Today In Black History: Shani Davis
The first African American to win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games
Issue #713 Today In Black History, Monday, August 26, 2024
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Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images
Shani Davis was born to Reginald Shuck and Cherie Davis on August 13, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois. His father selected the name "Shani" from an African name dictionary; the name translates "to adventure." His mother, Cherie, worked for a local lawyer who happened to be a speed skating official, and at whose suggestion, Cherie enrolled Shani at the Robert Crown Center in nearby Evanston when he was six years old.
From a young age, he exhibited an extraordinary talent for speed and precision on ice. His journey to greatness, however, was anything but smooth. Battling against racial barriers and limited resources, Davis's determination and fierce competitive spirit propelled him into the spotlight.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Davis became the first African American athlete to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Olympic Winter Games, winning the speedskating 1000-meter event and a silver medal in the 1500-meter event. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he repeated the feat, becoming the first man to successfully defend the 1000 meters and repeating as the 1500-meter silver medalist.
Davis's achievement was a personal victory and a significant milestone for African Americans in winter sports, a domain historically dominated by athletes from colder, predominantly white countries.
Davis also earned the title Grand World Cup Champion for the 2013–14 season, earning the most points across all distances. His 58 career individual victories on the ISU Speed Skating World Cup circuit (through March 2014) place him second all-time among men.
Davis has set a total of nine world records.
He announced his retirement from skating in November 2019.
Frozone, an African-American superhero with ice powers from the animated movie The Incredibles, was allegedly inspired by Shani Davis.
Today In Black History
In 1874, sixteen Blacks were kidnapped from the Gibson County Jail and lynched in Trenton, Tennessee.
In 1943, William L. Dawson was elected as the first Black Democratic Party Vice Presidential candidate.
In 1947, Dan Bankhead became the first Negro League pitcher in Major League Baseball.
In 1968, Rev, Channing E. Phillips of Washington, D.C. became the first Black nominated for president by a major party at the Democratic Convention.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed a welfare reform law, representing a major shift in welfare policy.
In 2018, Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as President of Zimbabwe.
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