* Today in Black History - December 16 * 1834 - George Lewis Ruffin is born in Richmond, Virginia. The son of free African Americans, he and his wife, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (1842–1924), will flee to England after the Dred Scott decision (1857), and return soon to Boston. While making his living as a barber, he will speak out on matters concerning African Americans. He will read the law in Boston and become the first Black to graduate from Harvard Law School (1869). While maintaining a thriving practice in Boston, he will serve in the Massachusetts legislature (1869–71) and Boston City Council (1876–8), and will be named a municipal judge (1883). An active Baptist and able speaker, he will attend national conventions of African Americans and become a close friend of many prominent people of his day, including Frederick Douglass. His wife was a partner in his many efforts to improve the lot of fellow African Americans. He will join the ancestors on November 18, 1886. 1838 - The Zulu chieftain Dingaan is defeated by the Boers in South Africa. 1859 - Shields Green and John Anthony Copeland, two of five African American freedom fighters, are hanged for their participation in John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. Copeland will be led to the gallows shouting "I am dying for freedom. I could not die for a better cause. I had rather die than be a slave." 1859 - The last slave ship, the Clothilde, landed a shipment of slaves at Mobile Bay, Alabama. 1870 - The Colored Methodist Church of America is established at Jackson, Tennessee. The organization will change its name in 1954 to the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. The denomination will grow to include approximately 3,000 congregations. 1875 - Charles Caldwell, a militant African American militia officer, joins the ancestors, after being assassinated in Clinton, Mississippi. 1875 - Alabama A&M College, Knoxville College and Lane College are established. 1875 - William J. Whippers is elected judge of the circuit court of Charleston by the South Carolina General Assembly. 1895 - Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo (Andy Razaf) is born in Washington, DC. He will become an important lyricist and musical collaborator with Eubie Blake and Fats Waller. His most famous songs will include "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Honeysuckle Rose," and the lyrics to "Stomping at the Savoy." He will be inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1972. The Songwriters' Hall of Fame entry on Andy Razaf lists 215 compositions, giving co-writers and publishers. He will join the ancestors on February 3, 1973. 1934 - John Edward Jacobs is born in Trout, Louisiana and will be raised in Houston, Texas. He will serve the National Urban League in many capacities and in 1982 will replace Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. as its president. In the early 1980s, He will help develop a plan for urban recovery similar to the 1947 Marshall Plan initiated to assist European nations after World War II. Aid will be sought from private sectors to facilitate entry-level job training programs, and he will propose the League give direct assistance from its own resources to poverty-stricken minorities and whites, to include housing and job placement. In addition, he will recommend the federal government institute full employment through substantial public works and job training programs, and along with other civil rights groups, will support economic pressure in the corporate world to develop markets and jobs for minorities. He will be an adherent of self-help. He will promote SAT tutoring, comprehensive teenage pregnancy prevention, and a male responsibility program for fatherhood, to address issues contributing to the cycle of poverty in the African American community. He will also add voter registration, education, and drug control to the League's agenda of priorities. In contrast to Reagan, George H.W. Bush will be initially receptive to his domestic Marshall Plan proposal, and he will welcome dialogue with the new administration. But Bush's veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1990 will sour the relationship. The early 1990s will also see new court decisions and conservative political pressure against affirmative action policies the Urban League supported. He will lead the National Urban League until 1994. His greatest achievement with the Nation Urban League will be the establishment of the Permanent Development Fund, which will start as a $4.5 million Ford Foundation grant and grow to a $15 million fund by 1994. After his retirement in 1994, he will be named executive vice president and chief communications officer for the Anheuser-Busch Corporation. He will direct public relations, including consumer and business matters for Anheuser-Busch until 2006. He will remain on the Anheuser-Busch board of directors. 1937 - Augusta Savage, sculptress, is commissioned to sculpt a piece for the 1939 New York World's Fair. The sculpture is to symbolize the African American contribution to the field of music. It is the first such commission given to an African American. 1946 - The first coin honoring an African American and designed by an African American is issued. The fifty-cent piece contains the bust of Booker T. Washington. 1962 - William Anthony "The Refrigerator" Perry, is born in Aiken, South Carolina. He will become a NFL defensive lineman with the Chicago Bears. He will be best known for his occasional performance as a running back on short yardage situations. 1967 - Wilt Chamberlain, of the NBA Philadelphia 76ers, scores 68 points against the Chicago Bulls. 1973 - Jim Brown's single season rushing record in the NFL is smashed by O.J. Simpson. Brown rushed for 1,863 yards, while Simpson ran for 2,003 yards. 1976 - Rep. Andrew Young is appointed Ambassador and Chief representative to the United Nations by President Jimmy Carter. 1990 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide is elected president of Haiti in the country's first democratic elections. ______________________________________________________________ Munirah Chronicle is edited by Mr. Rene' A. 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