August – This Month In Black American History
By Guest Blogger Yahtzeebutterfly
Birthdays
August 1, 1894 – Benjamin Mays in Epworth, South Carolina
August 2, 1924 – James Baldwin
August 4, 1961 – Happy Birthday, President Barack Obama!
August 5, 1938 – Rev. James Cone
“Indeed our survival and liberation depend upon our recognition of the truth when it is spoken and live by the people. If we cannot recognize the truth, then it cannot liberate us from untruth. To know the truth is to appropriate it, for it is not mainly reflection and theory. Truth is divine action entering our lives and creating the human action of liberation.” ~James Cone
August 7, 1904 – Ralph Bunche
August 9, 1963 – Whitney Houston
August 10, 1872 – Jazz musician Bill Johnson
August 12, 1890 – Opera soprano Lillian Evanti
August 14, 1911 – Journalist Ethel L. Pagne in Chicago, Illinois
“Ethel L. Payne (August 14, 1911 – May 28, 1991) was an African-American journalist. Known as the “First Lady of the Black Press”, she was a columnist, lecturer, and freelance writer. She combined advocacy with journalism as she reported on the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. She became the first female African-American commentator employed by a national network when CBS hired her in 1972. In addition to her reporting of American domestic politics, she also covered international stories.” (Wikipedia excerpt)
August 15, 1911 – Singer and songwriter Richie Havens
August 16, 1922 – Louis E. Lomax
According to Blackpast.org;
“After briefly teaching philosophy at Georgia State College in Savannah, he worked as a reporter for the Baltimore Afro-American and the Chicago American until 1958 when he entered television, producing documentaries at WNTA-TV in New York…”
“By 1964, Lomax became one of the first black television journalists to host a 90-minute twice-a-week interview format television show. “The Louis E. Lomax Show” ran on KTTV in Los Angeles from 1964 to 1968. He interviewed guests on his television program about controversial topics like the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam, the women’s movement, and the war in Vietnam.”
August 19, 1920 – Saxophonist Charlie Parker
August 21, 1904 – Bandleader Count Basie
August 26, 1900 – Artist Hale Woodruff
August 29, 1958 – Michael Jackson
August 29, 1920 – Inventor Otis Boykin was born in Dallas, Texas (Best known for control unit used in heart pacer)
Events
August 6, 1965 – President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Bill
August 8, 1936 – Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Summer Olympics
August 9, 2014 – Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson
August 23, 1900 – Founding of the National Negro Business League by Booker T. Washington
August 25, 1908 – Founding of the National Association of Colored Nurses by Martha Minerva Franklin
August 27, 1935 – Founding of the National Council of Negro Women by Mary McLeod Bethune
August 28, 1963 – March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
August 28, 1955 – Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi
August 29, 1957 – Congress passed the 1957 Civil Rights Act
Background info is available at encyclopedia. com.
August 30, 1800 – Slave revolt in Richmond, Virginia led by Gabriel Prosser
August 30, 1967 – Thurgood Marshall confirmed as Supreme Court justice.
August 31, 1836 – Cotton planter patented by inventor Henry Blair
From Wikipedia:
“This invention worked by splitting the ground with two shovel-like blades which were pulled along by a horse. A wheel-driven cylinder followed behind which dropped the seed into the newly plowed ground.”
Feel free to post additional information in the comment section.
Posted on 08/04/2016, in Black History Month and tagged August, Black history. Bookmark the permalink. 34 Comments.
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Guess who was in the news again….
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-george-zimmerman-punched-face-20160804-story.html
Of course there is a difference of opinion but the owner has banned him from his restaraunt, seeing him for the toxic human that he is.
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Thanks for the link, Towerflower.
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You beat me to it, Tower.
It doesn’t look as if George is going to have a good life after all./sarc
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Poor George. Now he has to pick fights to get in the news. I wonder why he punched back instead of pulling his gun this time? Oh — my bad. There were witnesses.
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I read somewhere that my wussy didn’t even defend himself he went straight for his phone and called for ‘three or four cops’.
Ha,ha,ha!! Oh George this is just the beginning.
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Roderick,
Haha! He must be running low on money and thought that if he bragged about killing Trayvon, that someone would offer to pay for his meal.
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I believe that George has convinced himself that murdering Trayvon is some badge of honor and people still see him as a hero. Unfortunately for him his supporters have moved on to supporting other sociopaths like Trump.
I wonder if he’s still on Adderall or if his PA has switched him to a newer more effective meds.
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Hey Roderick! I don’t know what to think concerning Trayvon’s killer anymore. It’s as if when he hears Sybrina doing something positive, that he has to compete. Sybrina appeared at the DNC along with 8 other mothers, and then comes George picking a fight, wanting recognition for killing. That is something he has to come to terms with, that regardless of the verdict, he caused the situation leading to his taking the life of another human.
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I hadn’t looked at George’s behavior from that perspective but since George has proven that he has narcissistic tendencies I wouldn’t rule it out especially after his jailhouse conversations about certain celebrities ‘dissing’ him and his youtube videos thanking his fans and let’s not forget his blood money website which made him a hero to his white supremacist supporters.
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August 5, 1909 Birth of jazz trumpeter and singer Ernestine “Tiny” Davis
“Published on May 20, 2013
“Ernestine “Tiny” Davis and The International Sweethearts of Rhythm perform How ‘Bout That Jive. The Sweethearts were the first fully-integrated, all-female big band…
“As you can see in this film, Tiny was a great trumpet player and was said to have been asked to play with Louis Armstrong. According to Tiny, she stayed with the Sweethearts because she ‘just loved those gals too much!’ ”
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On August 6, 1848 Susie King Taylor was born as Susie Baker into slavery in Liberty, Georgia. She was the first African American army nurse.
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August 7, 1948 Alice Coachman became the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
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Copy
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https://twitter.com/BlackJulieKnows/status/765237019555532800
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https://twitter.com/MarkBrydges/status/769921333694267394
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Video of John Lewis delivering his speech at the 1963 March on Washington — powerful:
(A. Philip Randolph introduced him.)
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“Music at the March on Washington”
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On August 28, 1955, 14-year old Emmett Till was kidnapped and lynched in Money, Mississippi. The men charged with his murder were found not-guilty at trial, but brazenly admitted to the killing by selling their story for between $3,600 and $4,000, being protected from double-jeopardy.
Till’s murder was one of several reasons the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed. It allowed the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in local law enforcement issues when civil rights were being compromised.
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August 1st. Happy Birthday Robert Cray!
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