* Today in Black History - March 4 *
1837 - The "Weekly Advocate" changes its name to the "Colored
American." It is the second major African American newspaper.
1869 - The forty-second Congress convenes (1871-73) with five African
American congressmen: Joseph H. Rainey, Robert Carlos Delarge
and Robert Brown Elliott,South Carolina; Benjamin S. Turner,
Alabama; Josiah T. Walls, Florida. Walls is elected in an
at-large election and is the first African American congressman
to represent an entire state.
1889 - The fifty-first Congress convenes. Three Black congressmen:
Henry P. Cheatham, North Carolina; Thomas E. Miller, South
Carolina; and John M. Langston, Virginia.
1897 - Willie Covan is born in Atlanta, Georgia. He will become one of
the earliest successful tap dancers, appearing in the original
production of "Shuffle Along" as well as with the Four Covans.
1901 - The congressional term of George H. White, last of the post
Reconstruction congressmen, ends.
1922 - Theater legend Bert Williams dies at the age of 46 in New York
City. He was considered the foremost African-American
vaudeville performer, teaming first with George Walker in 1895,
most notably in "In Dahomey," and later as a soloist with the
Ziegfeld Follies.
1932 - Miriam Zensi Makeba, "Empress of African Song," is born in
Prospect Township, South Africa. Although exiled from her
homeland, Makeba will become an internationally known singer
and critic of apartheid.
1934 - Barbara McNair is born in Racine Wisconsin. She will become a
singer and actress, and will host her own program (The Barbara
McNair Show).
1944 - Bobby Womack is born in Cleveland, Ohio. He will become a Rhythm
& Blues performer and guitarist.
1954 - The first African American sub-cabinet member is appointed.
President Eisenhower names J. Earnest Wilkins of Chicago as the
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor.
1968 - Joe Frazier defeats Buster Mathis for the world heavyweight
boxing championship by knockout in the eleventh round.
Martin Luther King, Jr. announces plans for Poor People's
Campaign in Washington. He said he would lead a massive civil
disobedience campaign in the capital to pressure the government
to provide jobs and income for all Americans. He told a press
conference that an army of poor white, poor African Americans
and Hispanics would converge on Washington on April 20 and would
demonstrate until their demands were met.
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The source for these facts are "Encyclopedia Britannica,
"InfoBeat," "I, Too, Sing America - The African American
Book of Days," and independent research by the
Information Man.
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