Tag: blackman

Black in the Day…In the Heart of the KKK

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November 4, 1997: On this day Chuck E. Burris became the first Black mayor of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The town of Stone Mountain, Ga., holds the distinction of being the birthplace of the 20th Century revival of the Ku Klux Klan. The Dekalb County town and suburb of Atlanta also made history of another sort, when it elected its first African-American mayor on this day in 1997. The Ku Klux Klan proclaimed its 20th century rebirth on the granite mountain that gives the town its name. For decades white-hooded Klansmen flocked…

Black in the Day…An All American

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October 31, 1893: On this date William H. Lewis became the first Black person to be named a collegiate All-American. He also had a life of many firsts. William Henry Lewis (November 28, 1868 – January 1, 1949) was a Black pioneer in athletics, law and politics. Born in Virginia to freedmen, he graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he also became one of the first Black college football players. After going to Harvard Law School and continuing to play football, Lewis was the first African American in the sport to be selected as an All-American. In 1903…

The Racist and Rachet History and Present of the WWE

tyrus78

Admittedly, I haven’t been a fan of “wrasslin” since what was known as the “Attitude Era” when the Monday night wars were taking place. This was probably 20 plus years ago and, as a kid, I loved it. The action, the physicality, the pageantry of it all fed my love and addiction of wrasslin non-stop and made it a part of my then everyday life. Then something changed or, more so, I changed. As I grew from a boy to a man, I really started to take notice of my…

Black in the Day…An Afro American Symphony

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October 28, 1931: On this day, William Grant Still’s work became the first of its kind by a Black person to be performed by a major symphony orchestra. William Grant Still (May 11, 1895 – December 3, 1978) was an American composer of more than 150 works, including five symphonies and eight operas. Often referred to as “the Dean” of African-American composers, Still was the first American composer to have an opera produced by the New York City Opera.[1] Still is known most for his first symphony, the “Afro-American”, which was until the 1950s the most widely performed symphony composed…

Black in the Day…On the Brain

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October 22, 1953: On this day Dr. Clarence Greene became the first Black person to be certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Largely because of the advances of the Civil Rights movement in the mid-20th century, an increasing number of African-Americans have had the opportunity to become physicians and enter the distinguished field of neurosurgery. Many have made the most of this opportunity, becoming prominent in both academics and private practice. Unfortunately, the details regarding the first African-American neurosurgeon, Clarence Sumner Greene, Sr., have remained in relative obscurity.…