MUNIRAH CHRONICLE
******* Today in Black History – May 28, 2017 *******
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1863
- The first African American regiment from the North leaves Boston
to fight in the Civil War.
1910
- Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker is born in Linden, Texas. He will
become a creator of the modern blues and
a pioneer in the
development of the electric guitar sound
that will shape
virtually all of
popular music in the post-World War II period.
Equally important, Walker will be the
quintessential blues
guitarist. He will influence virtually every major
post-World
War II guitarist, including B.B. King,
Jimi Hendrix, Freddie
King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush,
Eric Clapton, and Stevie
Ray Vaughan. He will join the ancestors
on March 16, 1975.
1936
- Betty Sanders is born in Detroit, Michigan. She will become the
wife of El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm
X), Hajja Betty Bahiyah
Shabazz. After the assassination of
Malcolm, she will show
herself to be a very strong individual
in her own right. She will
face the difficulty of raising six
children after witnessing
Malcom's tragic death. In order to support herself and her
children, she will go back to school,
earning three degrees
including a doctorate in education from
the University of
Massachusetts. She will teach others and
become an international
figure of dignity and discipline. She
will work on Jesse Jackson's
campaigns for the presidency, and will
work in the African
liberation struggle to free Angola, Namibia and South Africa, and
to bring democracy to Haiti. She will join the ancestors on June
23, 1997 after succumbing to injuries
received in a fire at her
New York home. At the time
she will be the director of
Institutional Advancement and Public
Relations at Medgar Evers
College in Brooklyn, New York.
1944
- Gladys Knight is born in Atlanta, Georgia. Making her first
public appearance at age four, she will
win first place on Ted
Mack's Original Amateur Hour at
seven. A member of the "Gladys
Knight and the Pips" since the
early 1950's, Knight will remain
with the popular group for over 30 years
before pursuing a
successful solo career.
1951
- Willie Mays gets his first major league hit, a home run.
1962
- A suit alleging de facto school segregation is filed in Rochester,
New York, by the NAACP.
1966
- Percy Sledge hits number one with his first -- and what turned out
to be his biggest -- hit. "When a
Man Loves a Woman" would stay
at the top of the pop music charts for
two weeks. It will be the
singer's only hit to make the top ten
and a million seller.
1974
- Cicely Tyson wins two Emmy awards for best actress in a special
and best actress in a drama for her
portrayal of a strong
Southern matriarch in "The
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman."
1974
- Richard Pryor wins an Emmy for his writing contributions on the
Lily Tomlin special "Lily."
1981
- Mary Lou Williams joins the ancestors in Durham, North Carolina at
the age of 71. A jazz pianist who played
with Louis Armstrong,
Tommy Dorsey, Earl "Fatha" Hines, and Benny Goodman, she formed
her own band in 1943. Williams was known
for her jazz masses
including one "Mary Lou's
Mass" that was choreographed by the
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in
1971.
1991
- Journalist Ethel L. Payne joins the ancestors in Washington, DC at
the age of 79.
2003
- Janet Collins, ballerina, joins the ancestors at age 86. She was
the first African American artist to
perform at the Metropolitan
Opera House.
2014
- Legendary author and poetess, Maya Angelou joins the ancestors at
her home in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. She leaves behind a
body of important artistic work that
influenced several
generations. She will be praised by
those who knew her as a good
person, a woman who pushed for justice
and education and equality.
She will write staggeringly beautiful
poetry. She will also write
a cookbook and be nominated for a Tony.
She will deliver a poem at
a presidential inauguration. In 2010,
President Barack Obama names
her a recipient of the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, the country's
highest civilian honor. She will be
friends with Malcolm X and the
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and inspire
young adults and world
celebrities. She will be best known for
her book "I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings," which will bear
witness to the brutality of a
Jim Crow South.
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The source for these facts are "Encyclopedia Britannica,
"Before the
Mayflower", "Black Firsts" and independent
research by Mr. Rene’ A. Perry, Sr.
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EVERY MONTH SHOULD BE BLACK HISTORY MONTH! CHECK OUT THESE OTHER BLACK HISTORY SITES ON THE WEB
Schomburg Center for Research in
Black Culture - located in Harlem, New York City
Black History - Black History Links from the Information Man
Black History - Afro-American Newspapers
National Civil Rights Museum - located
in Memphis, Tennessee
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American
History - located in Detroit,
Michigan
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland
African American History & Culture - located in Baltimore, Maryland
National Museum of African American History and
Culture - located in Washington, DC
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Last Updated Sunday, May 28, 2017