July 19, 2012

Florida A&M Names Interim President
by Frederick H. Lowe During an emergency meeting on Monday, Florida A&M University’s board of trustees named Provost Larry Robinson interim president, replacing James H.
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The NorthStar's Books
Hurston/Wright Announces Nominees for Its Annual Book Awards The Hurston/Wright Foundation recently announced nominees for its 11th annual Legacy award, which honors exemplary works of literature by black writers.
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Wells Fargo Agrees to Pay $175 Million to Mortgage-Bias Victims
By Frederick H. Lowe Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
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Black Ex-Cons Are Free But Usually Not to Vote
By Frederick H. Lowe More than 2.2 million African Americans had felony convictions in 2010, which most likely will prevent them from voting in this year's presidential election, depending on what state they call home.
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Cameroon Plans Restoration of Notorious Slave-Trade Port
By Frederick H. Lowe A Cameroon port that was one of the busiest slave-ship departure points on Africa’s Atlantic Coast to plantations in North and South America during the 18th century will become a cultural heritage site for tourists and for scholars to study the brutal realities of slavery. Cameroon, a country of more than 15 million located in West Central Africa, will begin restoration of the Port of Bimbia after officials received $76,400, or 40 million Cameroonian francs, from the U.S.
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It’s the Jobs Act, Stupid!
By Julianne Malveaux TriceEdneyWire.com - The unemployment rate has hovered above 8 percent for several months, most recently holding ground at 8.2 percent, the same as last month.
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Institute of the Black World Schedules Conference
The Institute of the Black World 21st Century will hold its State of the Black World Conference III Nov. 14-18, 2012, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
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The NorthStar's Obituaries
William Raspberry William Raspberry, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post, died on Tuesday at his home in Washington, D.C. Mr.
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Health Care Act Will Erase Inequities for People of Color
By Brian Smedley TriceEdneyWire.com - The U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) represents a significant advancement in the effort to repair the deeply broken U.S.
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N.C. Senate Republicans Block Payments to Sterilization Victims
TriceEdneyWire.com – By passing a budget June 20 without funds to compensate victims, the North Carolina Senate dashed the hopes of those harmed by a government program that, for nearly 50 years, sterilized mostly poor and black residents. Senate Republicans refused to support a measure cleared by state House members to earmark $10 million in the state budget that would have awarded sterilization victims $50,000 each, according to NewsObserver.com.
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Nelson Mandela Marks His 94th Birthday
Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who devoted his life to ending apartheid in his native country, celebrated his 94th birthday on Wednesday, July 18.
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The Motown Sound is Broadway Bound
Motown: The Musical, which will chronicle the life of the company founder, Berry Gordy, Jr., is scheduled to open in the spring of 2013 on Broadway in New York.
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Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Suffers a Heart Attack; Omarosa Saves His Life
Asiaone Showbiz is reporting that actor Michael Clarke Duncan suffered a heart attack, but quick work by his girlfriend, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, saved his life.
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Witness: George Zimmerman Did Not Like Blacks
Attorneys for George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, filed a motion to block release of a statement by an individual identified as witness 9.
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Oprah Interviews Mitt Romney
Oprah Winfrey interviewed Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican Party nominee for president, and his wife, Ann, recently in Wolfeboro, N.H. The interview was not filmed, but it will be published in Winfrey's O Magazine, according to news reports.
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99th Pursuit Squadron emblem

The NorthStar’s Week in Black History

July 19 through July 25

July 19

1941 ----- The first U. S. Army flight-training school for black cadets was dedicated in Tuskegee, Ala., on this date. The event marked the intentional beginning of the 99th Pursuit Squadron.

Prior to 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U. S. military and were hard pressed to find flight-training programs open to blacks. Civil rights activists and the black press advocated strongly for military service opportunities for black aviators. Finally, the Army responded to the pressure, partly out of a need to train more pilots for combat.

Tuskegee Airmen

The group of black cadets became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. They were trained to fly and maintain combat aircraft. Tuskegee’s program was eventually expanded and became the primary training ground for African-American aviators during World War II.

Despite racial prejudice and segregation in the military, the Tuskegee Airmen became the most highly respected fighter pilot group in U. S. military history.

July 20

1967 ----- The first National Conference on Black Power, a four-day gathering that opened on this date, was held in Newark, NJ.

More than 1000 delegates, representing 286 different groups, organizations and institutions from 126 cities in 26 states as well as individuals from Bermuda and Nigeria, were in attendance.

The conference offered dozens of presentations and workshops, all addressing the issues considered to be most important to African Americans at the time, emphasized black economic development and opportunity.

Nathan Wright, Jr., served as chair of the conference. Presenters of note included Ossie Davis, James Farmer, Nathan Hare and others.

July 21

PFC William Thompson

1951 ----- Private First Class William H. Thompson, who became the first African-American Medal of Honor recipient since the Spanish American War, was awarded the medal posthumously on this date for heroism during the Korean War.

During the Battle of Masan in August 1950, Thompson was a member of M Company of the 24th Infantry Division.

Thompson's company was involved in an offensive along the Pusan Perimeter. North Korean troops attacked his company causing many soldiers to flee for their lives. Thompson, however, refused orders to leave despite being wounded. He covered his platoon’s retreat with his .30 caliber M1917 Browning machine gun until he was killed by a grenade. Thompson's courageous actions were initially overlooked by division commanders, who instead focused on the poor performance of many in the platoon. Thompson's battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Blair, initially refused to submit a recommendation.

Blair changed his mind and located witnesses who attested to Thompson’s courage. On June 21, 1951, General of the Army Omar Bradley presented Thompson's mother with the Medal of Honor. Editor's note: In 1997, seven black men were awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during World War II by President Bill Clinton.

July 22

1861 ----- President Abraham Lincoln read the Emancipation Proclamation, which would eventually free some African Americans from hundreds of years of chattel slavery, to his cabinet, according to Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s African American Desk Reference.

Lincoln discussed the proclamation with his cabinet after first meeting with Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, an abolitionist, regarding his decision.

Lincoln believed he needed a Union victory on the battlefield so his decision would appear positive and strong. The Battle of Antietam, in which Union troops turned back a Confederate invasion of Maryland, gave him such an opportunity. On September 22, 1862, five days after Antietam, Lincoln convened his cabinet and issued the Preliminary Proclamation.

The proclamation, which took effect Jan. 1, 1863, immediately freed 5,000 slaves in 10 Confederate states but did not include slaves being held in the border states of Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and Missouri.

July 23

Vanessa Williams

1984 ----- Vanessa Williams, the nation’s first black Miss America, relinquished her crown on this date, after nude photos of her appeared in Penthouse magazine. Suzette Charles, who was also African American and who was first runner-up, succeeded Williams.

Suzette Charles

The embarrassing incident was a minor bump in the road as far as Williams’ career was concerned. She became a successful entertainer, earning multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations. Charles, a native of New Jersey, served for seven weeks as Miss America, the shortest reign in pageant history.

July 24

Mary Church Terrell

1954 ----- Mary Church Terrell, the first African American to serve on the Washington, D.C., Board of Education, died on this date in Annapolis, Md.

A teacher and principal, Terrell was appointed to the board in 1895 and she served until 1906. A graduate of Oberlin College, Terrell helped organize the National League for the Protection of Colored Women and in 1906, she became the first president of the National Association of Colored Women.

July 25

Garrett T. Morgan and his gas mask

1916 ----- Garrett T. Morgan, inventor of the gas mask, rescued six people from a gas-filled Cleveland tunnel.

The rescue occurred when a tunnel exploded under Lake Erie. Garrett used his gas-mask hood to save workers trapped the tunnel, which was filled with fumes. Officials turned to Garrett for help after other rescue attempts had failed.

The NorthStar's Week in Black History is compiled and written
by Frederick H. Lowe and Susan M. Miller.

The Northstar News & Analysis, Inc.
Chicago, IL | 312.504.0223

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July 19, 2012

The NorthStar’s Week in Black History