* Today in Black History - July 2 * 1777 - Vermont, not one of the original 13 states, becomes the first U.S. territory to abolish slavery. 1822 - Denmark Vesey, slave freedom fighter, and 5 aides are hanged in Blake's Landing, Charleston, South Carolina. 1908 - Thurgood Marshall is born in Baltimore, Maryland. He will have the most distinguished legal career of any African American as the NAACP's national counsel, director-counsel of the organization's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and leader of some of the most important legal challenges for African Americans' constitutional rights, including "Brown v. Board of Education" in 1954. In addition to sitting as a circuit judge for the Second Circuit, Marshall will be named U.S. Solicitor General in 1965 and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967, where he will serve for 24 years. He will join the ancestors on January 24, 1993. 1925 - Patrice Lumumba, revolutionary and first prime minister of the Republic of the Congo, is born in Stanleyville, Belgian Congo. 1927 - George Fisher is born in New York City of African and West Indian parentage. He will become an actor and will be known as Brock Peters. He will set his sights on a show business career as early as age ten. A product of New York City's famed Music and Arts High School, he initially fielded more odd jobs than acting jobs as he worked his way up from Harlem poverty. Landing a stage role in Porgy and Bess in 1949, he will quit physical education studies at City College of New York and go on tour with the acclaimed musical. His film debut will come in "Carmen Jones" in 1954, but he really began to make a name for himself in such films as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The L-Shaped Room." He will receive a Tony nomination for his starring stint in Broadway's "Lost in the Stars." He will work with Charlton Heston on several theater productions in the 1940s and 1950s. The two will befriend each other and subsequently work together on several films, including "Major Dundee," "Soylent Green," and "Two Minute Warning." He will join the ancestors on August 23, 2005, after succumbing to pancreatic cancer at the age of 78. 1930 - Frederick Russell Jones is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A child prodigy who will begin to play the piano at the age of 3, he will begin formal studies at age 7. While in high school, he will complete the equivalent of college master classes under the noted African American concert singer and teacher Mary Caldwell Dawson and pianist James Miller. He will join the musicians union at the age of 14, and begin touring upon graduation from Westinghouse High School at the age of 17, drawing critical acclaim for his solos. In 1950, he will form his first trio, The Three Strings. Performing at New York's The Embers club, Record Producer John Hammond "discovers" The Three Strings and signed them to Okeh Records (a division of Columbia, now Sony, Records). He will change his name to Ahmad Jamal in 1952 when he converts to Islam. He will be one of Miles Davis's favorite pianists and a key influence on the trumpeter's 1st classic quintet (featuring John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums). Davis had long admired his use of space and dynamics. He will score a major popular "hit" in his version of Poinciana, recorded while live on tour from The Pershing nightclub in Chicago. His style will change steadily over time - from the lighter, breezy style heard on his 50s sides to the funk + Caribbean stylings of the 70s and onto the large open voicings and bravura-laden playing of the nineties. He will always be distinctive however for his use of space, his dramatic crescendos, and for a very staccato orientation with chords. In addition to being an excellent pianist, he is also very adept with both the Rhodes electric piano and the Wurlitzer 200 electric piano. 1932 - Samuel Black is born in Paterson, New Jersey. He will become a singer known as Sammy Turner. He will briefly achieve fame in the late 50s as a rock 'n' roll balladeer, whose specialty was recycled pop songs of the past, particularly those by Guy Lombardo. His most notable record was a remake of a Sammy Kaye hit from 1949, "Lavender Blue" (number 14 R&B/number 3 pop), in 1959. Three follow-ups were similarly remakes of old pop hits: "Always" (number 2 R&B/number 20 pop), a frequently recorded pop song; "Symphony" (number 82 pop) and "Paradise" (number 13 R&B/number 46 pop). Turner's only success in the United Kingdom was with "Always", which went to number 26. Although essentially a pop performer, because of his African American heritage he will also garner considerable success on the R&B charts. However, he will be unable to make the transition into the soul era, and will rapidly fade as a recording artist after 1960. 1943 - Lt. Charles B. Hall of Indiana, flies the first combat mission of the 99th Fighter Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen) which was attached to the 33rd Fighter Group flying out of Fardjouna (Cap Bon, Tunisia). He is flying as wingman on this first mission to Pantelleria. 1946 - Anthony Overton, lawyer, judge, publisher, cosmetics manufacturer and banker, joins the ancestors in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 81. 1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Bill, which includes public accommodation and fair employment sections. The Civil Rights Act prohibits segregation in employment, education, and public accommodation on the basis of race, sex, age, national origin or religion. 1986 - The U.S. Supreme Court upholds affirmative action in two rulings. 1990 - "Devil in a Blue Dress", a mystery novel by Walter Moseley set in South-Central Los Angeles, is published. Its realism and strong African American characters will earn its author enthusiastic praise and a nomination for best novel by the Mystery Writers of America. ______________________________________________________________ Munirah Chronicle is edited by Mr. Rene' A. 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