Today In Black History • June 27, 1766 Pierre Toussaint, hairdresser and philanthropist, was born enslaved in Haiti. In 1787, his owners brought him to New York City where Toussaint became an apprentice to one of the city’s leading hairdressers. In 1807, he was freed from enslavement when his owner died and he went on to become quite wealthy as a hairdresser. As a result, Toussaint was able to purchase the freedom of the woman that would become his wife. They opened their home as a shelter for orphans, a credit bureau, an employment agency, and refuge for priests and poverty stricken travelers. They also funded the construction of a new Roman Catholic church. Toussaint died June 30, 1853. In 1990, the Archbishop of New York had Toussaint’s body exhumed and reinterred in the crypt below the altar at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the first layman to be buried in the crypt. In 1996, Toussaint was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II, the second step toward sainthood. Pierre Toussaint Academy in Detroit, Michigan and the Pierre Toussaint Family Health Care Center in Brooklyn, New York are named in his honor. • June 27, 1872 Paul Laurence Dunbar, poet, was born in Dayton, Ohio. Dunbar wrote his first poem at the age of six and gave his first public recital at nine. He served as editor of the school newspaper, class president, and president of the school literary society at his all-White high school. Dunbar’s first book of poetry, “Oak and Ivy,” was published in 1892 and his second book, “Majors and Minors” (1895), brought him national fame. During his lifetime, Dunbar wrote 12 books of poetry, 4 books of short stories, five novels, and a play. He also wrote the lyrics for “In Dahomey” which in 1903 was the first musical written and performed entirely by African Americans. Dunbar died February 9, 1906. In 1975, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor. A number of places are named in his honor, including schools and libraries in various cities and Dunbar Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Several biographies have been published about Dunbar, including “Paul Lawrence Dunbar: Poet of His People” (1936) and “Oak and Ivy: A Biography of Paul Lawrence Dunbar” (1971). • June 27, 1894 Crystal Bird Fauset, the first African American female state legislator in the United States, was born in Princess Anne, Maryland, but raised in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1918 to 1926, Fauset worked as field secretary for African American girls at the Young Women’s Christian Association. In 1931, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Also that year, she founded the Colored Women’s Activities Club for the Democratic National Committee and as a result was appointed director of the Women and Professional Project in the Works Progress Administration. She also served on the Federal Housing Advisory Board in 1935. In 1938, Fauset was elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature, the first African American female legislator in the country. During her time in the legislature, she focused on improvements in public health, housing the poor, public relief, and women’s rights in the workplace. Fauset resigned from the Pennsylvania legislature in 1940. In 1941, Fauset was appointed race relations director at the Office of Civil Defense and became a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet.” After World War II, Fauset helped found the United Nations Council of Philadelphia which later became the World Affairs Council. During the 1950s, she traveled to Africa, India, and the Middle East to support independence leaders. Fauset died March 27, 1965. In 1991, a Pennsylvania state historical marker was dedicated in her honor at 5403 Vine Street in Philadelphia. • June 27, 1917 Wilson Camanza Riles, the first African American to be elected to statewide office in California, was born near Alexandria, Louisiana. Riles earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Arizona State Teacher’s College (now Northern Arizona State University) in 1940 and served in the United States Army Air Force for three years during World War II. After his discharge, Riles returned to Arizona State and earned his Master of Arts degree in school administration in 1947. In 1971, Riles was elected California Superintendent of Public Instruction, the first African American elected to statewide office in California and the first African American in the nation to be elected state superintendent of schools. He was re-elected twice, serving a total of twelve years. In 1973, he was awarded the NAACP Spingarn Medal. After leaving public office, Riles started an educational consulting and management service company. Riles died April 1, 1999. The Wilson C. Riles Middle School in Roseville, California is named in his honor. • June 27, 1936 Lucille Clifton, poet and educator, was born Thelma Lucille Sayles in Depew, New York. Clifton graduated from the State University of New York in 1955 and over the next 15 years worked for the New York State Division of Employment and the federal Office of Education. In 1970, her poetry was included in Langston Hughes’ anthology “The Poetry Of The Negro.” Clifton’s first poetry collection, “Good Times,” was published in 1969 and listed by the New York Times newspaper as one of the year’s 10 best books. Her children’s book, “Everett Anderson’s Good-bye,” won the 1984 Coretta Scott King Award. In 1988, Clifton became the first author to have two books of poetry chosen as finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her volume “Blessing the Boats: New and Collected Poems 1988 – 2000” won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2000. In 2007, Clifton won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize which honors a living United States poet whose “lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition.” From 1971 to 1974, Clifton was poet-in-residence at Coppin State College and from 1979 to 1985 was Poet Laureate of the State of Maryland. From 1985 to 1989, Clifton was a professor of literature and creative writing at the University of California and from 1995 to 1999 was visiting professor at Columbia University. Clifton died February 13, 2010. She posthumously received the Robert Frost Medal for lifetime achievement from the Poetry Society of America that same year. Studies about her life and writings include “Wild Blessings: The Poetry of Lucille Clifton” (2004) and “Lucille Clifton: Her Life and Letters” (2006). • June 27, 1939 Frederick McKinley Jones of Minneapolis, Minnesota received patent number 2,163,754 for his invention of a ticket dispensing machine. His machine was designed to be operated by a relatively unskilled person and was made in such a way that jamming was practically impossible. However, should jamming occur, the machine would continue to operate. Jones was born May 17, 1893 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1912, Jones moved to Hallock, Minnesota and after serving in the United States Army during World War I, taught himself electronics and built a transmitter for the town’s radio station. Around 1935, Jones designed a portable air-cooling unit for trucks carrying perishable food and received patent number 2,475,841 for it July 12, 1949. His air coolers made it possible to ship perishable food long distances during any time of the year. His units were also important during World War II, preserving blood, medicine, and food. During his lifetime, Jones was awarded 61 patents, mostly for refrigeration equipment, but also for portable X-ray machines, sound equipment, and gasoline engines. In 1944, Jones became the first African American to be elected into the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers. Jones died February 21, 1961. On September 16, 1991, he was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Technology by President George H. W. Bush, the first African American to receive the award. • June 27, 1954 Ronald Kirk, the first African American Mayor of Dallas, was born in Austin, Texas. Kirk was a leader in high school and was elected student council president in his senior year. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and sociology from Austin College in 1976 and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1979. In 1994, Kirk served as Secretary of State of Texas and the following year was elected Mayor of Dallas. Kirk was re-elected in 1999, but resigned in 2001 to make an unsuccessful bid for the United States Senate. In 2009, Kirk was confirmed as the United States Trade Representative, the first person of African descent to hold that position. Kirk stepped down from the position in 2013. • June 27, 1977 The Republic of Djibouti gained independence from France. Djibouti is located in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west and south, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country is a little less than 9,000 square miles in area with a population of approximately 900,000. Arabic and French are the official languages. Approximately 94% of the population is Muslim and the remaining 6% Christian. • June 27, 1999 Marion Motley, hall of fame football player, died. Motley was born June 5, 1920 in Leesburg, Georgia, but raised in Canton, Ohio. After playing college football at South Carolina University and the University of Nevada, Motley joined the United States Navy and played for the Great Lakes Naval Training Station team. He started his professional career in 1946 with the Cleveland Browns in the All-American Football Conference. Led by Motley, Cleveland won every championship in the four year existence of the AAFC. When the AAFC shutdown in 1949, he was the league’s career rushing leader. The Browns joined the NFL in 1950 and Motley led the league in rushing that year. Motley retired in 1954 and wanted to coach, however due to his race he was not able to do that. Motley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968, the second African American to be inducted, and many people refer to him as “The Jackie Robinson of football.” • June 27, 2012 John W. Porter, the first black state school superintendent in the United States since Reconstruction, died. Porter was born August 13, 1931 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Albion College in 1953. He earned his Master of Arts degree in counseling and guidance and his Ph.D. in higher education from Michigan State University in 1957 and 1962, respectively. Porter worked as a teacher before becoming the first black professional employee of the Michigan Department of Education. In 1969, Porter was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, making him the youngest and first black chief state school officer in the nation. He served in that capacity until 1979 when he was appointed president of Eastern Michigan University. Porter retired from EMU in 1989 and for two years served as interim superintendent of the Detroit Public School System. During his tenure, he executed a plan that eliminated a $160 million deficit and significantly reduced spending. The John W. Porter College of Education Building and the John W. Porter Distinguished Chair in Urban Education at Eastern Michigan University are named in his honor.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 13:16:43 +0000
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