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Apr 18
2008

BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In Our History

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Bill Russell

On This Date In 1966, William Felton "Bill" Russell Was Named Coach Of the Boston Celtics, Making Him The First Black Head Coach Of A Major Professional Sports Team. He Coached The Team Until 1969.

Russell Succeeded 16-Year Veteran Coach, Arnold "Red" Auerbach, To Become The Basketball Team's Fourth Couch.

The 6 Ft. 10 In Hall Of Fame Center Was A Star Player For The Celtics At The Time He Become Coach, And Served As Player/Coach For His Entire First Season.

He Became The Highest Paid Coach Or Manager At That Time, Earning An Estimated $125,000 Per Year.

Bill Russell Was Born In Monroe, Louisiana On February 12, 1934. His Family Moved To Oakland, California When He Was Eight Years Old.

After Failing To Make The Varsity High School Team During His 9th- Grade Year, Russell Had A Growth Spurt And At 6 Ft. 5 In, Eventually Became A Star For His High School Team.

While At The University Of San Francisco, He Led His Team To Two NCAA Basketball Championships (1955 And 1956). He Also Won A Gold Medal At The 1956 Summer Olympics, As Captain Of The U. S. National Basketball Team.

Bill Russell Is Considered By Many As The Greatest Defensive Basketball Player In NBA History. He Made Shot-Blocking An Art And Was Also One Of The Top Rebounders To Ever Play The Game Of Basketball.

During His 13 Seasons With The Boston Celtics, He Won 11 NBA Championships. He Is One Of Two Men Who Holds The Record For The Most Championships Won By An Athlete In A North American
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Apr 17
2008

BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In Our History

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Ralph Abernathy

Civil Rights Leader, Ralph David Abernathy Died On This Date In 1990, In Atlanta, Georgia.

Abernathy Was Born In Linden, Alabama, On March 21, 1926, The Son Of A Farmer.

He Served In The Army During World War II, And Afterwards, Attended Alabama State University. He Earned A Mathematics Degree In 1950. A Year Later, He Got His Master's In Sociology From Atlanta University (Later Known As Atlanta Clark University).

He Became An Ordained Minister In 1948 And Eventually Became The Pastor Of The First Baptist Church In Montgomery, AL.

In 1955, When Rosa Parks Was Arrested, After Refusing To Move To The Back Of The City Bus, Ralph Abernathy And Friend, Martin Luther King, Jr., Organinzed The 381-Day Montgomery Bus Boycott. After More Than A Year The United States Supreme Court Ruled That Segregation On Buses Was Illegal.

In 1957, Martin Luther King, Jr. And Bayard Rustin Founded The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) King Was President And Abernathy Served As Secretary-Treasuerer. After Dr. King's Death, He Became President Of The SCLC.

Ralph Abernathy Continued The Work Started By Dr. King. In May 1968, He Along With Jesse Jackson, Directed The Poor People's Campaign March On Washington, DC. That Same Year He Helped Organize The Atlanta Sanitation Workers' Strike. He Also Organized The Charleston Hospital Workers' Strike In 1969.

Abernathy Resigned From The SCLC In 1977 And Ran Unsuccessfully For The Georgia Congressional Seat.

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Apr 16
2008

BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In Our History

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Maya Angelou

She's A Writer, Movie Director, Actress, Danceer, Playwright And Poet. However, Maya Angela Is Probably Best-Known For Her Five Autobiographies. The First And Most Famous Of These Is I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Published This Day In 1970.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Is A Classic Of 20th Century Feminist Literature. It Was Also The First Book Written By An African American To Appear On The National Bestseller Lists.

Maya Angelou Has Had A Very Interesting Life. At The Age Of 15, She Became The First Black Streetcar Conductor In San Francisco. She Appeared In The Opera, Porgy And Bess In 1954, And Taught At The University Of Ghana From 1963 To 1967.

She Was Nominated For An Emmy, For Her Role As Kunta Kente's Grandmother In The Television Milestone, Roots. And In 1975, Ladies Home Journal Named Her "Woman Of The Year" In Communications.

In January 1993 She Was Invited To President Bill Clinton's Inauguration, Where She Read A Poem She Wrote Especially For That Event. The Poem Was Titled "On The Pulse Of Morning."

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into it." -- Hubert Gaddy,
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Apr 15
2008

BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In Our History

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Diahann Carroll

On April 15, 1962, Diahann Carroll Starred In Richard Rodgers' No Strings --- Becoming The First African American In The Romantic Lead Of A White Broadway Musical.

Carroll Became The First Black To Be The Lead In A Television Program, When Julia Aired In September, 1968. In 1976 She Had Her Own Variety Series, The Diahann Carroll Show.

During Her Career Diahann Carroll Appeared In Several Television Shows And Movies. Porgy And Bess, Paris Blue And Claudine (For Which She Was Oscar-Nominated) Are Among These. During The 1980's She Took The Role Of Dominique Deveraux On The Popular Nighttime Soap, Dynasty. She Called Herself Television's "First Black Bitch."

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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Apr 14
2008

BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In Our History

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Hitsville, USA


Motown

Music Executive, Barry Gordy, Incorporated The Motown Records Corporation On April 14, 1960, In Detroit, Michigan.

Originally Called Hitsville, USA, Gordy, Started The Company With An $800 Loan From His Family. A Former Boxer, Record Store Owner And Factory Worker, He Chose The Company's Second (And Most Famous) Name, Motown, From Black Slang Used To Identify Detroit's Importance As A Center Of Automobile Manufacturing.

"Shop Around" By The Miracles, Went Gold Shortly After Motown Was Founded. And With The Combined Efforts Of The Group's Lead Singer, Smokey Robinson, And Barry Gordy, Motown Records Became One Of The Most Successful Business Ventures In American History.

Calling Itself "The Sound Of Young America," Motown Helped Launch The Careers Of Some Of Music's Biggest MagaStars, Including: Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson And Lionel Richie. Groups Such As The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha & The Vandellas, The Marvelettes And The Jackson 5 Also Achieved Superstardom.

Motown Moved Its Operation To Los Angeles In 1969. Many Claimed This Ripped The Heart Out Of Detroit.

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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