MUNIRAH CHRONICLE
******* Today in Black History – September 26, 2016 *******
1864
- Maggie Lena Mitchell (later Walker) is born in Richmond,
Virginia. She will become a noted
businesswoman, civil
leader, and founder and president of
Saint Luke Penny
Savings Bank. As a result, she will be
the first woman
bank president of any race to charter a
bank in the United
States. As a leader, she will achieve
successes with the
vision to make tangible improvements in
the way of life
for African Americans and women.
Disabled by paralysis and
limited to a wheelchair later in life,
she will also
become an example for people with
disabilities. The
National Park Service will operate the
Maggie L. Walker
Historical Site at her former Jackson
Ward home. In 1978,
the house will be designated a National
Historic Site and
be opened as a museum in 1985. The site
will state that it
"commemorates the life of a
progressive and talented
African American woman. She achieved
success in the world
of business and finance as the first
black woman in the
United States to charter and serve as
president of a bank,
despite the many adversities. The site
includes a visitor
center detailing her life and the
Jackson Ward community
in which she lived and worked and her
residence of thirty
years. The house is restored to its
1930's appearance with
original Walker family pieces." The
St. Luke Building will
hold the offices of the Independent
Order of St. Luke, and
the office of Maggie L. Walker. The
office will be
preserved as it was at the time of her
transition. She will
join the ancestors on December 15, 1934.
The building will
be listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in
1982.
1907
- The People's Savings Bank is incorporated in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Founded by former African
American
congressman George H. White, of North
Carolina, the bank
will help hundreds of African Americans
buy homes and
start businesses until the illness of
its founder forces
its closure in 1918.
1937
- Bessie Smith joins the ancestors in Clarksville,
Mississippi, after succumbing to
injuries sustained in
a automobile
accident. She was one of the nation's
greatest blues singers and was nicknamed
"the Empress of
the Blues." In 1925, Smith and
Louis Armstrong made the
definitive rendition of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues,"
and in 1929 she made her only movie
appearance in the
movie of the same name.
1947
- Lucius Oliver Allen, Jr. is born in Kansas City, Kansas. He
will become a professional basketball
player. Prior to his
NBA career, he will be part of one of
John Wooden's
legendary UCLA teams. He will be drafted
by the Seattle
SuperSonics in
the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 1969 NBA
Draft and will retire in 1979. He will
play 10 years in the
NBA for four different teams. His
highest scoring average
will be when he averages 19.5 points per
game during the
1974-1975 season. He will be traded to
the Los Angeles Lakers
mid-season after playing for the
Milwaukee Bucks since 1970.
During his playing days, he will be
often referred to by
former Bucks announcer Eddie Doucette as
"jack rabbit" due to
of his speed and jumping ability. He
will be inducted into
the Pac-12 Conference men's basketball
Hall of Honor on March
16, 2013. After finishing his storied
basketball career which
will include a high school state
championship, college national
championship, and an NBA championship,
he will turn his
attention to coaching aspiring players
in the Los Angeles area.
1957
- The order alerting regular army units for possible riot
duty in other Southern cities is
cancelled by Army
Secretary Wilbur M. Brucker.
1962
- A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., becomes the first African
American member of the Federal Trade
Commission. It is
one of the Trenton, New Jersey, native's
many
accomplishments, including appointment
as a federal
district judge and U.S. Circuit Judge of
the Third
Circuit.
1962
- Los Angeles Dodger Maury Wills becomes the 1st baseball
player to steal 100 bases (will go on to
steal 104).
1962
- Mississippi bars James Meredith for the third time. Lt.
Gov. Paul Johnson and a blockade of
state patrolmen turn
back Meredith and federal marshals about
four hundred
yards from the gate of the school.
1968
- The Studio Museum of Harlem opens in New York City.
Conceived by Frank Donnelly and Carter
Burden, the
Studio Museum will become an influential
venue for
exhibitions of African American artists
in all media.
1968
- St. Louis Cardinals' Bob Gibson's completes his 13th
shutout, and ends the season with a 1.12
ERA.
1994
- Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, President Clinton
announces that he has lifted most U.S.
sanctions against
Haiti and urges other nations to follow
suit.
1994
- Jury selection begins in Los Angeles for the murder trial
of O.J. Simpson.
1998
- Grammy-winning jazz singer Betty Carter joins the
ancestors in New York City at age 69.
*********************************************************
The source for these facts are "Encyclopedia Britannica,
"Before the
Mayflower", "Black Firsts" and independent
research by Mr. Rene’ A. Perry, Sr.
*********************************************************
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
Number of Visitors since
© 1997-2016 Information Man, Inc.
Last Updated Monday, September 26, 2016