Today in Black History January 27

1869 – William Mercer Cook (later Will Marion Cook), who will
become a noted composer and conductor, is born in
Washington, DC. Beginning study of the violin at age 13,
at 15 he will win a scholarship to study at the Oberlin
Conservatory. Among other accomplishments, he will
introduce syncopated ragtime to New York City
theatergoers in his operetta “Clorinda.” In 1890, he
will become director of a chamber orchestra touring the
East Coast. He will prepare Scenes from the Opera of
Uncle Tom’s Cabin for performance. The performance, which
is to take place at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, is
cancelled. “Clorindy; or, The Origin of the Cakewalk” —
a musical sketch comedy in collaboration with Paul
Laurence Dunbar — is the next piece he will compose, in
1898. It will be the first all-Black show to play in a
prestigious Broadway house, Casino Theatre’s Roof Garden.
After this period, he will be composer-in-chief and
musical director for the George Walker-Bert Williams
Company. As he continues to write, he will produce many
successful musicals. Best known for his songs, he will
use folk elements in an original and distinct manner.
Many of these songs will first appear in his musicals.
The songs will be written for choral groups or for solo
singers. Some are published in “A Collection of Negro
Songs” (1912). Later in his career, he will be an active
choral and orchestral conductor. He will produce several
concerts and organize many choral societies in both New
York and in Washington, DC. The New York Syncopated
Orchestra, that he creates, will tour the United States
in 1918 and then go to England in 1919 for a command
performance for King George V. Among his company will be
assistant director Will Tyers, jazz clarinetist Sidney
Bechet, and Cook’s wife, Abbie Mitchell. One of his last
shows will be “Swing Along” (1929), written with Will
Vodery. He will join the ancestors on July 19, 1944.

1894 – Frederick Douglass ‘Fritz’ Pollard is born in Chicago,
Illinois. He will become a football star at Brown
University in 1915 and lead them to the first Rose Bowl
game, played on January 1, 1916. This will make him the
first African American to play in the Rose Bowl. He will
also become the first African American named an All-American.
After leaving Brown University, he will become one of the
first African Americans to play professional football and
will become the first African American quarterback and the
first African American head coach, both with the NFL Akron
Indians. When the NFL bans African American players from
its ranks in 1933, Pollard will organize the first African
American professional football team, the Brown Bombers of
Harlem. After fifteen years in professional football,
Pollard will establish the first all African American
investment company in the country, and run New York City’s
first African American tabloid newspaper. He will also be
involved in the production of some of America’s first
all-African American movies. He will join the ancestors on
May 11, 1986.

1914 – The United States Marines disembark from the USS Montana in
Haiti. This occupation becomes official on July 28, 1915 on
the authority of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and will
continue until 1934. Americans will serve as officials of
the Haitian government and control its finances, police
force, and public works.

1930 – Robert Calvin Brooks (Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland) is born in Rosemark,
Tennessee. He will become a singer and start his career as
a member of The Beale Streeters with Johnny Ace. He will
become a solo artist with the Malaco label and record “That’s
the Way Love Is,” “Call on Me,” “Turn on Your Love Light,”
and “Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do.” Along with such artists as
Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Junior Parker, he will develope
a sound that mixes gospel with the Blues and Rhythm & Blues.
He will be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and receive the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He will join the
ancestors on June 23, 2013.

1942 – John Weatherspoon (later John Witherspoon) is born in Detroit,
Michigan. He will become an actor and comedian who will
perform in dozens of television shows and films. Best known
for his role as Willie Jones for the Friday series, he will
also star in films such as Hollywood Shuffle (1987),
Boomerang (1992) and Vampire In Brooklyn (1995). He will
also make appearances on television shows such as The Wayans
Bros. (1995–99), The Tracy Morgan Show (2003), Barnaby Jones
(1973), The Boondocks (2005–present), The Five Heartbeats
(1991) and Black Jesus (2014). He will write a film, From
the Old School, in which he will play an elderly working
man who tries to prevent a neighborhood convenience store
from being developed into a strip club. He will join the
ancestors on October 29, 2019 at the age of 77.

1952 – Ralph Ellison’s powerful novel “Invisible Man” wins the
National Book Award.

1961 – Leontyne Price makes her debut at the Metropolitan Opera
House in New York City. She sings in the role of Leonora
in “Il Trovatore”. Price is the seventh African American
singer to make a debut at the Met. Marian Anderson will be
the first in 1955.

1972 – Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer, joins the ancestors in
Evergreen Park, Illinois at the age of 60. Born in New
Orleans, Louisiana, she began her singing career with the
Salem Baptist Choir in Chicago, Illinois. She achieved
national fame with her recording of “Move on Up A Little
Higher,” which sold over a million copies. Many considered
her rich contralto voice the best in gospel music.

1972 – In Columbia, South Carolina, the white and African American
United Methodist conferences of South Carolina — separated
since the Civil War — vote in their respective meetings to
adopt a plan of union.

1984 – Carl Lewis betters his own two-year-old record by 9-1/4
inches when he sets a new, world, indoor-record with a long
jump mark of 28 feet, 10-1/4 inches in New York City.

1984 – Singer Michael Jackson’s hair catches on fire during the
filming of a Pepsi commercial in Los Angeles at the Shrine
Auditorium. Pyrotechnics did not operate on cue, injuring
the singer. Jackson is hospitalized for a few days and fans
from around the world send messages of concern.

2016 – Alyce Dixon, the oldest female veteran of World War II, joins
the ancestors at the Washington DC Veteran Affairs Medical
Center at the age of 108. She served in the postal service
as part of the 6888th Battalion in Scotland, England and
France. After leaving the Army in 1946, she will work for
the Census Bureau and the Pentagon, where she served as a
purchasing agent. She will retire from government service in
1973.

Munirah Chronicle is edited by Mr. Rene’ A. Perry
“The TRUTH shall make you free”

Today in Black History: September 25th

*      Today in Black History – September 25           *

1861 – The Secretary of the Navy authorizes the enlistment of
African Americans in the Union Navy. The enlistees could
achieve no rank higher than “boys” and receive pay of
one ration per day and $10 per month.

1886 – Peter “The Black Prince” Jackson wins the Australian
heavyweight title, becoming the very first man of
African descent to win a national boxing crown.

1911 – Eric Eustace Williams is born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago. He will be educated at Queen’s Royal College in Port
of Spain, where he will excel at academics and football. He
will win an island scholarship in 1932, allowing him to
attend St Catherine’s Society, Oxford (which will subsequently
become St Catherine’s College, Oxford). In 1935, he will
receive first-class honours for his B.A in history, and be
ranked in first place among University of Oxford students
graduating in History in 1935. He will also represent the
university in football. In 1938 he will obtain his doctorate
from Oxford. His doctoral thesis will be titled “The Economic
Aspects of the Abolition of the Slave Trade and West Indian
Slavery,” and published as “Capitalism and Slavery” in 1944.
On January 15, 1956, he will inaugurate his own political
party, the People’s National Movement (PNM), which will take
Trinidad and Tobago into independence in 1962, and dominate
its post-colonial politics. He will serve as the first Prime
Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He will serve in that office
from 1962 until his transition in 1981. He will be known as a
noted Caribbean historian, and be widely regarded as “The
Father of The Nation.” He will join the ancestors on March 29,
1981.

1924 – In a letter to his friend Alain Locke, Langston Hughes
writes “I’ve done a couple of new poems. I have no more
paper, so I’m sending you one on the back of this
letter.”  The poem, “I, Too”, will be published two years
later and be among his most famous.

1951 – Robert Allen “Bob” McAdoo, Jr. is born in Greensboro, North
Carolina.  He will become a one of the best-shooting big
men of all time in professional basketball. He will win
Rookie of the Year, a Most Valuable Player Award and three
consecutive scoring championships, all in his first four
years in the NBA. Over fourteen seasons, He will score
18,787 points and average 22.1 point per game. A five-time
NBA All Star, he will shoot .503 from the field and .754
from the line, scoring in double figures in all but one
season. He will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and the College Basketball
Hall of Fame in 2006.

1957 – With 300 U.S. Army troops standing guard, nine African
American children forced to withdraw the previous day
from Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas,
because of unruly white crowds, are escorted to back to
class.

1962 – Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson in the first round
to become the world heavyweight boxing champion.

1962 – An African American church is destroyed by fire in Macon,
Georgia. This is the eighth African American church
burned in Georgia in one month.

1962 – Governor Ross Barnett again defies court orders and
personally denies James Meredith admission to the
University of Mississippi.

1965 – Willie Mays hits his fiftieth home run of the baseball
season, making him the oldest player to accomplish this.
He was 34 years old. Ten years before this, at the age
of 24, he was the youngest man to accomplish the same
feat.

1965 – Scottie Maurice Pippen is born in Hamburg, Arkansas. He
will become a professional basketball player and will be
traded to the Houston Rockets in 1998 after 11
distinguished seasons with the Chicago Bulls, for whom he
averaged 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 833
NBA games. He will earn All-NBA First Team honors three
times in his career and All-Defensive First Team honors in
each of seven seasons (1992-1999). In addition, he will
earn NBA World Championships in six of the eight years and
Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996. He will be selected
as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
He will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame on August 13, 2010.

1968 – Willard Carroll “Will” Smith, Jr. is born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.  He will become a rapper at the age of 12 and
will be known for his hits “Nightmare on My Street” and
“Parents Just Don’t Understand.” In 1990, he will start his
acting career with a six-year run as the “Fresh Prince of
Bel Air.”  He will go to become a major motion picture box
office attraction, starring in “Six Degrees of Separation,”
“Made in America,” “Independence Day,” “Men In Black,” and
“Wild, Wild West.”

1974 – Barbara W. Hancock is the first African American woman
to be named a White House Fellow.

1988 – Florence Griffith Joyner runs 100 meters in record
Olympic time of 10.54 seconds.

1991 – Pioneer filmmaker Spencer Williams’s 1942 movie “Blood
of Jesus,” a story of the African American religious
experience, is among the third group of twenty-five
films added to the Library of Congress’s National Film
Registry.  Williams, best known for his role of Andy in
the television series “Amos ‘n’ Andy”, was more
importantly, an innovative film director and a
contemporary of Oscar Micheaux. Williams’s film joins
other classics like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “2001: A
Space Odyssey”.

Munirah Chronicle is edited by Mr. Rene’ A. Perry
             “The TRUTH shall make you free”

1968 Olympics – Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Cassius Clay Jr aka Muhammad Ali

Rest In Peace Muhammad Ali

January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016

MAY 23rd in BLACK HISTORY

 

1954 – “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler is born in Newark, New Jersey.  He will
become the World Middleweight Champion in 1980.  Hagler will make 12
successful title defenses.  Among his victims will be Vito Antuofermo,
Mustafa Hamsho, Roberto Duran, Juan Roldan, John “The Beast” Mugabi,
and Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns.  His thrilling three-round shootout with
Hearns will be regarded as one of the best fights of all-time.   His
last fight will be in 1987 when Sugar Ray Leonard comes out of
retirement and wins an exciting, but controversial 12-round split
decision for the WBC middleweight title.  Hagler will retire after
Leonard does not give him a rematch.  He will end his career with 62
wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws.  He will be elected to the International
Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

excerpt from – Munirah Chronicle – edited by Mr. Rene’ A. Perry

November 27th – Black History

Today in Black History – November 27           *

1942 – Johnny Allen Hendrix is born in Seattle, Washington.
Hendrix’s father, James “Al” Hendrix, later changes
his son’s name to James Marshall.  James Marshall
Hendrix will be best known as Jimi Hendrix, leader of
the influential rock group, The Jimi Hendrix
Experience.  His music will influence such groups as
“Earth, Wind, and Fire,” “Living Colour,” and “Sting.”
He will join the ancestors on September 18, 1970 after
succumbing to asphyxiation from his own vomit. He will
be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992
and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame will be dedicated in 1994. In
2006, his debut album, “Are You Experienced,” will be
inducted into the United States National Recording
Preservation Board’s National Recording Registry. Rolling
Stone magazine will name him number 1 on their list of
the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.

1951 – Sixteen-year-old Hosea Richardson becomes the first
licensed African American jockey to ride on the Florida
circuit.

1957 – Dorothy Height, YMCA official, is elected president of
the National Council of Negro Women.

1964 – Robin Givens is born in New York City.  She will become
an actress and will star in “Head of the Class,” and “A
Rage in Harlem,” “Michael Jordan: An American Hero,”
“Blankman,” “Foreign Student,” “Boomerang,” “The Women
of Brewster Place,” and “Beverly Hills Madam.”

1968 – Eldridge Cleaver, Minister of Information for the Black
Panther Party, becomes a fugitive from justice as a
parole violator.

1989 – Jennifer Lawson assumes her duties as Executive Vice
President for National Programming and Promotion
Services at the Public Broadcasting Service. The Alabama
native is the chief programming executive for PBS,
determining which programs are seen on the network. She
is the first woman to hold such a position at a major
television network.

1990 – Charles Johnson wins the National Book Award for his
novel “Middle Passage.”  He is the fourth African
American to win the award, formerly called the American
Book Award.

November 24th – Today in Black History

Today in Black History – November 24           *

1874 – Stephen A. Swails is re-elected president pro tem of the
South Carolina State Senate.

1874 – Robert B. Elliott is elected Speaker of the lower house
of the South Carolina legislature.

1880 – Southern University is established in New Orleans,
Louisiana.

1880 – More than 150 delegates from Baptist Churches in eleven
states organize the Baptist Foreign Mission Convention
of the United States at a meeting in Montgomery,
Alabama. The Rev. William H. McAlphine is elected
president.

1883 – Edwin Bancroft Herson is born in Washington, DC. He will
become a pioneering physical education instructor,
coach, and organizer of the Negro Athletic Association,
and the Colored Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association.
Inducted into the Black Sports Hall of Fame in 1974, he
will be widely considered “the Father of Black Sports.”

1935 – Ronald V. Dellums is born in Oakland, California.  He
will become a Berkeley city councilman, where he will be
a vocal champion for minority and disadvantaged
communities.  In 1970, he will stage a successful
campaign for the 9th district seat in the U.S. House of
Representatives.  Among his leadership roles will be
Chairman of the District of Columbia Committee.

1938 – Oscar Robertson is born in Charlotte, Tennessee.  He will
attend the University of Cincinnati, where he will be a
two-time NCAA Player of the Year and three-time All-
American.  He will go on to play for fourteen years in
the NBA (Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks) and earn
All-NBA honors 11 times and lead the Royals and the Bucks
to ten playoff berths.  Robinson, along with Lew Alcinder
(Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), will lead the Bucks to their only
NBA Championship.  Robertson will conclude his career
with 26,710 points (25.7 per game), 9,887 assists (9.5
per game) and 7,804 rebounds (7.5 per game).  He will be
voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, following
his retirement in 1974 and be voted one of “The 50
Greatest Players in NBA History.”

November 19th in Black History

Today in Black History – November 19

1867 – South Carolina citizens endorse a constitutional
convention and select delegates.  66,418 African
Americans and 2350 whites vote for the convention and
2278 whites vote against holding a convention. The
total vote cast is 71,046. Not a single African
American votes against the convention.

1921 – Roy Campanella is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He will become one of the first African-American
baseball players signed to major league ball after
Jackie Robinson breaks the color line.  He will become
the first African American catcher in Major League
history. Campanella will play for the Brooklyn Dodgers
and be the National League’s Most Valuable Player in
1951, 1953, and 1955. He was given the second MVP award
in 1953 on his birthday. His baseball career will end
when he is paralyzed in an automobile accident in
January, 1958.  He will then work for many years in the
Dodger organization. He will be elected to the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1969 and will join the ancestors on
June 26, 1993.

1949 – Ahmad Rashad, is born Bobby Moore in Portland, Oregon.
Rashad will be a first-round draft choice of the St.
Louis Football Cardinals in 1972. He will go on to play
for Buffalo and Seattle before settling in Minnesota in
1976 and playing the next seven seasons for the Vikings.
Rashad will hold the Viking career reception lead (400)
and be second in reception yardage. Overall, Rashad will
have 495 receptions in 10 seasons. Rashad — who played
his college football at the University of Oregon — will
be inducted into the state of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 1987 and the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of
Fame in 1992. He will also be the author of a book,
“Rashad: Vikes, Mikes, and Something on the Backside,”
published by Viking Press. During the summer of 1991, he
will expand his broadcasting resume by handling
television play-by-play for the Seattle Seahawks pre-
season football games.

1955 – Carmen de Lavellade begins a contract for three seasons as
a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera.

1957 – Otis J. Anderson, NFL running back (NY Giants, 1990
Superbowl MVP), is born.

1984 – Dwight Gooden, of the New York Mets, at 20 years old,
becomes the youngest major-league pitcher to be named
Rookie of the Year in the National League. The Mets
pitcher led the majors with 276 strikeouts.

1985 – Comedic character actor Stepin Fetchit, born Lincoln
Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry joins the ancestors at the
age of 83.

November 18th in Black History

Today in Black History – November 18          *

1797 – Abolitionist and orator, Sojourner Truth, is born a
New York slave on the plantation of Johannes
Hardenbergh.  Her given name is Isabelle VanWagener
(some references use the name Isabelle Baumfree).
She will walk away from her last owner one year
prior to being freed by a New York law in 1827, which
proclaimed that all slaves twenty-eight years of age
and over were to be freed.   Several years later, in
response to what she describes as a command from God,
she becomes an itinerant preacher and takes the name
Sojourner Truth.  Among her most memorable appearances
will be at an 1851 women’s rights conference in Akron,
Ohio.  In her famous “Ain’t I a woman?” speech she
forcefully attacks the hypocrisies of organized
religion, white privilege and everything in between.

1900 – Howard Thurman is born in Daytona Beach, Florida. A
theologian who studied at Morehouse with Martin L.
King, Sr., he will found the interracial Church of
Fellowship of All Peoples. The first African American
to hold a full-time faculty position at Boston
University (in 1953), Dr. Thurman will write 22 books
and become widely regarded as one of the greatest
spiritual leaders of the 20th century. He will join the
ancestors on April 10, 1981.

1936 – John Henry Kendricks is born in Detroit, Michigan.  He will
become a prolific songwriter as well as a major rhythm
and blues singer better known as Hank Ballard. He will
perform with his group, The Midnighters, and make the
following songs popular: “There’s A Thrill Upon The Hill”
(Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go), “The Twist”(made famous
later by Chubby Checker), “Finger Poppin’ Time”, “Work with
Me Annie”, “Sexy Ways”, and “Annie Had a Baby”. He will be
enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. He
will join the ancestors on March 2, 2003.

1949 – Jackie Robinson, of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is named the
National League’s Most Valuable Player.

1956 – Harold Warren Moon, professional football player
(Minnesota Vikings, Houston Oilers, and Seattle Seahawks
quarterback), is born in Los Angeles, California. He will
be the first undrafted quarterback and first African
American quarterback to be elected to the Football Hall
of Fame in 2006.

1964 – The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar
Hoover, describes Martin Luther King as a “most
notorious liar”.  This statement is indicative of the
agency head’s dislike of the civil rights leader.

1969 – The National Association of Health Services Executives is
incorporated.  NAHSE’s goal is to elevate the quality of
health-care services rendered to poor and disadvantaged
communities.

1975 – Calvin Murphy of the Houston Rockets, ends the NBA free
throw streak at 58 games.

1977 – Robert Edward Chambliss, a former KKK member, is
convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the
1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in
Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four African American
teenage girls.

1978 – The NAACP’s Spingarn Medal is presented to Ambassador
Andrew J. Young “in recognition of the deftness with
which he has handled relations between this nation and
other countries” and “for his major role in raising the
consciousness of American citizens to the significance
in world affairs of the massive African continent.”

1980 – Wally “Famous” Amos’ signature Panama hat and embroidered
shirt are donated to the National Museum of American
History’s Business Americana collection.  It is the
first memorabilia added to the collection by an African
American entrepreneur and recognizes the achievement of
Amos, who built his company from a mom-and-pop
enterprise to a $250 million cookie manufacturing
business.

1983 – “Sweet Honey in the Rock,” a capella singers, perform
their 10th anniversary reunion concert in Washington, DC.

1994 – Bandleader Cab Calloway joins the ancestors in Hockessin,
Delaware, at age 86.

Does Ray Rice deserve a Second Chance?

 

Yes, I saw the video. The security video was horrible. He dragged her out of the elevator after knocking her out and then stands by as others help her. Well, I for one would like to see Ray being outraged with him. He could have killed her. Then, there’s his NFL career that just took its second, no third nose dive.

I find it hard to believe that this young man had no idea of the pit falls of hitting a woman. Especially being an NFL player with multi-million dollar contract. We have Chad Javon Johnson, formerly Chad Ochocinco, a NFL player. Yes, Chad was dropped by the Miami Dolphins because of domestic violence arrest. Chad head butted his newly wed, Evelyn Lozada, during an argument. She filed for divorce and he now plays football in Canada. Sorry to say, Ray Rice has Michael Vick’d himself.

Those of you who were on #TeamRay before the release of the video probably thought the incident was handled and case close. But unfortunately, there was more to see of the different videos. My question is why was he not arrested? In addition, what is the casino liability in their lack of action? Were the paramedics called?

Does Ray deserve a second chance? As Christians we are supposed to forgive. But, we also want to see repentance and other actions that demonstrate his regret and sorrow over his actions.  An anger management course would be a good start. Then, perhaps he should do speaking engagements on the topic of domestic violence.

And, why didn’t the NFL see the video before they handed out 2 game suspensions. Hey NFL, women are fans too! Go Steelers!!