This Week In Black History November 20-26, 2024

TINA TURNER

  • NOVEMBER 20

1867—Howard University is founded in Washington, D.C., as a result of a Congressional order. The school goes on to become an incubator of African Americans who play major roles in civil rights as well as Black intellectual and cul­tural development. It has approxi­mately 12,000 students and is thus one of the largest predominantly Black universities in the nation.

1923—Prolific Black inventor Garrett T. Morgan is awarded a patent for his t-shaped traffic sig­nal—the basis of modern traffic lights. Morgan later sold the rights to the General Electric Corpora­tion for $40,000. Shortly before his death in 1963, the U.S. government awarded Morgan a citation for his invention. He also invented the gas mask.

1939—The state of Maryland purchases Morgan State College in Baltimore. The predominantly Black educational institution was originally founded in 1867 by the Methodist Episcopal Church as the Centenary Bible Institute. It was re­named Morgan College in 1890. It currently has 6,000 students and is one of the leading Black universi­ties in the nation.

1962—President John F. Ken­nedy issues an executive order barring racial discrimination in all federally financed housing. It was one of several acts which led to the Kennedy name being highly re­vered by many Black voters.

1976—Gold medal winning Olym­pic gymnast Dominique Dawes is born in Silver Spring, Md.

1977—Chicago Bear great Walter Payton sets an NFL record by run­ning for 275 yards in one game.

  • NOVEMBER 21

1865Shaw University is found­ed in Raleigh, N.C. While virtually all historically Black colleges and universities were established after the Civil War, Shaw can rightfully claim to be the first established in the South.

  • NOVEMBER 22

1865—The Mississippi legisla­ture enacts the first “Black Codes” aimed at controlling the former slaves. These laws, many of which other Southern states adopt­ed, were so restrictive that they amounted to the re-enslavement of Blacks. In line with the view that much of racism has an econom­ic basis, Blacks were specifical­ly banned from owning farmland. Some of the “Black Codes” were eliminated during Reconstruction, but many actually remained on the law books until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

1884—Militant Black journalist and rights advocate T. Thomas Fortune starts the New York Free­man, which later became the New York Age. He was born in Mariana, Fla., in 1856 and died in Philadel­phia, Pa., in 1928. Fortune was eas­ily one of the most driven and influ­ential Black journalists in American history.

1884—The Philadelphia Tribune is founded by Christopher J. Perry.

1930—The Nation of Islam is founded in Detroit, Mich. A lot of controversy surrounds the found­ing. But the general view is that the NOI was founded by Wallace Fard Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad was his immediate successor. The Nation of Islam reached its height during the days of Min. Malcolm X advocating self-respect and eco­nomic development. It is currently headed by Min. Louis Farrakhan.

 

1963—The 35th president of the United States John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas, sending shock waves throughout the nation and the world. Black Americans were especially hard hit because many had come to view Kennedy as the first modern an­ti-racist, pro-Black president. Con­spiracy theories still abound which reject the official version of who killed him and why.

  • NOVEMBER 23

1897—Self-educated engineer Andrew J. Beard is awarded a pat­ent (#594,059) for an automatic railroad car coupling device—the Jenny Coupler. Prior to this device rail cars were joined manually and hundreds of workers lost fingers, hands and arms. Beard eventual­ly sold rights to his invention for $50,000.

1980—More than 1,000 Blacks from 25 states gathered in Philadel­phia, Pa., and formed the National Black Independent Political Party. However, the lack of funding and Black voter allegiance to the Dem­ocratic Party doomed the effort.

  • NOVEMBER 24

1868—Scott Joplin is born in Texarkana, Texas. Joplin becomes skilled at the piano and with com­posing music. As a result of these skills and his energy, he becomes one of the leading founders of a music genre known as “Ragtime,” which was one of the most popu­lar types of music in America for at least 20 years. The most popular “Ragtime” tune was Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” of 1897. Sadly, the talent­ed Joplin died in a New York City asylum at the age of 49.

  • NOVEMBER 25

cinque.jpg

1841—The 35 survivors of the Amistad Mutiny return to Africa. On July 2, 1839, slaves, led by Jo­seph Cinque, killed the captain of the Cuban slave ship Amistad, took control and ordered the crew to sail back to Africa. The ship, however, was seized by a U.S. ship. The gov­ernment wanted to try the slaves for murder. None other than former President John Quincy Adams de­cided to represent the rebel Blacks. In a surprise decision for its time, a judge ruled that the slaves had been kidnapped and had a right to use violence to free themselves. On this day in 1841, the survivors were allowed to return to Africa.

1949—Luther “Bill” (Bojangles) Robinson dies in New York City. The famed dancer was born on May 25, 1878 in Richmond, Va. Initially, he gained fame on the nightclub circuit performing in musical com­edies. Later, he became the toast of Broadway and then Hollywood appearing in 14 motion pictures. He is credited with taking an early style of Black dance called “buck danc­ing” and turning it into what we know today as tap dancing. Amaz­ingly, the energetic Robinson died of a chronic heart condition.

1955—The Interstate Commerce Commission bans segregation on buses and in waiting rooms in­volved in interstate travel.

  • NOVEMBER 26

1873—Macon B. Allen is elect­ed a judge in Charleston, S.C. Al­len holds the distinction of being America’s first Black lawyer having been admitted to the bar in Massa­chusetts on March 5, 1845. During Reconstruction he decided to aid the former slaves in the South by moving to South Carolina and run­ning for judge.

1883—Sojourner Truth dies at her home in Battle Creek, Mich. Truth was a major figure in the abolition movement fighting long and hard to bring an end to the dreaded in­stitution. After slavery, she became a major voice for Black rights and women’s right to vote.

1895—The National Negro Med­ical Association is founded. It is now called the National Medical Association and has a member­ship including 25,000 doctors and health care providers.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Chicago Defender

 

1938—Grammy Award-winning singer Tina Turner is born Annie Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tenn. She (along with her husband, Ike) reaches stardom among R&B mu­sic lovers. But after a divorce, she restyles herself and captures an even broader audience.

BenjaminODavisSr.jpg

1970—Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the nation’s first Black general, dies at his home in Chicago.

1970—Charles Gordone receives the Pulitzer Prize for his play “No Place To Be Somebody.”

About Post Author

Comments

From the Web

Skip to content