Black History Month

Today is the last day of Black History Month so I’d like to leave you with this ‘Lest we forget,’ ‘We the people’ who helped to build this fine nation, did not ask for much and, was given less; ‘Black people resisted’ only to be tortured, killed or see below:

(Please note this is the OLD ENGLISH spelling)
TO BE SOLD on board the Ship Bance•Island, on Tuesday the 6th of May next, as Afbley•Ferry; a choice cargo of about 150 fin healthy NEGROES, juft arrived from the Windward & Rice Caft. –The utmoft care has already been taken, and Shall be continued, to keep them free from the leaft danger of being infected with the SMALL-POX, no boat having been on board, and all other communication with people from charles•Town prevented.
Auftin, Laurens, & Applely.

Booker T. Washington Educator and founder of Tuskegee Institute (1858-1915) Booker Taliaferro Washington was the foremost black educator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also had a major influence on southern race relation and was the dominant figure in black public affairs from 1895 until his death in 1915. Born a slave on a small farm in the Virginia backcountry, he moved with his family after emancipation to work in the salt furnaces and coal mines of West Virginia. After a secondary education at Hampton Institute, he taught an upgraded school and experimented briefly with the study of law and the ministry, but a teaching position at Hampton decided his future career. In 1881, he founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute on the Hampton model in the Black Belt of Alabama. Though Washington offered little that was innovative in industrial education, which both northern philanthropic foundations and southern leaders were already promoting, he became its chief black example and spokesman. In his advocacy of Tuskegee Institute and its educational method, Washington revealed the political adroitness and accommodationist philosophy that were to characterize his career in the wider arena of race leadership. He convinced southern white employers and governors that Tuskegee offered an education that would keep blacks “down on the farm” and in the trades. To prospective northern donors and particularly the new self – made millionaires such as Rockefeller and Carnegie, he promised the inculcation of the Protestant work ethic. To blacks living within the limited horizons of the post-Reconstruction South, Washington held out industrial education is the means of escape from the web of sharecropping and debt, and the achievement of attainable, petit-bourgeois goals of self-employment, land ownership, and small business. Washington cultivated local white approval and secured a small state appropriation, but it was northern donations that made Tuskegee Institute by the 1900’s, the best supported black educational institution in the country. The Atlanta Compromise Address, delivered before the Cotton States Exposition in 1895, enlarge Washington’s influence into the arena of race relations and black leadership. Washington offered black acquiescence in disfranchisement and social segregation if whites would encourage black progress in economic and educational opportunity. Hailed as a sage by whites of both sections, Washington further consolidated his influence by his widely read autobiography, Up From Slavery (1901), the founding of the National Negro Business League in 1900, and control of patronage politics as chief black advisor to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Washington kept his white following by conservative policies and moderate utterances, but he faced growing black and white liberal opposition in the Niagara Movement (1905), and the NAACP (1909), groups demanding civil rights and encouraging protest in response to white aggressions such as lynching, disfranchisement, and segregation laws. Washington successfully fended off these critics, often by underhanded means. At the same time, however, he tried to translate his own personal success into black advancement through secret sponsorship of civil rights suits, serving on the boards of Fisk and Howard University, and direction philanthropic aid to these and other black colleges. His speaking tours and private persuasion tried to equalize public educational opportunities and to reduce racial violence. These efforts were generally unsuccessful, and the year of Washington’s death marked the beginning of the Great Migration from the rural South to the urban North. Washington’s racial philosophy, pragmatically adjusted to the limiting conditions of his own era, did not survive the change. Hover Tuskegee is one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) that has continues to operate and has expanded oppreciatively.

Black History Month

Mary Mcleod Bethune Educator, Bethune Cookman College Founder (1875-1955) Mcleod Bethune, 1875, in Mayesville, South Carolina, former slaves a decade after the end of the Civil War, devoted her life to ensuring the right to education and freedom from discrimination for black Americans. Bethune believed that through education, blacks could begin to earn a living in a country that still opposed racial equality. Bethune worked tirelessly until her death and would not While there was “a single Negro boy or girl without a chance to prove his worth.” Mary Jane Mcleod was born on July 10, Fortunate in that she was able to gain a formal education, Bethune had originally hoped to become a missionary in Africa. However, she realized that “Africans in America needed Christ and school just as much Negroes in Africa. My life work lay not in Africa but in my own country.” She first taught school in Georgia and later in South Carolina, Florida and Illinois. As a young teacher in Chicago, she visited prisoners in Jail, giving them inspiration through song. She worked at the Pacific Garden Mission, serving lunch to the homeless, and counseled the residents of Chicago’s slums. In Florida, she organized a Sunday school program and sang to prisoners. In 1904, Bethune opened the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls. The school opened with five girls as students and later accepted boys as well. Tuition was 50 cents a week, but Bethune never refused to educate a child whose parents could not afford the payment. Bethune worked not only to maintain the school, but she also fought aggressively the segregation and inequality facing blacks. There was objection from many at that time to the education of black children, but Bethune’s zeal and dedication won over many skeptics of both races. She encouraged people to “Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.” Bethune also opened a high school and a hospital for blacks. She had immense faith in God and believed that nothing was impossible. Bethune remained president of the school for more than 40 years. In 1923, she oversaw the school’s merger with the Cookman Institute, thereby forming the Bethune-Cookman College. With her school a success, Bethune became increasingly involved in political issues. It was through her discussions with Vice President Thomas Marshall that the Red Cross decided to integrate, and blacks were allowed to perform the same duties as whites. In 1917, she became president of the Florida Federation of Colored Women. In 1924, Bethune became president of the National Association of Colored Women, at the time the highest national office a black woman could aspire. And in 1935, she formed the National Council of Negro Women to take on the major national issues affecting blacks. Bethune served as director of the National Youth Administration’s Division of Negro Affairs (1936), Vice-President of the NAACP (1940), and served on President Truman’s Committee of Twelve for National Defense (1951). She also continued working with many organizations, such as the National Urban League, the Association of American Colleges, and the League of Women Voters. She worked under presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Theodore Roosevelt on child welfare, housing, employment, and education. In June of 1936, she was assigned director of the Division of Negro Affairs and became the first black woman to serve as head of a federal agency. As director, she traveled across the country speaking out for equal education and treatment for blacks. Mary Mcleod Bethune died on May 18, 1955, leaving a legacy of interracial cooperation and increased educational opportunity for blacks. Thanks to the efforts of NCNW President Dorothy Height, her exemplary life of service to others has been honored in the form of a statue which graces Washington, DC’s Lincoln Park. She is the first black woman to be honored in this way.

Black History Month

Malcolm X/El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz Religious leader and Revolutionary (1925-1965) Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska to Louise (Norton) and Earl Little. Louise and Earl met in Canada but Louise was raised in Grenada in the British West Indies. Earl was a Baptist minister from Reynolds, Ga. and became an organizer for Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. Louise was Earl’s second wife and together they raised seven children. Wilfred, Hilda, Philbert, Malcolm, Reginald, Yvonne, and Wesley Earl little also had three children by a first wife: Ella, Earl, and Mary. The Littles moved several times, trying to find a better world for the family before settling in Lansing, Michigan. Lansing was also a violent world for the Littles and in September 1931, Earl was found dead beside the local trolley tracks, apparently crushed by the trolley. In the years that followed, Louise deteriorated emotionally and mentally and in 1939 was committed to a mental institution in Kalamazoo, Michigan and the younger children were placed in foster homes. Malcolm had already been removed from his mother’s home and was in foster care for juvenile delinquency. He was eventually made a ward of the state and sent to a county juvenile home in Mason, Michigan. Malcolm did well in Mason and graduated from junior high at the top of his class academically and athletically. Malcolm was discouraged from continuing academically past the eighth grade due to his race and accepted an offer from his sister, Ella, and her husband move to Roxbury, Massachusetts. A few months after his arrival in Roxbury, a predominantly black section of Boston, Malcolm took a job as a shoe shin boy at the Roseland Ballroom in Boston’s Back Bay section and learned the role of a hustler. Roxbury proved to be too small for him, and in 1942, he took a job as a railroad dining porter, working out of Roxbury and Harlem. Settling in Harlem, he became involved in several criminal activities including robbery, prostitution, and narcotics. After a year in Harlem, he returned to Boston and continued a life of crime, forming his own house-robbing gang. Arrested for robbery in February 1946, he was convicted and sentenced to the Charlestown, Massachusetts prison for seven years. While in prison, Malcolm became a follower of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, with braches in Detroit, Chicago, and New York. Malcolm’s brother, Reginald, and sister, Ella, visiting him in prison, urged him to join Muhammad’s groups, and while still in prison he did. He discarded his “slave name,” Little, and was assigned the new name “X”. After his parole in 1952, Malcolm X joined the Nation of Islam under the guidance of Elijah Muhammad and eventually was made a minister and top administrator of the Muslim movement. Malcolm founded mosques in Boston, Philadelphia, and Harlem and was credited with the national expansion of the movement, which included a membership of approximately 30,000 by 1963. Malcolm X came to broad public notice as result of a July 13-17, 1959, television special with Mike Wallace called The “Hate That Hate Produced,” which told the story of Malcolm X’s emergence as one of the most important leaders of the Nation of Islam. The program also brought the Nation of Islam (known as the Black Muslim movement) to the attention of the American public. Further, Malcolm X’s vision was expressed in speeches, a newspaper column (first in Harlem’s Amsterdam News and later moved to the “Los Angeles Herald Dispatch,” and radio and television interviews. In addition, he helped found the Black Muslim newspaper Muhammad Speaks. Partly because of tensions within the Black Muslim movement, Malcolm became critical of Elijah Muhammad. He was eventually silenced, for 90 days after commenting on the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy with the phrase “chickens come home to roost.” However, before his silence was lifted, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam to form the Muslim Mosque, Inc. (March 1964). He began to articulate a more secular black nationalism, arguing that blacks should control the politics within their own community and, through his speeches, encouraging his followers to use the ballot to effect change. Malcolm X traveled to Mecca for his obligatory (for orthodox Muslims) pilgrimage in 1964, and there began to consider changing his views toward integration. Afterward he was more ambiguous about the outcome of the race struggle in the United States, and he left open the possibility that some whites could contribute to the struggle. After the pilgrimage, he adopted the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. The Queens, New York home Malcolm X shared with his wife, Betty (whom he had married in January 1958) four children was firebombed February 14, 1965 but the family survived. His twin girls were born after his death. Two weeks later, on February 21, as Malcolm addressed a full audience at the Audubon Ballroom, multiple assassins shot him. The reason for the assassination has never been definitely established. Three men were convicted in March 1966 of first degree murder: Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson. Malcolm’s legacy lives on and there are many celebrations held each year in his memory. Additionally, in 1999, The US Postal Service issued a stamp in his honor.

Black History Month

Paul Lawrence Dunbar Poet (1872-1906) Paul Lawrence Dunbar, was born, as was described in his day, a “pure black” that is, both his mother and father were known not to have white ancestors. Dunbar’s father escaped from slavery in Kentucky to freedom in Canada, while his mother was freed by the events of the civil war, and came North to Ohio, where they met, and where their son was born at Dayton. Dunbar’s father picked up the trade of a plasterer, and taught himself to read, his love was history. His mother shared his father’s passion for literature, and her love was poetry. Even while attending school, he received considerable praise around Dayton for his inventiveness with poetry and fiction. Notable schoolmates were the Wright Brothers, the inventors of the airplane, with whom Dunbar remained friends with for life. Wright State University in Dayton has an extraordinarily large collection of Dunbar’s papers. There is a Class of 1890, Central High School photo with Dunbar and Orville Wright. Though Dunbar was 20 and operating an elevator when his first two works, “Oak” and “Ivy” (1892), was published, he already had a reputation in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. An invitation to recite at the 1893 World’s Fair introduced him to Frederick Douglass, who was in charge of the Haitian exhibit. Douglas gave Dunbar a job, and later said that he considered Dunbar to be “the most promising young colored man in America.” However, they did not reach the national scene. “Majors and Minors” was soon published in 1895, and caught the attention of the famous literary critic William Dean Howells. Howells’ favorable review in “Harper’s weekly” made Dunbar a national figure overnight. “Lyrics of a Lowly Life” (1896), a combination of the first two books a published with an introduction by Howells, awarded him a national reputation and enabled him to concentrate upon literary career. Dunbar was called the greatest Negro poet since Russia’s Pushkin and France’s Dumas, both of whose “white blood” was said to be responsible for their abilities. Upon his return from a recitation tour of England, Dunbar married another young writer, Alice Ruth Moore of New Orleans, and took a job at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. (1897-98). He was invited to rude in the inaugural parade of William Mckinley, a nearly unheard of honor. However, the tedious work was not to his liking, and the dust of the library aggravated a steadily worsening case of tuberculosis. Less than a year after taking the job, Dunbar quit the Library of Congress. Although he was supposed to rest, Dunbar devoted all his time to writhing and giving recitals. His first three novels including The Uncalled (1898), which reflected his own spiritual problems were about white characters. His last, sometimes considered his best, was “The Sport of the Gods” (1902), concerning an uprooted black family in the urban North Suffering from tuberculosis, Dunbar’s life was short. Inspite of his illness, Dunbar wrote prose as well as poetry until his early death at the age of 34. His Complete Poems was published in 1913, seven years after his death.

Black History Month

Garrett Augustus Morgan Inventor (1877-1963) Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was an American inventor whose curiosity and innovation led him to develop several commercial products, the successors of which are still in use today. A practical man of humble beginnings, Morgan devoted his life to creating items that made the lives of common people safer and more convenient. Among his creation was the three-position traffic signal, a traffic management device that greatly improved safety along America’s streets and roadways. Morgan’s technology was the basis for the modern-day traffic signal and was a significant contribution to development of what we now know as Intelligent Transportation Systems. Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was born in Paris, Kentucky on March 4,1877. His parents were former slaves. Morgan spent his early childhood attending school and working with his brothers and sisters on the family farm. He left Kentucky while still a teenager, moving north to Cincinnati, Ohio in search of employment. An industrious youth, Morgan spent most of his adolescence working as a handyman or a wealthy Cincinnati landowner. Similar to many African Americans of his generation, whose circumstances compelled them to begin working at an early age, Morgan’s formal education ended after elementary school. Eager to expand his knowledge, however, the precocious teenager hired a tutor and continued his studies in English grammar while living in Cincinnati. In 1895, Morgan moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a sewing machine repair man for a clothing manufacture. Experimenting with gadgets and materials to discover better was of performing his trade became Morgan’s passion. News of his proficiency for fixing things traveled fast and led to numerous job opportunities with various manufacturing firms throughout the Cleveland area. Morgan opened his own sewing equipment and repair shop in 1907. It was the first of several businesses he would start. In 1909, he expanded the enterprise to include a tailoring shop which retained 32 employees. The new company made coats, suits and dresses, all sewn with equipment and widely respected businessman. His prosperity enabled him to purchase a home and an automobile. Morgan’s experiences driving through the streets of Cleveland are what led him to invent the nation’s first patented three-position traffic signal.

Black History Month

Gutavus Vassa Abolitionist (1745-1801) Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa) was born in a small village right below the equator, in the province of Essaka in the Kingdom of Benin. All the members of his village were farmers, they had no social discrimination. Slaves in his village were prisoners of war, men or women, who were considered part of the village. They were not given special treatment, they worked shoulder to shoulder in the fields and to their masters they were part of their own family. At the age of twelve, Oluaudah along with his sister, were kidnapped and taken to South Africa. Olaudah before he was set on a ship headed to Barbados. His was able to see his sister once before he set off, never again to make contact with any member of his family. On his voyage to the new world he confirmed all the stories he had heard about while men, devils and evil sprits who’s only purpose was to kill blacks. He was overwhelmed by the amount of suffering he saw around him during his months aboard the slave ship. Slaves were forced to live under conditions unfit for any living being, small children drowning in a sub of human waste, pain and suffering so unbearable they choked on every breath, the ship arrived in Barbados. They sold a few slaves and then moved on to Virginia where Olaudah was sold. With his new master Olaudah traveled to England, and was involved in many important historical battles. From Canada to Gibraltar, Olaudah sailed the seven seas. Eventually he was sold again. During his years with his previous master he became quite fond of England, he came to consider it his home. He was sold to a rich man from Monserrat, yet even after sending many years on the island he never quite lost hope of going back to England. Eventually, Olaudah was able to buy his freedom from his master and move back to England. Once he was back in England he immediately continued his education and was later involved with many programs or organizations for the abolishment of slavery. After a few years Olaudah became Britain’s most important public speaker on the slavery issue, he represented the Caribbean states before Queen Victoria, and was even involved in a mission to establish a new colony in Sierra Leone. In 1788, Gustavus Vassa (Olaudah Equiano) wrote his autobiography. He traveled across most of Europe selling his book which in time became a best seller.

Black History Month

H. Rap Brown (Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin) American activist, writer (1943-) Former 60s radical H. Rap Brown now Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin was convicted of 13 counts related to a shooting in which Al-Amin killed an Atlanta police officer and wounded his partner. Al-Amin’s trial now enters its death penalty phase. Under Georgia law, a person found guilty of a murder and an aggravating crime, such as killing a police officer, can receive the death penalty. Al-Amin appeared first on the public stage as the fiery leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later Black Panther Party member who famously asserted that violence was “as American as cherry pie” and once claimed he might shoot Lyndon Johnson’s wife. Brown was imprisoned several times in the late 1960s. In 1967 he was charged with inciting a riot and convicted of armed robbery in 1973. By the time of his release in 1976, Brown had converted to Islam and taken on the Al-Amin name. Until his latest legal problems, Al-Amin ran a grocery store and mosque on the west side of Atlanta. In Marc 2000, Sheriff’s Deputies Ricky Kinchen and Aldranon English went to Al-Amin’s store were they attempted to serve a warrant on Al-Amin for missing a previous court date on charges of impersonating an officer and theft. Al-Amin opened fire on the officers with a Ruger .223 rifle and a Browning pistol, wounding one officer and ki8lling the other. Although Al-Amin was later captured with the rifle and bullets from a 9mm Beretta used by the police officers were found in Al-Amin’s Mercedes, Al-Amin’s defense claimed that someone else did the shooting. A Fulton County jury convicted Mr. Al-Amin, of all 13 charges against him stemming from a shootout with two deputies across the street from his mosque in an impoverished section of Atlanta west of downtown. Because prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against him, the jury must decide whether Mr. Al-Amin, 58, should be executed or should spend the rest of his life in prison. That phase of the trial, in which his lawyers are expected to present character witnesses on his behalf. The jury, made up of nine blacks, two whies and on Hispanic. Jurors deliberated 10 hours over the days before finding the Muslim cleric now called Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin guilty of shooting to death Deputy Ricky Kinchen and wounding Deputy Aldranon English. The decision essentially concludes a case that might have proved divisive in the days when Rap Brown was urging street violence and Atlanta was dominated by a white establishment. Instead, it revealed how much the city has changed: the two deputies who were shot that night were black, as is the county sheriff, the mayor, the district attorney and most of the city. As a result, there has been little sympathy here for Mr. Al-Amin among black residents except for his cloest. The crucial testimony in the three-week trial came from Deputy Aldranon English, who stood up in court and identified Mr. Al-Amin as the man who shot him and his partner, Deputy Ricky Kinchen. Mr. English said he was attempting to serve an old arrest warrant on Mr. Al-Amin on the night of March 16, 2000, when Mr. English asked to see the cleric’s obscured right hand. “He said, ‘Yeah,’ frowned, and swung up an assault rifle and started shooting,” Mr. English said in court. One of the rounds went under Mr. Kinchen’s bulletproof vest into his abdomen, and be died the next day.supporters.

Black History Month

Dr. Julius Erving Basketball Legend (1950-) Julius Erving was born in Hempstead, Long Island New York. His father left the family when Julius was only three. His mother worked as a domestic to support her three her children. Family lived in a public housing project, and life was difficult, but Mrs. Erving worked to instill a sense of self-worth in her children. Young Julius realized his gift for basketball could be a ticket to a better life. By age ten, Julius was averaging eleven points a game with his Salvation Army team. When Julius Erving was 13, his mother remarried, and the family moved to the nearby town of Roosevelt. There, Julius maintained a high academic average and played on the high school team, all-county and all-Long Island teams competing in state-wide tournaments. Erving acquired the nickname “the Doctor” while still at Roosevelt High. His teammates would later alter this to “Dr. J.” The basketball coach at Roosevelt High, Ray Wilson, introduced young Julius to Coach Jack Leaman of the University of Massachusetts. After high school, Erving entered the university, where Ray Wilson was hired as assistant coach the following year. At Massachusetts, Erving broke freshman records for scoring and rebounding, leading his team through an undefeated season. The next year, he had the second best rebound tally in the country. Over the summer, he joined an NCAA all-star team touring Western Europe and the Soviet Union. He was voted most valuable player on this tour. Julius Erving left the University to go professional after his junior year. He is one of only seven players in the history of NCAA basketball to average over 20 points and rebounds per game. In 1971, Julius Erving began his professional career with the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association. The ABA was fighting a uphill battle to gain the same recognition enjoyed by the more established National Basketball Association (NBA). Julius Erving, or Dr. J, as fans now called him, did more than anyone else to win that recognition for the new association. In following year, he led the ABA in scoring, averaging 31.9 points per game. In 1973, Dr. J attempted to sign with the Atlantic Hawks of the NBA, and found himself on the middle of a complicated legal wrangle. The Squires claimed he was still under contract to them, the Milwaukee Bucks claimed draft rights to Erving Under NBA rules, and his old management sued him for damaging their reputation by trying to break the Squires contract. The affair was finally settled out of court. Erving remained with ABA to play for the New York Nets. Once again, Erving led the league in scoring and led the Nets to an ABA championship, winning four-out of-four games against the Utah Stars. In the first of these games, Erving scored 47 points, sparking comparisons with the greatest players of all time. In the 1974 season, Erving suffered from knee pains and was forced to wear special braces on the court, but it didn’t stop him from another spectacular season. On his 25th birthday, he scored 57 points against San Diego. After being voted Most Valuable Player in the ABA from 1974 to 1976, Dr. J, moved to the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. He remained in Philadelphia for the last eleven years of his pro basketball career, leading the 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983. When Dr. J, finally retired in 1987, he had scored over 30,00 points in his professional career; he is one of only three players in the history of the game to achieve this feat. After retiring from professional basketball, Julius Erving became a commentator for NBC and appeared in the feature film, “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.” Julius Erving now serves on the Board of Directors of Meridian Bancorp and of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company. He is also President of the management and marketing firm JDREGI. He is, of course, enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in the memories of everyone who ever saw him play.

Black History Month

Dorie Miller Seaman (1919-1943) Dorie Miller became the first black sailor to be awarded the Navy Cross because he disobeyed orders during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Ordered to save himself from the blazing USS West Virginia on December on December 7, 1941, the mess attendant instead ignored bullets from attacking dive-bombers and torpedo planes to carry his wounded commander to safety. Then, in violation of orders prohibiting blacks from firing weapons, Miller used an anti-aircraft battery to fire at the planes. It was one of several stories recited by Admiral Archie Clemins, the Pacific Fleet commander during an hour long service at the USS Arizona Memorial on the 55th anniversary of the Japanese attack that ushered the United States into World War II. “Through his name, we are reminded that heroism and valor transcend racial and ethnic bounds and tat, at Americans, our strength lies in our ability to help one another in time of need,” Clemins said. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz awarded Miller, of Waco, Texas, the Nave’s highest honor after the attack. Two years later, Miller was dead, lost at sea when the USS Liscome Bay was torpedoed off the Gilbert Islands. A new Navy housing area here now bears his name. Several hundred military officials, survivors of the attack and members of veterans’ organizations gathered on the stark white memorial, which lies over the sunken Arizona. Flowers were dropped onto the harbor’s choppy water. Gusty winds forced the cancellation of a traditional fly over by Hawaii Air National Guard planes. The Japanese attack sank 21 Navy ships, destroyed 185 military planes and killed 2,290 military personnel at bases throughout Hawaii, along with 48 civilians. Japan lost 29 planes and 5 midget submarines.

Black History Month

Michael Jackson King of Pop (1958-2009) With a voice to match his sweet face, Michael Jackson spent his childhood in the limelight as the youngest member of the Jackson 5, a Motown group, with four of his brothers. Before he could vote, he was a millionaire and solo recording artist. By the time he was 21 years he was a hit-making machine, recording the brightest and best pop-dance songs, and when he was just 25, he was the biggest recording star in the world. But, in the ‘90s, the self-proclaimed “king Of Pop” persona was taking over, and vicious rumors shrouded his once fairy-tale life. While Jackson didn’t write all of his songs, he penned the majority, and those he didn’t he in a sense made it his own once he sang them. With one glove, a red jacket, and a pocket full of pretty pop ditties that made millions walk as if they were dancing on the moon, weird and eccentric Jackson became an immensely successful, world-renowned pop icon-to say the least. bRockin’ off a string of hits with the Jackson 5, the kid from Gary, Indiana, recorded two records sans. His Brothers in the early “70s, resulting in a couple of bubblegum pop hits “My Girl,” Rockin’ Robin” and “Got To Be There.” At the closing of the ‘70s, Jackson and Diana Ross starred in “The Wiz,” which was produced by Quincy Jones, a fortuitously lucrative meeting, Jackson and Jones began working together on more mature, funky pop tunes, which ultimately vaulted Jackson to superstardom. With Jones producing, Jackson recorded “Off The Wall” (1979), which included four top 10 hits: “Rock With You,” “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough,” “She’s Out Of My Life” and the title track. “Don’t Stop…” earned him a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal, Male. But four years later, Jackson was to make Grammy history, sales history, chart history, and dance history. In 1983, with Jones at the knobs again, Jackson created the quintessential pop-dance disc, “Thriller,” which eventually sold a phenomenal 45 million worldwide. Beginning with the Paul McCartney duet “The Girl Is Mine,” the record ultimately generated an unprecedented seven top 10 singles: “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Thrillier,” and “Human Nature.” Thriller also received a record 12 Grammy nominations, earning eight awards. Jackson also set new standards in videos with “Beat It,” which paved the way for other black artists on MTV, and the auspicious “Thriller” video, a horror film short with voice work by Vincent Price. The “Moonwalk” became the next big dance step, and Jackson sipped Pepsi for money, received an award from then-President Ronald Reagan, toured the globe with his brothers for the Victory tour co-penned the number one hit “We Are The World,” starred in his bizarre 3D short, “Captain Eo,” and purchased the ATV music publishing catalogue, which featured 250 Lennon/McCartney songs. If 1987’s “Bad” had not been preceded by Thriller, it certainly would have been received better and had more impact; following the exceptional 1983 album, “Bad” fell short of expectations (as everything else would), and although it was nominated for several Grammy Awards, the album received only one. Not to slight its importance in the clubs and charts, Jackson had five hits including ‘Bad,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Dirty Diana” and “Man In The Mirror,” and the record sold over 22 million copies worldwide. Like Prince, Jackson was plagued with troubles in the ‘90s Moving to his dream estate, Neverland, with Ferris Wheels and wild animals, Jackson seemed to lose touch with reality and was reliving a childhood he never had—complete with children’s parties. Ironically, Jackson’s first album of the new decade was “Dangerous,” which eventually sold 20 million copies worldwide and was released on his own label, MJJ, through Epic Records. Although his image and sound were tougher, it was his private life that was becoming dangerous as it gradually became more and more public. Reportedly, Jackson insisted MTV and BET refer to him as the “King Of Pop” when introducing his video for “Black And White,” which Jackson later denied, but it was his rumored involvement with children that caused much more than controversy. For years he had donated millions of dollars to charities that primarily aided children, but in a twist of fate, a 13-year-old boy told his psychiatrist that he had been fondled by Jackson in 1993; the pop star denied the accusation, but eventually settled out of court even though nothing was proven by the police. The damage was done and perception of Jackson as philanthropist good guy was gone. He became addicted to painkillers, Pepsi ended the 10-year business relationship, and even stranger, in 1994, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley; rumors of it being for show were denied, but the questionable marriage ended in divorce. Also in 1993, Jackson received the Living Legend Grammy Award. With a keen eye for business, and also possibly realizing his albums post-Thrillier were selling less and less, Jackson sandwiched the old hits with potential new hits on the double-disc set, “HIStory,” Past, Present And Future, Book One, which entered the charts at number one in June 1995, the album, featuring 15 old and 15 new songs, produced several singles over the next two years.

Black History Month

Martin Luther King Religious and Civil Rights leader (1929-1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. His grandfather began the family’s long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931, his father had served from then until present, and form 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received his B.A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished African-American institution in Atlanta Which both his father and grandfather had been graduated. After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and eventually married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family. In 1954, Martin Luther King accepted the pastorale of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Always a strong worker for civil rights for members of his race, King was by this time, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the leading organization of its kind in the nation. In December, 1955, he accepted the leadership of the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United Stated. The bus boycott “The bus boycott which started as a result of Rosa Park’s refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus lasted 382 days. On December 21, 1956, after the Supreme Court of the United States had declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation on buses, Negroes and whites rode the buses as equals. During these days of boycott, king was arrested , his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse, but at the same time he emerged as a Black leader of the first rank. In 1957, he was elected president of the Southern Christian leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity, its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957-1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing whenever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience, and inspiring his Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” a manifesto of the Negroes revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters, and he co-directed the peaceful march on Washington, D>C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his famous address, “I Have a Dream.” He conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees. Was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963, and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Noble Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $540,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that cit7, he was assassinated.

Black History Month

Jack Arthur Johnson American Boxer (1878-1946) Jack Johnson became the world’s first African-American heavy weight champion in 1908 in a bout with Tommy Burns. He held the title for 7 years. Born in Galveston, Texas, one of six children Jack Johnson dropped out of school after fifth grade and began to do odd jobs around town. He began training to box after beating up a local bully and by 1897 had become a professional boxer. Jack Johnson trained with people like Joe “the Barbados Demon” Walcott and Joe Choyinski. From 1902-1907 he won over 50 matches, some of them against other African-American boxers such as Joe Jeannette, Sam Langford and Sam McVey. Jack Johnson’s career was legendary. In 47 years of fighting, he was only knocked out three times, but his life was troubled. There was a campaign of hatred and bigotry waged against him by whites who wished to regain the heavyweight title and who also resented his interracial relationships with women. He fought Both Fitzsimmons, the ex-heavyweight champion in 1906 and knocked him out. But the boxers who succeeded Fitzsimmons refused to fight Johnson because of his color. Instead, another white boxer, Tommy Burns, fought Marvin Hart and won. Burns was then awarded the heavyweight title. He also refused to fight Johnson, but after persuasion from those around him, he finally agreed to a fight on Christmas Day in1908. Jack Johnson beat Tommy Burns easily while dancing around the ring taunting him. He became a hero to blacks in America. Even after the victory, Jack Johnson was not fully accepted as champion and proponents of white supremacy searched diligently for what they termed a “great white hope” to take the title away from him. They resorted to ex-heavyweight champion James Jeffries to fight Johnson. Jeffries was defeated in the 15th round in a match surrounded by severe racial tension, in Reno, Nevada, in 1910. Racial rioting was sparked after the fight. The Texas Legislature banned films of his victories over whites for fear of more riots. In 1913, Johnson fled because of trumped up charges of violating the Mann Act’s stipulations against transporting white women across state lines for prostitution. During his exile from the U.S., Johnson lost his title to Jess Willard under questionable circumstances. The fight was held in Cuba and it was rumored that Johnson allowed himself to be knocked out in the 16th round. His marriages to white women, against the law at the time, and his flamboyant lifestyle had brought him a great deal of difficulty. He is said to have intentionally lost the fight in order to avoid further trouble with authorities. He returned to the U.S. on July 20, 1920 and was arrested. Sentenced to Leavenworth in Kansas, Johnson was appointed athletic director of the prison. Upon his release, he returned to boxing, but only participated in exhibition fights after 1928. Although married three times, Johnson never had children. He died in a car crash June 10, 1946, near Raleigh, North Carolina. [Jack Johnson was also the inventor of the ‘Monkey Wrench.’ – So why do you think they call it the Monkey Wrench?]

Black History Month

Frederick Douglass Abolitionist (1817-1895) Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1818, and was given the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (Baly), after his mother Harriet Bailey. During the course of his remarkable life he escaped from slavery, became internationally renowned for his eloquence in the cause of liberty and went on to serve in the national government in several official capacities. Through his work, he came into contact with many of the leaders of his times. His early work in the cause of freedom brought him into contact with a wide array of abolitionists and social reformers, including William Lloyd Garrison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, John Brown, Gerrit Smith, and many others. As a major Station master on the Underground Railroad, he directly helped hundreds on their way to freedom through his adopted home city of Rochester, NY. He lectured throughout the US and England on the brutality and immorality of slavery. As a Publisher, his North Star and Frederick Douglass’ Paper, brought news of the antislavery movement to thousands. Forced to leave the country to avoid arrest after John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, he returned to become a staunch advocate of the Union cause. He helped recruit African American troops for the Union Army, and his personal relationship with Lincoln helped persuade the President to make Emancipation a cause of the Civil War. Two of Douglass’ sons served in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which was made up entirely of African American volunteers. The storming of Fort Wagner by this regiment was dramatically portrayed in the film, “Glory” A painting of this event hangs in the front hall at Cedar Hill. All of Douglass’ children were born of his first marriage to Anna Murray. He met Murray, a free African American, in Baltimore while he was still held in slavery. They were married soon after his escape to freedom. After the death of his first wife, Douglass married his former secretary, Helen Pitts, of Rochester, NY. Douglass dismissed the controversy over his marriage to a white woman, saying that in his first marriage he had honored his mother’s race, and in his second marriage, his Father’s. In 1872, Douglass moved to Washington, DC where he initially served as publisher of the New National Era, intended to carry forward the work of elevating the position of African Americans in the post-Emancipation period. This enterprise was discontinued when the promised financial backing failed to materialize. In this period, Douglass also served briefly as President of the Freedman’s National Bank, and subsequently in various national service positions, including US Marshal for the District of Columbia, and diplomatic positions in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Black History Month

Lewis H. Latimer Inventor (1848-1928) Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, as a young man, Lewis Latimer learned mechanical drawing while working for a Boston patent office. In 1880, Hiram Maxim of the U.S. Electric Lighting Company needed to help develop a commercially stable electric lamp hired him. In 1882, Latimer invented a device for efficiently manufacturing the carbon filaments used in electric lamps and shared a patent for the “Maxim electric lamp.” He also patented a threaded wooden socket for light bulbs and supervised the installation of electric streetlights in New York City, Philadelphia, Montreal, and London. In 1884, Latimer became an engineer at the Edison Electric Light Company where he had the distinction of being the only African American member of “Edison’s Pioneers” (Thomas Edison’s team of inventors). While working for Edison, Latimer wrote “Incandescent Electric Lighting,” the first engineering handbook on lighting systems. Although today’s incandescent light bulbs use filaments made of tungsten rather than carbon, Latimer’s work helped to make possible the widespread use of electric lights.

Black History Month

Maya Angelou Poet, historian, author (1928-) Maya Angelou is a poet, historian, author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director. She lectures throughout the US and abroad and is Reynolds professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. She has published ten best selling books and countless magazine articles. At the request of President Clinton, she wrote and delivered a poem at the 1992 presidential inauguration. Dr. Angelou began her career in drama and dance. She married a South African freedom fighter and lived in Cairo where she was editor of The Arab Observer, the only English-language news weekly in the Middle East. In Ghana, she was feature editor of The African Review and taught at the University of Ghana. In the 1960s, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ms. Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and by President Jimmy Carter to the National Commission on the Observance of International and directing, Maya Angelou has been a groundbreaker for black women. In television, she has made hundreds of appearances. Her renowned autobiographical account of her youth, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was a two-hour TV special on CBS. She has written and produced several prize-winning documentaries, including “Afro-Americans in the Arts,” a PBS special for which she received the Golden Eagle Award. Dr. Angelou speaks French, Spanish, Italian and West African Fanti.

Black History Month

Billie Holiday Jazz singer and actress (1915-1959) Billie Holiday was born in Baltimore Maryland, in 1915. Her parents were Clarence Holiday and Sally Fagan. Her name at birth was Eleanor Fagan Gough and her father would call her by the nickname Bill. She later changed her name to Billie Holiday as she began her singing career. When she was 15, Billie was looking for a job to help pay for her rent. She stopped by Pod’s and Jerry’s on Seventh Avenue in New York to ask for a job as a dancer. However, her future was not bright as a dancer because she only knew two steps. Jerry felt his time was being wasted and wanted her to leave. Before leaving the pianist, who was feeling sorry for her, asked her to sing. She said, “yes”, and sang the song entitled “Trav’Lin All Alone,” an Earl Hines ballad. As she began singing, everybody in the bar became silent and was awed at her beautiful voice. That night would change her life forever. After Pod’s and Jerry’s, she began singing at her new job in the Log Cabin. There she would meet Joe Glaser who would become her agent. She eventually would sign a contract with a major record company, which would lead to increased fame and popularity. Billie recorded with Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson. Later, she began to work with a great saxophonist named Lester Young (Prez). The first time they recorded together, they produced the song; “I must have that man.” In 1937, she also began touring with the Count Basie Band. Billie would later have to leave the band because she was too independent and temperamental. She would release the songs “strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child” in 1939. She earned the nickname “Lady Day” for her unique style of singing the blues. In 1941, she married John Monroe and would become an opium user. She would also marry Joe Guy, Who was Trumpeter and she later became addicted to heroin. She would perform a concert at Town Hall and star in the film “New Orleans.” During 1947, Billie was arrested for drugs and spent eight months in prison. When Billie was 36 years old, she married a third time to Louis McKay, who was abusive to her. She toured Europe in 1954, and was arrested for a second time in 1956. After being arrested again, she would enter a drug clinic. A movie was made about the life of Billie in 1973, called “The Lady Sings the Blues.” Tragically, Billie’s life was cut short on July 17, 1959, at age 44, due to a drug and alcohol addiction.

Black History Month

Fifty Years of Black History The First Decade of the 21st Century:
2000 -- July, Venus Williams becomes the first black woman to win the Women's Singles title at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1957 and 1958. What titles did Venus' sister win?

2002 -- March 24, Halle Berry becomes the first African-American female to win Academy Award for Best Actress; what movie did she win for?
Denzel Washington becomes the second African-American male to win Best Actor. What movie got him the Oscar?

2005 -- January 26, Condoleezza Rice becomes the first black female secretary of state. What is she doing now? August 29, Hurricane Katrina hits Louisiana and southern Mississippi, devastating New Orleans. How many people died?

2008 -- November 4, United States Senator Barack Hussein Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States.

Duke Ellington Musician and composer (1899-1974) Composer and bandleader Duke Ellington one of the most remarkable and self-defined orchestras in jazz for 50 years. It not only held to a consistent musical vision that sprang directly from his own work as a composer, but it sustained for decades with a loyal core of soloists who made their own marks on jazz history. Within the context of running a band, Ellington also became the only figure from the jazz world over to make an imprint on the American popular songbook comparable in breath and depth to that achieved by Gershwin, Rodgers, Berlin, Arlen and others. Songs such as ‘Mood Indigo,” “Solitude,” “In A Sentimental Mood,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and many others were widely performed and became American pop standards widely known today. Ellington was born April 29, 1899, and grew up in a middle class environment in Washington, DC. He began playing at the age 7, and gravitated to the ragtime and stride styles. He came to New York with Elmer Snowmen’s Washingtonians, and soon assumed leadership when Snowden departed. This left Ellington with a charter group of players who would remain with him for years and follow him to the top. Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwick, Arthur Whetsol and Fred Guy. Before the end of the 20s, Harry Carney, Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams had joined each of who would still be with Ellington in the 1960s. Ellington’s formative year’s cover 1924 to about 1935, when the various plunger devices were integrated into an ensemble structure of varied combinations and blends. The rhythm section that began as a choppy, chugging timekeeping tool smoothed out as bass and guitar replaced tuba and banjo. Lawrence Brown brought a unique trombone sound to the band. The period also yielded a combination of Ellington staples (“Rockin’ In Rhythm,” “Black And Tan Fantasy” “Creole Love Call”) that would remain the repertoire until the end. The mature period begins in the mid-‘30s and works up to what many regard as the band’s peak years from 1940-45, during which time bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist, Ben Webster became confirmed Ellingtonians. Essentials of the period include “ko ko”, “Concerto For Cootie”, “Jack The Bear”, “cotton Tail”, “Harlem Airshaft”, and “Take The ‘A’ Train”, all recorded for Victor. This period of intense creativity extends into Ellington’s most ambitious foray into extended composition, the epic “Black, Brown And Beige,” introduced in 1943. After the war, the ‘40s sound survived, but the compositional intensity petered out until, by the end of the decade, Ellington lost much of his distinctive voices. The modern period, or the Newport Era, if you prefer, begins around 1951, when Sonny Greer was replaced on drums by Louis Bellson and the band suddenly sprang to life with and astonishing new rhythmic alertness and vitality. Bellson stayed for about three years, ultimately to be replaced by Sam Woodyard. But the rhythmic buoyancy of the band was forever set on a modern track and inspired subtle improvements in the band’s overall precision and musicianship. By the time Johnny Hodges returned after a five year absence, Ellington was reinvigorated and ready to charge forward. The historic performance of “Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue” at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956, opened a whole new era of prosperity for Ellington, he responded a revived commitment to composition and produced a succession of stimulation works, from “Such Sweet Thunder” (1957) to “The Far East Suite” (1966). During the final years of the band from the late 1960s to 1974, mortality whittled away at what had seemed for long to be immutable. Duke Ellington died of cancer on May 24, 1974, although the band continued irregularly under the direction of Duke’s son, Mercer.

Millionaires who dropped out of high school

Jay-Z grew up in one of Brooklyn's roughest projects, while a talent scout discovered Gisele at a mall.

Millionaire High School Dropouts: For some, diplomas are (barely) worth the paper they're printed on. These star entrepreneurs jumped right in. While the rest of us were negotiating curfews and cramming for the SATs, some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs ditched high school to start building their fortunes. Many did it out of necessity; others had a mentor (or at least a backer looking to piggyback on their success). All, however, had a demon drive to build something of their own. Even at a young age, that commitment and passion can win over investors. "Investors really look at the person and the quality of his or her idea more than their experience,” says Brad Burke, managing director of Rice University's Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, which incubates new companies. For all the new entrepreneurship programs popping up at business schools, there will always be a slew of born entrepreneurs who prove that high school diplomas, let alone fancy graduate degrees, might well be (barely) worth the paper they're printed on. Here are just a handful of examples.

1. Jay-Z (Shawn Carter): This high-school dropout grew up in one of Brooklyn's roughest housing projects, dealing drugs before finding salvation in hip hop. In 1995 Carter took his first single to Def Jam Records, the company he ended up running from 2004 until 2007. In 2008 he signed a 10-year, $150 million deal with Live Nation that gave him control over his records, tours and endorsement deals with companies like Dell and Budweiser.

2. George Foreman: This ubiquitous pitchman grew up poor in Marshall, Texas. Found a mentor, through Lyndon Johnson's Job Corps program, who encouraged the 15-year-old thug to box. Foreman would eventually win a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics. His big pay day came in 1999, when he bagged $138 million for selling naming rights to grill manufacturer Salton. He has since pitched brands like Doritos, KFC and Meineke, and has launched a line of environmentally safe cleaning products, a line of personal care products, a health shake, a prescription shoe for diabetics and a restaurant franchise.

3. Simon Cowell: Caustic judge earned $75 million last year, thanks to his involvement with American Idol, Britain's Got Talent, musical talent show The X Factor and SyCo records, his production company. The 50-year-old impresario dropped out of school at age 16 and landed a job in the mailroom at EMI. At 23 he left to start his own record label, Fanfare. Post-Idol, Cowell will shift his focus to a U.S. version of the The X Factor, where he'll serve both as a judge and executive producer.

4. Gisele Bundchen: When Bundchen was 14 years old a modeling scout discovered her in a Brazilian shopping mall. In 1996 she debuted at Fashion Week in New York City. She earned $25 million last year, thanks to contracts with Versace, Dior and other companies. She also has a line of sandals called Ipanema by Gisele.

5. Carl Lindner: This billionaire dropped out of high school to deliver milk for his family's dairy. In 1940 used a $1,200 loan to open an ice cream shop with his sister and two brothers. In 1959 he left the business and started investing in savings and loans, and eventually insurance concerns, which he assembled under American Financial Group. In 1984 Lindner bought Chiquita Brands International (formerly United Foods) and ran it until 2001. The family dairy, called United Dairy Farmers, now has 200 ice cream parlors and convenience stores. Lindner's current net worth $1.7 billion.

6. David Murdock: Left high school, was drafted into the Army in 1943 and moved to Detroit after WWII. In 1985 he took control of Dole Food and Hawaiian real estate company Castle & Cooke. Murdock took debt-laden Dole public in October 2009 (current market capitalization: $1 billion). Pre-IPO, the Dole chairman was worth $3.5 billion.

7. Richard Branson: The son of a barrister and a flight attendant dropped out of high school at age 16 to start an arts and culture magazine called Student. In 1970, at age 20, he founded a mail-order record retailer called Virgin. He later opened a record shop and recording studio, which became retail chain Virgin Records and record company Virgin Music. His Virgin Group empire now includes 200 companies in 30 countries, spanning airlines, music festivals, mobile companies and other businesses. Today Branson owns two private Caribbean islands, Necker and Mosquito, and has a net worth of $2.5 billion.

8. Jim Clark: This high school dropout bloomed into a Silicon Valley legend, founding the likes of Silicon Graphics, Netscape, Healtheon and Shutterfly. In recent years he started a real estate company in South Florida with Tom Jermoluk, another Shutterfly investor. Today Clark is worth nearly $900 million.

Black History Month

Fifty Years of Black History The '90s
1990 -- February 11, Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in prison. Why was he in prison?

1991 -- March 3, Rodney King is brutally beaten in San Fernando Valley by L.A. police officers, sparking riots, an investigation, and subsequent trial. What famous line did he say?

1992 -- April 30, "The Cosby Show" broadcasts final episode of its eight season run. See clips.

1993 -- October 7, Toni Morrison becomes the first African-American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Which novel won the prize?

1995 -- October 16, the Million Man March, under the leadership of Minister Louis Farrakhan, is held in Washington, D.C. What was the goal?

Joe Louis Boxer (1914-1981) the legendary “Brown Bomber” is considered by many to be the finest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. He held the world’s heavyweight title from Jun 22, 1937 until June 25, 1948 and made a division-record 25 successful title defenses. Born in Alabama, Louis moved to Detroit as a child and began boxing at the Brewster Recreation Center. In his first amateur bout, Louis was knocked down seven times. But he improved rapidly. He captured the 1934 National AAU light heavyweight crown and turned pro later that year. Louis won his first 27 fights, 23 by knockout, beating the likes of former heavyweight champions Primo Carnera and Max Baer and contenders Paolino Uzcudun and Natie Brown. But in his 28th fight, Louis met defeat. He faced another former heavyweight champ, Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium, and was knocked out in the 12th round. Louis rebounded from the defeat and won seven straight bouts including victories over Braddock on June 22, 1937 in Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Although he was fropped early in the bout, Louis rose from the canvas to score an eighth-round knockout. He became the first African American to win the heavyweight title since Jack Johnson in 1908. Louis possessed an excellent jab and power in both hands. His right cross was as devastating as his left hook. His punches were so compact that some in the media claimed a Joe Louis punch need only to travel six inches to render an opponent unconscious. After winning the crown, Louis began piling up defenses. He dispatched contender after contender with such ease that his opponents were said to make up “The Bum of the Month Club.” Along with Louis success came tremendous popularity. He was widely respected by Americans of all color. He won the title a decade before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier and later would put his career on hold to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. Reporter Jimmy Cannon once wrote that. “Louis was a credit to his race … the human race.” While Louis countless highlights, he is widely remembered most for his 1938 rematch with Schmeling. The boxing admitted Louis for risking his crown against a man who, just two years earlier, had knocked him out. But because Schmeling was from Germany, the bout took on a broader meaning. The media inaccurately portrayed Schmeling as a Nazi and painted Louis as a symbol for the rest of the free world. The rematch, also at Yankee Stadium, was over fear as Louis scored a devastating first-round knockout. In another one of his most memorable bouts, Louis took on light heavyweight champion Billy Conn on June 18, 1941 at the Polo Grounds in New York. Conn, a masterful boxer, was ahead on the scorecards after 12 rounds. But miraculously, Louis scored a 13th-round knockout to save his title. After the war, during which Conn served in the Navy, they met again and Louis scored an eighth-round knockout. I 1947, Louis was dropped twice by Jersey Joe Walcott but managed to hang onto the title by a controversial split decision. The end was nearing for the champion and shortly after he knocked Walcott out in a rematch, he announced his retirement. In 1950, at the age of 36, Louis returned to the ring to challenge heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles but lost a 15-round decision. He fought nine more times over the next year, beating the likes of Lee Savold and Jimmy Bivins but announced his permanent retirement when Rocky Marciano knocked him out on October 26, 1951.

Black History Month

Fifty Years of Black History The '80s
1982 -- November 30, Michael Jackson releases "Thriller"; with sales of $110 million, it becomes the best-selling recording of all time. Watch his videos.

1983 -- April 12, Harold Washington is elected Mayor of Chicago. Why was his tenure short? Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. View clips from movie.

1984 -- Jesse Jackson wins one-fourth of the votes cast in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, and one-eighth of the convention delegates in his first presidential bid. What's his famous slogan?

1989 -- March, Frederick Drew Gregory becomes the first African-American to command a space shuttle, the Discovery. Who was the first black woman in space?

Josh Gibson Baseball player (1911-1947) Only Satchel Paige was a better-known personality than Josh Gibson was. The 6’1” 205 lb strongman was the standard against when other hitters were measured. A natural hither, the right-handed slugger hit for both distance and average. With a confident countenance beneath a turned-up cap bill and a rolled up left sleeve, displaying his powerful arm muscles, Gibson’s presence in the hatters box personified power. He awaited the pitch in a semi-crouched, the footed stance, and without striding generated a compact swing that produced tape-measure home runs with such regularity that, it came to be expected as the norm. Credited with 962 home runs in his 17-year career, he also compiled a .391 lifetime batting average in the Negro Leagues. In addition, to his slugging prowess, Gibson possessed a rifle arm and, by hard work behind the plate, he made himself into one of the best receivers in the league. For a big man, he was quick behind the plate and on the bases, and was a good baserunner. Always affable and easy going, Gibson was will liked and respected by his peers. His popularity extended to the fans, and he was voted to start in nine East-West all-star games, in which he compiled a sensational .483 batting average. Unfortunately, the major leagues were never afforded the opportunity to witness Josh Gibson’s greatness, for on January 20, 1947, he died a premature death only a month after his 35th birthday and just a few months before Jackie Robinson’s becoming the first black major leaguer in over a half century. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Black History Month

Fifty Years of Black History The '70s:
1972 -- November, Barbara Jordan of Houston and Andrew Young of Atlanta become the first blacks elected to Congress from the South since
1898. Find out about other blacks in Congress.

1974 -- April 8, Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron hits his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's longstanding record. Who broke his record? November 12, In the Bronx, Clive "Hercules" Campbell, aka "Kool Herc," starts using two turntables and chanting rhymes over the beat, forming the basis of rap. What was one of the first rap songs?

1975 -- Arthur Ashe becomes the first African-American male to win the British Men's Singles championship at Wimbledon. Who was the first black woman to win?

1977 -- February 3, The eighth and final episode of the mini-series "Roots," based on Alex Haley's novel, airs, receiving the highest ratings for a single program. Watch clips.

Michael Jordan His royal Airness: “You have to expect things of your self before you can do them.” Athlete (1963-) Michael Jordan, the best known athlete in the world, is a leading scorer in the National Basketball Association (NBA), who led the Chicago Bulls to many recent NBA championships. He is, by far, and will be for a time to come, the best basketball player in the history of the game, Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina. He accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of North Carolina and as a freshman scored the winning basket in the 1982 NCAA championship game against the Hoyas of Georgetown, Jordan was selected college player of the year for the 1983-1984 season, and in 1984 he led the United States basketball team to a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Jordan left college in 1984to play with the Bulls. He finished his first season (1984-1985) as one of the top scorers in the league, with an average of 28.2 points peer game. He was also name rookie of the year and made the first of his nine All-Star game appearances. Jordan finished the 1986-1987. season as the second player, after Wilt Chamberlain, to score more than 3000 points in a single season. He led the NBA in scoring for seven consecutive seasons (1987-1993), tying Chamberlain’s record, and averaged more than 30 points per game in each season. He also became the Bulls all-time leading scorer and set numerous scoring records, including most points in a playoff game (63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986); and highest scoring average for an NBA championship series (41 points per game in the 1993 NBA finals). He led the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA championship title in 1991; With Jordan, the Bulls won again in 1992 and 1993. In addition to his three league Most Valuable Player awards (1988, 1991, 1992), Jordan won the All-Star game MVP award twice (1988, 1996) and a record three-consecutive NBA championship series MVP awards (1991-1993). Jordan was also a member of the United States Olympic basketball team, known as the Dream Team, that captured the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Stating that he had lost his desire to play professional basketball, Jordan announced his retirement prior to the 1993-1994 season. Initially noted for his scoring, his tenacious defensive play had made him one of the greatest all-around basketball players in NBA history. He had also become a worldwide celebrity due to his success in the NBA and the Olympics, and his numerous commercial endorsements. Early in 1994 Jordan returned to professional sports, this time as a baseball player. He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox of the American League (AL), reported to spring training, and was assigned to the team’s minor league system. That summer he batted .202 with the Birmingham Barons, a class AA affiliate of the White Sox. Later in the year he batted .252 with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Jordan ended his retirement from professional basketball by rejoining the Bulls near the end of the 1994-1995 NBA regular season. In the 1995-1996 season he enjoyed another great year, leading the NBA in scoring with 30.4 points per game and being named league MVP. The Bulls also became the first NBA team to win 70 games in a season, finishing with 72 victories, and they went on to win the NBA championship title. Jordan was named MVP of the NBA finals, becoming the first player to earn the honor four times. Jordan retired again and returned to the game a part owner and then a player with the Washington Wizards.

Black History Month

Fifty Years of Black History The '60s:
1960 -- February 1, 1960, four students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro, North Carolina, begin a sit-in at Woolworth's Drug Store. Why?

1962 -- October 1, James Meredith becomes the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, escorted by U.S. marshals by order of President John F. Kennedy. Who attempted to block his entrance?

1963 -- Sidney Poitier wins Best Actor for "Lilies of the Field." Check out his other films. August 28, The March on Washington becomes the largest civil rights demonstration in American history, a moment defined by Dr. King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech. (Listen; read it)

1965 -- February 21, Malcolm X is assassinated in Harlem by members of the Nation of Islam. Who was his wife?

1968 -- April 4, Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Where did he die?

Benjamin Banneker Astronomer (1731-1806) Banneker lived a life of unusual achievement. In 1753, the young man borrowed a pocket watch from a well-to-do neighbor; he took it apart and made a drawing of each component, then reassembled the watch and returned it, fully functioning to its owner. From his drawings Banneker then proceeded to carve out of wood enlarged replicas of each part. Calculation the proper number of teeth for each gear and the necessary relationships between the gears, he constructed a working wooden clock that kept accurate time and struck the hours for over 50 years. At age 58, Banneker began the study of astronomy and was soon predicting future solar and lunar eclipses. He compiled the ephemeris, or information table, for animal almanacs that were published for the years 1792, through 1797. “Benjamin Banneker’s Almanac” was a top seller from Pennsylvania to Kentucky. In 1791, Banneker was a technical assistant in the calculating and first-ever surveying of the Federal District, Which is now Washington, D.C. The “Sable Astronomer” was often pointed to as proof that African Americans were not intellectually inferior to European Americans. Thomas Jefferson himself noted this in a letter to Banneker. Banneker died on October 26,1806; it was not until the 1990s that the actual site of Banneker’s home, which burned on the day of his burial, was determined. In 1980, the U.S. Postal Service issued a postage stamp in his honor.

Black History Month

Black History Month starts today! So, to honor those that came before me and, paved the way for someone like me to do what I do and more…I’d like to present to you…here on day one: from (February 1, 2010 to February 28, 2010)

A. Phillip Randolph Labor leader and civil rights activist (1889-1979) Asa Philip Randolph was born on Aril 15,1889, in Crescent City, Florida, U.S. He was a trade unionist and civil-rights leader who was a dedicated and persistent leader in the struggle for justice and parity for the African American community. A. Philip Randolph was the son of a Methodist minister. Randolph moved to the Harlem district of New York City in 1911. He attended City College at right, and with Chandler Owen, founded an employment agency in 1912. Through it he hoped to organize black workers. In 1917, following the entry of the United States in World War I, the two men founded a magazine named “The Messenger.” After 1929 it was renamed, “The Black Worker.” The magazine called for more positions in the war industry and the armed forces for blacks. After the war, Randolph lectured at New York’s Rand School of Social Science and ran unsuccessfully for offices on the Socialist Party ticket. In 1925, as founding president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Randolph began organizing that group of African American Workers and, at a time when half the affiliates of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) barred blacks from membership, took his union into the AFL. Despite opposition, he built the first successful black trade union. The brotherhood won in first major contract with the Pullman Company in 1937. The following year. Randolph removed his union from the AFL in protest against its failure to fight discrimination in its ranks and took the brotherhood into the newly formed Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). He then returned to the question of black employment in the federal government and in industries with federal contracts. He warned President Franklin D. Roosevelt that he would lead thousands of blacks in a protest march on Washington, D.C. Roosevelt, on June 25, 1941, issued Executive Order 8802, barring discrimination in defense industries and federal bureaus and creating the Fair Employment Practices Committee. After World War II, Randolph founded the League for Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Against Military Segregation, resulting in the issue by President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1948, of Executive Order 9981, banning segregation in the armed forces. When the AFL merged with the CIO in 1955, Randolph was made a vice president and member of the executive council of the combined organization. He was first president (1960-66) of the Negro American Labor Council, formed by Randolph and others to fight discrimination within the AFL-CIO. In an echo of his activities of 1941, Randolph was a director of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which brought more than 200,000 people to the capital on Aug. 28, 1963, to demonstrate support for civil-rights policies for African Americans. Two years later, he formed the A. Philip Randolph Institute for community leaders to study the causes of poverty. Suffering from a chronic illness, he resigned his presidency of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1968, and retired from public life. Randolph would enjoy a quiet retirement. He would finally pass away on May 16, 1979, in New York City, New York.