Today In Black History
Facts You Should Know!
Issue #424 Black History Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Welcome to this Today in Black History post. Black History IS American History, no matter how hard some people try to erase our history and contributions.
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Today’s Black WOW!
Yesterday, the tribute service for First Lady Rosalyn Carter was held at the Glen Memorial Church at Emory University in Atlanta. Her husband of over 77 years, 99-year-old former President Jimmy Carter made the over 100-mile trip from their home in Plains, Georgia, to attend the service, accompanied by his caregivers since he has been under hospice care since last February.
All four living First Ladies, including Melania Trump, attended. Some of the speakers at the service reminded people that Mrs. Carter, although born, raised, and living in rural Georgia all of her life, along with President Carter, fought for civil rights, women’s rights, mental health awareness, and the work and consideration of caregivers.
Because the Carters were staunch Democrats in the 1960s and employed and paid fairly Black people at their farms and businesses, they and their family suffered personally and professionally.
Mrs. Carter, as First Lady, was also heavily criticized for elevating the Office of First Lady and paying her female staff at the same level as the men. She advised former First Lady Michelle Obama to make the Office of First Lady her own.
When asked near the beginning of President Joe Biden’s administration what she and Jimmy thought, Rosalyn stated that they were happy that positivity was back in the White House. Melania Trump had no visible reaction.
Today's Black History:
- In 1780, the first Black slaves and free Black men were welcomed into the Revolutionary Army from all thirteen colonies.
- In 1781, the crew of the Zong slave ship murdered about 142 captured Africans by dumping them into the ocean to claim insurance.
- In 1803, St. Domingue (now known as Haiti) was declared independent.
- In 1923, Black inventor Garrett Morgan received a patent for the street corner traffic light.
- In 1955, Alice Childress became the first African-American woman to receive an Obie Award for her play, “Trouble in Mind.”
- In 1944, Vivien Thomas, a Black medical lab technician who was unable to attend medical school because of segregation, supervised life-saving surgery for babies with Congenital Cyanotic Heart Disease (also known as “blue babies”) and later invented a type of respirator, used to save thousands of lives.
- In 1961, a white mob attacked Freedom Riders at a bus station in Mississippi.
Let’s discuss these facts in our community on Substack Notes.
Thank you!