I may not have been as early as I could have been. But at least I’m not a day late or a dollar short this time. It is STILL Day 8 as it is before midnight.
- A BLACK MAN by the name of William Grant Still became famous in the 1930’s as a composer. His Afro-American Symphony was the first such work by a Black American performed by a major symphony orchestra.
- The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- The FIRST Black American to win an Olympic Gold Medal was Alice Coachman in 1948. She set an Olympic record with a jump of 5’6″ at the London games.
- The world-famous singer and actress that was named ‘Special Advisor to the US Mission to the United Nations’ was Pearl Bailey in 1975.
- The Ashanti kingdom exists within the African country of Ghana. The Ashanti kingdom’s economy is based on the mining and smithing of gold.
- The play which earned the New York Drama Critics Award for Best Play in 1959 was A Raisin In The Sun, written by black author Lorraine Hansberry.
- The Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942 by James L. Farmer, Jr. He believed in non-violent resistance such as the use of sit-ins.
- The scientist whose research lead to an efficient method of storing large quantities of blood plasma in blood banks was Dr. Charles Drew in the 1930’s. He went on to become chief surgeon at Freedmen’s Hospital.
- In the 1950’s the Mau Mau’s of Kenya, Africa rebelled against the colonialism of Great Britain. Mau Mau comes from the Kikuyu phrase uma uma which means ‘get out’.
- The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery throughout the United States. The amendment gave the U. S. Congress the power to enforce the ban through legislation.
…and there you have them. Right in the nick of time [which would be before midnight of the due date, lol].