October 30th in African American History – Frank L. Mingo

October 30, 1989 Frank L. Mingo, advertising executive, died.

Mingo was born December 13, 1939 in McComb, Mississippi. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Roosevelt University and a Master of Science degree in Advertising from Northwestern University. After graduating, Mingo went to work for J. Walter Thompson where he became their first Black account executive, with clients that included Oscar Meyer and Sears Roebuck.

Mingo next moved to McCann-Erickson as a vice president and account supervisor. In that capacity he helped Miller Brewing Company introduce their Miller Lite to the market. In 1977, Mingo co-founded Mingo-Jones Advertising with clients that included Walt Disney Productions and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. In 1986, Jones left the firm and it was renamed The Mingo Group. Mingo also worked with the NAACP and the National Urban League to expose minorities to careers in advertising.

Mingo was posthumously inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Fame.

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October 30th in African American History – John Youie Woodruff

October 30, 2007 John Youie Woodruff, Olympic champion, died.

Woodruff was born July 5, 1915 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. As a 21 year old college freshman, Woodruff won the 800 meter Gold Medal at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games.

Woodruff went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1939 and a Masters degree in the same field from New York University in 1947. From 1941 to 1945, he served in the United States military, rising to the rank of Captain. He reentered military service during the Korean War, and was honorably discharged in 1957 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Annually, a 5 kilometer race is held in Connellsville to honor Woodruff.

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October 29th in African American History – Vonetta Flowers

October 29, 1973 Vonetta Flowers, the first Black person to win a Gold Medal in the Winter Olympic Games, was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

Flowers was a sprinter and long jumper at the University of Alabama and aspired to make the United States Summer Olympic Team. After several failed attempts, she turned to making the Winter Olympic Team as a bobsledder.

 At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics she won a Gold Medal in the two-woman bobsledding event. Flowers also competed in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics finishing sixth in the event. She retired from competition after the games.

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October 29th in African American History – Pearl Primus

October 29, 1994 Pearl Primus, dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist, died.

Primus was born November 29, 1919 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Early in her career, Primus saw the need to promote African dance as an art form worthy of study and performance. In 1943, she presented her first composition, “African Ceremonial.”

She was the first dancer to present the African American experience within the framework of social protest in dances such as “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (1944), “Strange Fruit” (1945), and “Hard Time Blues” (1945). In 1959, Primus earned a Master of Arts in Education and in 1978 a Ph. D. in Dance Education from New York University.

In 1979, she created “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore” about the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama church bombing. From 1984 to 1990, Primus served as Professor of Ethnic Studies at the Five Colleges Consortium in Massachusetts and in 1990 she became the first chair of the Five Colleges Dance Consortium.

In 1991, President George H. W. Bush presented Primus with the National Medal of Arts.

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October 28th in African American History – Terrell Lamar Davis

October 28, 1972 Terrell Lamar Davis, former football player, was born in San Diego, California.

Davis initially played college football at Long Beach State University and when they ended their football program, he transferred to the University of Georgia. Davis graduated from Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Consumer Economics and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 1995 NFL Draft.

Over his seven season professional career, Davis was a 3-time Pro Bowl selection, 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and 2-time Super Bowl champion. In 1998, Davis led the league in rushing and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player.

Davis retired before the 2002 season and was inducted into the Denver Bronco Ring of Fame in 2007. He was a semifinalist for the 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame. Davis published his autobiography, “TD: Dreams in Motion,” in 1980.

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October 28th in African American History – Oliver Edward Nelson

October 28, 1975 Oliver Edward Nelson, jazz musician, arranger, and composer, died.

Nelson was born June 4, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri. He learned to play the piano when he was six and started to play the saxophone when he was eleven. After military service in the Marines, Nelson studied music composition and theory at Lincoln University and graduated in 1958.

 Nelson began leading his own groups in 1959 and after recording six albums his big breakthrough came with the 1961 album “The Blues and the Abstract Truth” which included “Stolen Moments,” now considered a jazz standard. Between 1966 and his death, Nelson led several all-star bands.

He also composed music for television, films, and produced and arranged for stars such as Nancy Wilson, James Brown, The Temptations, and Diana Ross.

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October 27th in African American History – John Oliver Killens

October 27, 1987 John Oliver Killens, novelist, died.

Killens was born January 14, 1916 in Macon, Georgia. He attended a number of institutions of higher learning, including Morris Brown College, Howard University, and Columbia University, but never earned a degree. After serving in the military, Killens moved to New York City in 1948 to focus on establishing a literary career.

Around 1950, he co-founded a writer’s group that became the Harlem Writers Guild. In 1954, Killens’ first novel, “Youngblood,” was published. Amongst the other novels that he wrote, “And Then We Heard the Thunder” (1962) and “The Cotillion or One Good Bull is Half the Herd” (1971), were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1986, Killens founded the National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College where he taught English.

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October 27th in African American History – Roy Rudolph DeCarava

October 27, 2009 Roy Rudolph DeCarava, photographer, died.

DeCarava was born December 9, 1919 in Harlem, New York. He determined early that he wanted to be an artist and initially worked as a painter and commercial illustrator. Eventually he was drawn to photography and in 1955 opened A Photographer’s Gallery, pioneering an effort to win recognition for photography as a fine art.

 Also in 1955, he collaborated with Langston Hughes on a book about life in Harlem, “The Sweet Flypaper of Life.” DeCarava served as professor of photography at Cooper Union Institute from 1968 to 1975 and Hunter College from 1975 to his death.

In 2006, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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October 26th in African American History – Louise Beavers

October 26, 1962 Louise Beavers, stage, film, and television actress, died.

Beavers was born March 8, 1902 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her initial acting experience was gained on the stage where she sang in many musical comedies.

Her most famous film role was as the housekeeper/cook in the 1934 film “Imitation of Life,” the first time that a Black woman’s problems were given emotional weight in a major Hollywood motion picture.

Beavers appeared in dozens of other films, usually in the role of a maid, servant, or slave. She was also one of four actresses to play the housekeeper on the “Beulah” television show. She also played the maid in the first two television seasons of “The Danny Thomas Show.”

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October 26th in African American History – Hattie McDaniel

October 26, 1952 Hattie McDaniel, the first Black performer to win an Academy Award, died.

McDaniel was born June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas. She was a professional singer/songwriter, comedienne, stage and movie actress, and radio performer. Over the course of her career she appeared in more than 300 films, often portraying a maid. In response to criticism from the NAACP, she said “I’d rather play a maid and make $700 a week than be one for $7.”

In 1940, McDaniel won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind.” During World War II, she served as Chairperson of the Negro Division of the Hollywood Victory Committee, providing entertainment for soldiers at military bases. Before she died, McDaniel expressed that she wanted to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery with other movie stars but the owners of the cemetery would not allow it because of her race. McDaniel has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her contributions to radio and one for motion pictures. In 2006, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp in her honor. Her biography, “Hattie: The Life of Hattie McDaniel,” was published in 1990.

 

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October 25th in African American History – Emmett W Chappelle

October 25, 1925 Emmett W. Chappelle, scientist and researcher, was born in Phoenix, Arizona.

Chappelle earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of California in 1950 and a master’s degree from the University of Washington in 1954. From 1950 to 1953, he served as a biochemistry instructor at Meharry Medical College and from 1955 to 1959 he was a Research Associate at Stanford University.

In 1958, Chappelle joined the Research Institute for Advanced Studies where he discovered that one celled plants could convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. This discovery helped to create a safe food supply for astronauts. In 1966, he joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration where he worked until his retirement in 2001.

During that time he discovered a method for instantly detecting bacteria in water, which led to improved diagnosis of urinary tract infections and he proved that the number of bacteria in semen could be measured by the amount of light given off by that bacteria. Chappelle received 14 U. S. patents during his career.

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October 25th in African American History – Abebe Bikila

October 25, 1973 Abebe Bikila, two-time Olympic marathon champion, died.

Bikila was born August 7, 1932 in the village of Jato, Ethiopia. At the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, Bikila won the marathon in world record time, becoming the first Black African to win an Olympic Gold Medal.

At the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, he again won the marathon in world record time, becoming the first athlete in history to win the Olympic marathon twice. In 1969, Bikila was involved in a car accident which left him a paraplegic.

After his death, Emperor Haile Selassie I proclaimed a national day of mourning. A stadium in Addis, Ababa is named in his honor.

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October 23nd in African American History – Michael Eric Dyson

October 23, 1958 Michael Eric Dyson, academic, author, and minister, was born in Detroit, Michigan.

Dyson received his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Carson-Newman College in 1982 and his masters and Ph.D from Princeton University in 1991 and 1993, respectively. Dyson is a longtime professor, lecturer and author who address’ issues of race and culture.

He has authored a number of books, including “Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X” (1995), “I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.” (2000), and “Can You Hear Me Now? The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson” (2009).

Since 2007, Dyson has been University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, teaching courses in Theololgy, English and African American Studies.

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October 23nd in African American History – Paul Kagame

October 23, 1957 Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, was born in Ruhango, Rwanda.

Kagame began his military career in 1979 when he joined the National Resistance Army (NRA) and spent years fighting as a guerrilla against the government of Uganda. In 1985, Kagame co-founded the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) political party. In 1986, he became the head of military intelligence for the NRA.

During 1990, Kagame received military training from the United States Army at Fort Leavenworth and that same year he became military commander of the RFP. Kagame became President of Rwanda in 2000 and in 2003 won the first national election since 1994. Under his leadership, Rwanda has been called Africa’s biggest success story.

As a result, Kagame has received many honors, including the 2003 Global Leadership Award in recognition of his “commitment and tireless work to address crises, foster understanding, unity, and peace to benefit all people” and the 2009 Clinton Global Citizen Award in recognition of his “leadership in public service that has improved the lives of the people of Rwanda.”

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October 22nd in African American History – Cleavon Jake Little

October 22, 1992 Cleavon Jake Little, film and stage actor, died.

Little was born June 1, 1939 in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dramatic Arts from San Diego State University and received a full scholarship to graduate school at Juilliard. After completing Juilliard, he trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Little made his professional debut in 1967 in the Off- Broadway production of “MacBird.”

The following year, Little made his first film and television appearances. In 1969, Little made his Broadway debut in “Jimmy Shine” and in 1971 he won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in “Purlie”.

Other Broadway appearances include, “All Over Town” (1975), “The Poison Tree” (1976), and “I’m Not Rappaport” (1988). Film roles include, “Vanishing Point” (1971), “Blazing Saddles” (1974), “Once Bitten” (1985), and “Fletch Lives” (1989).

In 1989, Little won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor for a role in an episode of “Dear John.” In 1991, Little appeared in the television docu-drama, “Separate But Equal.”

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October 22nd in African American History – Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr.

October 22, 2004 Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr., the first African American in the United States Navy to be commissioned an officer, died.

Gravely was born June 4, 1922 in Richmond, Virginia. He enlisted in the Naval Reserves in 1942 and in 1944 successfully completed midshipman training, becoming the first African American commissioned as an officer from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.

His first assignment was to Camp Robert Smalls, a part of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station set aside for training African American enlisted men. In 1946, Gravely was released from active duty and he returned to Richmond to earn his bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia Union University in 1948.

In 1949, Gravely was recalled to active duty and he went on to be the first African American to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become an admiral. Gravely retired from the Navy in 1980 with decorations including, the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, and Navy Commendation Medal.

The USS Gravely and the Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Elementary School in Haymarket, Virginia were posthumously named in his honor.

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October 21st in African American History – Valerie Thomas

October 21, 1980 Valerie Thomas received patent number 4,229,761 for her invention of the Illusion Transmitter which allowed the user to render three dimensional illusions in real-time.

Thomas was born in May, 1943 and graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in physics. She went to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration where she worked until her retirement in 1995. In addition to her invention, Thomas designed programs to research Halley’s Comet and ozone holes.

During her time at NASA she received many awards including the NASA Equal Opportunity Medal.

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October 21st in African American History – Charles Edward Anderson

October 21, 1994 Charles Edward Anderson, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in Meteorology, died.

Anderson was born August 13, 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Lincoln University in 1941. After graduating, Anderson enlisted in the United States Air Force and was sent to the University of Chicago where he earned his meteorological certification in 1943 and began serving as Weather Officer for the Tuskegee Airmen.

Anderson earned his master’s degree from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and in 1960 received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1966 until his death, Anderson was a professor, first at the University of Wisconsin and then at North Carolina State University.

Today the American Meteorology Society honor Anderson’s legacy with the Charles Anderson Award given annually to recognize outstanding contributions to the promotion of diversity in the atmospheric sciences.

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October 20th in African American History – Shirley Horn

October 20, 2005 Shirley Horn, jazz singer and pianist, died.

Horn was born May 1, 1934 in Washington D. C. She began playing the piano at an early age and had thoughts of becoming a classical artist. She first achieved fame in 1960 and over her career was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning in 1999 for Best Jazz Vocal Album for “I Remember Miles.”

Horn was recognized by the United States Congress for “her many achievements and contributions to the world of jazz and American culture”, and performed at the White House for several U. S. presidents. In 2002, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree by Berklee College of Music.

In 2005, Horn was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award, the highest honor that the U. S. bestows upon jazz musicians.

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October 20th in African American History – The Johnny Bright Incident

October 20, 1951 The Johnny Bright Incident occurred when African American football player, Johnny Bright, was violently assaulted by white football player, Wilbanks Smith, during a college football game between Drake University and Oklahoma State University.

In 1951, Bright was a pre-season Heisman Trophy candidate and led the nation in total offense. The game marked the first time that an African American athlete with a national profile had played against Oklahoma State. During the first seven minutes of the game, Bright was knocked unconscious three times by blows from Smith. The final blow broke Bright’s jaw and he was eventually forced to leave the game.

A six sequence photograph of the incident was captured by the Des Moines Register newspaper and it showed that the final blow was delivered well after Bright had handed the football off. That photographic sequence won the 1952 Pulitzer Prize for Photography and later made the cover of Life Magazine. After the game, Oklahoma State and the conference officials refused to take any disciplinary action against Smith.

Bright went on to graduate from Drake in 1952 and enjoy a 12-year professional career in the Canadian Football League, retiring in 1964 as the CFL’s all-time leading rusher. Bright was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1970 and died December 14, 1983. In 2005, Oklahoma State University formally apologized to Drake University for the incident.

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October 19th in African American History – Maurice Rupert Bishop

October 19, 1983 Maurice Rupert Bishop, Grenadian politician, was executed by firing squad.

Bishop was born May 29, 1944 and was educated at the London School of Economics with extensive studies in the black power movement. After returning to Grenada in 1973, he was elected head of the Marxist New Jewel Movement political party.

Bishop was elected to Parliament and for several years held the position of leader of the opposition in the Grenadian House of Representatives. In 1979 the ruling party was deposed and Bishop was declared Prime Minister of Grenada. In 1983, Bishop was deposed and placed under house arrest.

On October 19 Bishop and seven others, including cabinet ministers and his mistress, were executed. In May, 2009, the airport was renamed Maurice Bishop International Airport Grenada, in his honor.

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October 19th in African American History – Jennifer-Yvette Holliday

October 19, 1960 Jennifer-Yvette Holliday, singer and actress, was born in Riverside, Texas.

At the age of 19, Holliday earned a role in the Broadway production of “Your Arm’s Too Short to Box with God”.

In 1981, she originated the role of Effie in the Broadway production of “Dreamgirls” and remained with the show for nearly four years.That role earned her the 1982 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical and her recording of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from the show won the 1983 Grammy Award for Best Female Performance, Rhythm & Blues.

Holliday went on to record such hits as “I Am Love” (1983), “No Frills Love” (1985), “I’m On Your Side” (1991), and “A Woman’s Got the Power” (2000). In 2000, Holliday received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music.

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October 18th in African American History – Thomas Hearns

October 18, 1958 Thomas Hearns, the first boxer in history to win world titles in four divisions, was born in Memphis, Tennessee but raised in Detroit, Michigan.

Hearns had an amateur boxing record of 155 wins and 8 losses and won the 1977 National Golden Gloves Light Welterweight Championship. That same year, he turned professional and in 1980 won the WBA World Welterweight Championship.

In 1982, he moved up in weight and won the WBC Super Welterweight Championship. Hearns won the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year Award in 1980 and 1984. In 1987, he again moved up in weight and won the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Later in his career, Hearns also won two Cruiserweight Championships. Hearns retired with a record of 61 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw.

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October 18th in African American History – Wynton Learson Marsalis

October 18, 1961 Wynton Learson Marsalis, jazz and classical music trumpeter and composer, was born in New Orleans, Lousiana.

At the age of 8, Marsalis was performing traditional New Orleans music in the church band and at 14 he was invited to perform with the New Orleans Philharmonic. While in high school, he was also a member of the New Orleans Symphony Brass Quintet. In 1978, Marsalis moved to New York and in 1980 he joined the Jazz Messengers.

Throughout the 1980s, Marsalis led several jazz bands of his own and in 1987 he co-founded and became Artistic Director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center program, a position that he continues to hold. In 1983, Marsalis became the first musician to win Grammy Awards for both a jazz and a classical recording. In total, he has won 9 Grammy Awards, including the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for “Listen to the Storyteller”.

In 1997 his “Blood on the Fields” became the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize in music. Since Hurricane Katrina, Marsalis has been active in raising money and awareness to rebuild New Orleans. In 2005, Marsalis received the National Medal of Arts and he has received several honorary doctorial degrees. He has toured 30 countries and 5 million copies of his recordings have been sold worldwide.

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October 17th in African American History – Levi Stubbs

October 17, 2008 Levi Stubbs, lead vocalist of the Four Tops, died.

Stubbs was born Levi Stubbles on June 6, 1936 in Detroit, Michigan. In 1954, he and three friends formed a singing group called the Four Aims. Two years later they changed their name to the Four Tops and in 1963 signed with Motown Records.

By the end of the decade they had over a dozen hits, including “It’s the Same Old Song” (1965), “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” (1965), “Reach Out I’ll Be There” (1966), “Standing In the Shadow of Love” (1966), and “Bernadette” (1967). Since the late 1980s, the group has focused on touring and live performances.

In 1995, Stubbs was diagnosed with cancer and later suffered a stroke. In 2000, Stubbs was replaced in the Four Tops by Theo Peoples. The Four Tops have sold over 50 million records worldwide and in 1990 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1999 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

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October 17th in African American History – Mae Carol Jemison

October 17, 1956 Mae Carol Jemison, physician and the first African American woman to travel in space, was born in Decatur, Alabama.Jemison entered Stanford University at the age of 16 and graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in African and Afro-American Studies. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981 from Cornell Medical College.

After completing her medical internship, she joined the Peace Corp and served as a Medical Officer in Liberia and Sierra Leone from 1983 to 1985. In 1987, Jemison was accepted into the training program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and on September 12, 1992 traveled in space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Jemison resigned from NASA in 1993 and started her own company that researches, markets and develops science and technology for daily life.

Jemison is a long-time advocate for science education and getting minority students interested in science. She has received nine honorary doctorates and in 1992 the Mae C. Jamison Academy, an alternative school in Detroit, was named in her honor. In 1993 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2004 she was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame.

In 2003, Jemison was the scholar at the Ford Freedom Awards when General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr.’s name was enshrined in the Ring of Genealogy at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan.

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October 16th in African American History – Leon Howard Sullivan

October 16, 1922 Leon Howard Sullivan, minister, civil rights leader and activist, was born in Charleston, West Virginia.

Sullivan became a Baptist minister at 18 and moved to New York where he graduated from the Union Theological Seminary in 1945 and earned a Master’s in Religion from Columbia University in 1947.

In 1950 Sullivan moved to Philadelphia and became pastor of Zion Baptist Church where he served for 38 years, increasing its membership from 600 to 6,000 and becoming known as “the Lion of Zion.” In 1958 Sullivan led a boycott of local businesses with the slogan “don’t buy where you don’t work” that resulted in thousands of jobs for African Americans over a period of four years. In 1964 he founded Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America which offered job training, instruction in life skills and assistance in job placement. The organization grew into 60 affiliated programs in 30 states and served over 2 million disadvantaged and under-skilled people.

In 1968 Sullivan led the effort to build Progress Plaza, the first Black owned and developed shopping center. In 1971 Sullivan joined the Board of Directors of General Motors Corporation, becoming the first African American to serve on the board of a major corporation. In 1977 he developed a code of conduct for companies operating in South Africa during apartheid called the Sullivan Principles. In 1999 the Global Sullivan Principles were issued by the United Nations calling for multinational companies to take an active role in the advancement of human rights and social justice.

Sullivan authored several books, including “America is theirs: And Other Poems” (1948), “Alternatives to Despair” (1972), and “Moving Mountains: The Principles and Purposes of Leon Sullivan” (1998). Sullivan was the recipient of many awards including the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1971, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award that the American government can give, by President George H. W. Bush in 1992, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights by President William Clinton in 1999. Sullivan died April 24, 2001.

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October 16th in African American History – Arthur Art Blakey

October 16, 1990 Arthur “Art” Blakey, jazz drummer and bandleader, died.

Blakey was born October 11, 1919 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By the time he was a teenager he was playing the piano full-time and leading a commercial band. Shortly afterwards, he taught himself to play the drums. In 1947, Blakey recorded with a group led by Horace Silver called the Jazz Messengers. When Silver left the group in 1956, leadership passed to Blakey and the group was renamed Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

Over the years the group has served as a springboard for many young jazz musicians, including Donald Byrd, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Terrence Blanchard, and Kenny Garrett. Blakey had a policy of encouraging young musicians and was quoted as saying, “I’m gonna stay with the youngsters. When these get too old I’ll get some younger ones. Keeps the mind active.” In 1984, the Jazz Messengers won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group for the album “New York Scene.”

Blakey died “leaving a vast legacy and approach to jazz which is still the model for countless hard bop players.” In 2001 his album “Moanin’” (1958) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and in 2005 he was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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October 15th in African American History – Ernest C. Withers

October 15, 2007 Ernest C. Withers, photojournalist, died.

Withers was born August 7, 1922 in Memphis, Tennessee. He worked as a photographer in the United States Army during World War II and opened a studio in Memphis when he returned. He also worked for three years as one of the first African American police officers in Memphis.

Withers documented the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1960s. In the 1950s he also photographed such baseball icons as Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays and the early performances of Elvis Presley, B. B. King, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. His photographs appeared in Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, Washington Post, and the PBS documentary “Eyes on the Prize.” Many of them are collected in four books, “Let Us March On” (1992), “Pictures Tell the Story: Ernest C. Withers Reflections in History” (2000), “The Memphis Blues Again: Six Decades of Memphis Music Photographs” (2001), and “Negro League Baseball” (2005).

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October 15th in African American History – The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense

October 15, 1966 The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in Oakland, California byBobby Seale and Huey P. Newton.

In 1967, the organization marched on the California State Capitol to protest a selective ban on weapons and they published their official newspaper “The Black Panther.” By 1968, the party had expanded into many cities around the country, membership was 5,000, and their newspaper had a circulation of 250,000.

As the party grew in national prominence they became more focused on community social programs designed to alleviate poverty and improve health among communities most needful of aid. Despite this, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called the party “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country” and instituted a program that included surveillance, infiltration, police harassment, perjury, and other tactics designed to incriminate party members and drain the organization of manpower and resources. As a result party membership declined and the organization collapsed in the early 1970s.

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How to Market an E-Newsletter

Everybody wants to have a profitable newsletter, yet many people fail pushing the right buttons when it comes to newletter marketing. What are the critical factors that will make or break your newsletter?Email marketing is not just all about unsolicited emails with advertisements making outrageous claims. Unfortunately the abundance of spam which inundates Internet users each day has caused many to formulate a negative opinion about email marketing but savvy Internet marketers who understand how to market successful enjoy an advantage over the competition by turning to e-newsletters to reach more potential customers.

This article will discuss e-newsletters and how they can be used effectively as part of an email marketing campaign. An e-newsletter is very similar to newsletters which are printed and distributed via mail or other avenues. The most significant distance is the method of distribution. While traditional newsletters are typically mailed to the recipients or distributed in person, e-newsletters are distributed exclusively online. These e-newsletters may be either emailed in the body of an email message or may be included as a link in an email which directs the recipient to the website for the e-newsletter. In either case the recipient can read the e-newsletter while online and print it out or save it to their hard drive for future use.

The contents of an e-newsletter may vary somewhat drastically depending on the business the e-newsletter is promoting, the purpose of the e-newsletter and even the personal preferences of the business owner and the employees producing the e-newsletter. However, the general format for an e-newsletter is to include useful information in the form of full length feature articles or shorter pieces offering useful tips.

The e-newsletter should also contain at least some subtle advertising for the products and services offered by the producer of the e-newsletter. These pieces of advertising should not be blatant and should allow readers of the e-newsletter to formulate their own opinions regarding the products or services. The content of an e-newsletter should make up the bulk of the document. This may include full length feature articles which provide information for the readers. It may also include shorter pieces which may offer tips, review products or offer advice to the reader.

The key to providing high quality content in these e-newsletters is to have them written by a capable writer who is knowledgeable about the subject matter. The writer may have an understanding of the subject matter or may simply be able to research the subject and learn enough to write accurate and informative articles on the topic. In either case the distributor of the e-newsletter should carefully review the content for both quality and accuracy before publishing the e-newsletter. Distributors of e-newsletters should also consider including graphical elements into their e-newsletters. This may include product pictures or any other relevant graphics which provide meaning to the text of the e-newsletter. A graphic designer can assist you with this endeavor by helping you to create graphics, crop them appropriately and place them in a prime location on the layout of the e-newsletter.

Finally, distributors of e-newsletters should carefully consider their audience before using email for marketing purposes. The primary consideration should be whether or not the target audience is likely to be receptive to marketing in the form of emails or an e-newsletter. If they are likely to respond to this type of marketing it is worthwhile to pursue an email marketing campaign. However, care should be taken to ensure the emails sent to the target audience are designed specifically to appeal to these potential customers. This type of specialization should include the type of language used in the copy, the layout of the email or e-newsletter and the graphics used in the email or e-newsletter.

Additionally, the copy should be filed with information which will be useful to the recipients. Another factor to consider is to whom to send the emails. Sending these emails to a large group of recipients who have not requested information from you and have no interest in your products and services is a waste of time. It is a better idea to ask customers and potential customers if they are interested in receiving more information and having them join an email distribution list if they wish to receive more information. Sending your emails to this distribution list ensures the majority of recipients will have an interest in your products or services and are not likely to automatically delete your emails as spam.

http://financialsuccessintoughtimes.com/email-marketing/how-to-market-an-e-ne...

 

October 14th in African American History – Julius Kambarage Nyerere

October 14, 1999 Julius Kambarage Nyerere, first President of Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania), died.

Nyerere was born April 13, 1922 and received a scholarship to attend Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda where he earned a teaching diploma. He taught biology and English for three years before getting a scholarship to attend the University of Edinburgh in England where he earned his Masters of Arts Degree in Economics and History in 1952. He was the first Tanganyikan to study at a British university and the second to gain a university degree outside of Africa.

In 1953 he was elected President of the Tanganyika African Association, which he transformed into the leading political organization in the country. During this time he stopped teaching and traveled the country garnering support for independence from England. In 1961, Tanganyika was granted self-governance and Nyerere became its first Prime Minister and a year later he was elected President. In 1964 he led the union of the islands of Zanzibar and Tanganyika to form Tanzania.

Nyerere retired as President in 1985 and is still recognized as the “father of the nation.” Nyerere received honorary degrees from universities around the world, including Howard and Lincoln in the United States. In 2007 he was posthumously awarded the Katonga, Uganda’s highest military medal, in honor of his opposition to colonialism. In 2009, Nyerere was named “World Hero of Social Justice” by the United Nations General Assembly. The Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam is named in his honor.

http://todayinafricanamericanhistory.com/african-american-history/october-14t...

October 14th in African American History – Oscar McKinley Charleston

October 14, 1896 Oscar McKinley Charleston, Negro League baseball player and manager, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Charleston joined the U. S. Army at the age of 15 and served in the Philippines. He began his professional baseball career in 1915 with the Indianapolis ABC’s and over his career he had a .348 batting average and regularly finished amongst the leaders in home runs and stolen bases.

In 1932, Charleston became player/manager of the Pittsburgh Crawfords and presided over what many consider the best Negro League team ever. Charleston retired in 1941 and died October 5, 1954. He was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

http://todayinafricanamericanhistory.com/african-american-history/october-14t...

October 13th in African American History – Raymond Mathew Brown

October 13, 1926 Raymond Mathew Brown, jazz double bassist, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

At the age of eight, Brown started piano lessons but switched to the bass in high school. After graduating from high school he moved to New York City and in 1946 joined Dizzy Gillespie’s band. He played with Gillespie until 1951 when he joined the Oscar Peterson Trio, with which he played until 1966.

In 1966, Brown moved to Los Angeles where he worked for various television show orchestras and accompanied some of the leading artists of the day, including Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson. It was during this time that he won his first Grammy Award for his composition, “Gravy Waltz,” which later became the theme music for “The Steve Allen Show.”

During the 1980s and 1990s, Brown led his own trio and he continued to play until his death on July 2, 2002. In 2003, Brown was posthumously inducted into the Down Beat Hall of Fame.

http://todayinafricanamericanhistory.com/african-american-history/october-13t...

October 13th in African American History – Jerry Lee Rice

October 13, 1962 Jerry Lee Rice, hall of fame football player, was born in Starkville, Mississippi.

Rice played football for Mississippi Valley State University and in 1984 was named to every All-American team. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1985 NFL Draft and in his first year was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

 Over his 20-season professional career, Rice was a 3-time Super Bowl champion, 13-time Pro Bowl selection, and 2-time Offensive Player of the Year. Rice retired prior to the start of the 2005 season as the all-time leader in every major statistical category for wide receivers. He is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver ever.

Rice was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He has co-authored two books about his life, “Rice” (1996) and “Go Long: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fans” (2007).

http://todayinafricanamericanhistory.com/african-american-history/october-13t...

October 12th in African American History – Cynthia DeLores Nottage Tucker

October 12, 2005 Cynthia DeLores Nottage Tucker died.

Tucker was born October 4, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School. Tucker had a long history in the Civil Rights Movement, including participating in the 1965 march to Selma, Alabama.

She was a convening founder of the National Congress of Black Women and served as national chair in 1992. She also led the effort to make Pennsylvania one of the first states to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1971, Tucker became the Secretary of State for Pennsylvania, making her the first African American female to serve in that capacity in the United States. She served in that position until 1977.

For much of the last years of her life, Tucker was dedicated to removing sexually explicit lyrics from rap and hip-hop records, concerned that the lyrics were misogynistic and threatened the moral foundation of the African American community. One of the buildings next to the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building was renamed the Secretary C. Delores Tucker Building and a state historical marker honoring Tucker is installed outside the entrance.

http://todayinafricanamericanhistory.com/african-american-history/october-12t...

October 12th in African American History – Wilton Norman Chamberlain

October 12, 1999 Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain, hall of fame professional basketball player, died.

Chamberlain was born August 21, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was 6 feet 11 inches when he entered high school and used that advantage as a prolific scorer throughout his high school and college career. After his junior year of college, Chamberlain played for one year with the Harlem Globetrotters before entering the National Basketball Association in 1959 with the Philadelphia Warriors.

 Over his 14 season NBA career, Chamberlain was the 1960 Rookie of the Year, 4-times Most Valuable Player, 2-times league champion, 7-times scoring leader, 11-times rebounding leader, and 13-times All-Star. He is the only player in NBA history to average more than 50 points a game over a season or score 100 points in a single game. Chamberlain was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978 and in 1996 was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Chamberlain published two autobiographies, “Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door” (1973) and “A View From Above” (1991).