,419 points (31,421). 1990 - Seven African American journalists are inducted into the newly created Hall of Fame of the National Association of Black Journalists in Washington, DC. Dubbed "pioneers of mainstream journalism," the inductees include Dorothy Butler Gilliam of the Washington Post, Malvin R. Goode of ABC News, Mal H. Johnson of Cox Broadcasting, Gordon Parks of Life Magazine, Ted Poston of the New York Post, Norma Quarles of Cable News Network, and Carl T. Rowan of King Features Syndicate. Twelve Pulitzer Prize winners are also honored at the awards ceremonies. ______________________________________________________________ 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.