Eddie Griffin Live in Los Angeles | Black Cultural Events

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Eartha Kitt was a singer and actress who recorded the hit holiday song “Santa Baby”. She was born on January 17, 1927 in South Carolina to an African American mother and a white father. She was raised by Anna Mae Riley, as her biological mother had abandoned her. It wasn’t until later

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Source: Black History Resources

Jan

17

1927

Race, Gender, Jazz & Local 493: Black Women Musicians in Seattle: 1920-1955

During its brief and rocky tenure from 1918 to 1924, pianist Gertrude Harvey Wright was one of four women in Seattle’s first black musicians’ union, the American Federation of Musicians’ Local 458. Wright, Virginia Hughes, a “Mrs. Austin,” and (Edythe) “Turnham,” all

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Source: Black Past

Black Women Inventor

Dr. Patricia E. Bath of Los Angeles, a renowned ophthalmologist and Black woman, patented (1988) an apparatus that efficiently removes cataracts by using laser technology.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

May

17

1988

Coleman, Bessie (1892–1926)

In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first black woman to gain an international permit to fly. After learning French, she attended the famous flight school Ecole d’Aviation des Frères Caudron in Northern France. No schools in America would train a black person. She was inspired to fly by the stories

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Source: Black Past

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett is a well known African American actress and director. She was born in New York in August 1958 to Betty Jane and Daniel Benjamin Bassett. Her ancestors adopted the name of Bassett after William Henry Bassett, who was a slave who adopted the name of his former master. Shortly after

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Source: Black History Resources

Battle, Kathleen (1948- )

American soprano Kathleen Battle was born on August 13, 1948 in Portsmouth, Ohio. Battle’s father was a steelworker and her mother was an active participant in the gospel choir at the family’s local African Methodist Episcopal Church. Battle attended Portsmouth High School and upon graduation was

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Source: Black Past

Aug

13

1948

Sammy Davis, Jr.

Davis lost his left eye in a 1954 car crash while driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles… Davis converted to Judaism in the mid-1950s… He sang the theme song to Robert Blake‘s 1970s TV show Baretta… He was played by Don Cheadle in the 1998 TV movie The Rat Pack.

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Top 10 Most Famous Black Actors of All Time

Hollywood is a giant industry which provides work to hundreds of actors. At the advent of this industry only white actors ruled the silver screen and the blacks were given only minor roles. As the time progressed, blacks were given the voice in the society and eventually allowed white collar

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Source: Black History Resources

Death of Ferdinand

Death of Ferdinand (Jelly Roll) Morton (56), pioneer jazz pianist, in Los Angeles.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jul

10

1941

Frank Holoman born

Frank Holomon, elected to the California Assembly from the Los Angeles area in 1972, born in 1934.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jan

10

1934

Mason, Bridget "Biddy" (1818 - 1891)

Bridget “Biddy” Mason, born a slave in Mississippi in 1818, achieved financial success that enabled her to support her extended family for generations despite the fact that she was illiterate. In a landmark case she sued her master for their freedom, saved her earnings, invested in real

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Source: Black Past

Jan

19

1856

A Day of Elections

Edward W. Brooke elected attorney general of Massachusetts. Gerald Lamb elected treasurer of Connecticut. Otis M. Smith elected to a full term on the Michigan Supreme Court. Five Blacks, including one newcomer, were elected to the House of Representatives. The newcomer, Augustus F. Hawkins, was

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Nov

6

1962

Metcalfe, Ralph Harold (1910-1978)

Ralph Metcalfe, was an outstanding U.S. sprinter, track coach, and politican born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Chicago, Illinois. During Metcalfe’s years as a student at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1932 through 1934, he was arguably the world’s fastest human. His strong

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Source: Black Past

Redd Foxx

John Elroy Sanford, commonly known as Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, most active in the 1950s and 1960s. Born on December 9, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri, Foxx has had a major impact on the current trajectories in stand-up comedy. Known most notably for his unconventionally explicit

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Source: Black History Resources

Mae Jemison: Astronaut, Physician

Born: October 17, 1956

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Oct

17

1956

James, Sylvester (1947-1988)

Sylvester James, American singer and songwriter, was born in the Watts section of Los Angeles, California to Sylvester James and Letha Weaver on September 6, 1947. He grew up with his mother and stepfather Robert Hurd, as well as five siblings: John James, Larry James, Bernadette

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Source: Black Past

Wilt Chamberlain

Born: 8/2/936 Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDied: 0/2/999 Los Angeles, CaliforniaWilt Chamberlain was an American basketball player. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA); he played for the

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Six-day insurrection started in L.A.

Six-day insurrection started in Watts section of Los Angeles. National Guard was mobilized on August 13, Rebellion toll: 34 killed, 1,032 injured, 3,952 arrested, $35 million in property damage.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Aug

11

1965

Muhammad, Khalid Abdul (1948-2001)

Khalid Abdul Muhammad was an African-American activist, a one-time member of the Nation of Islam and national chairman of the New Black Panther Party. Muhammad was born Harold Moore Jr. on January 12, 1948, to Harold Moore Sr and Lottie B. Moore in Houston, Texas. Moore’s Aunt, Carrie Moore

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Source: Black Past

Thandie Newton

Thandie Newton was born in London to Nick Newton, a white British lab technician who later turned into an artist and Nyasha a healthcare worker from the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. Thandie Newton developed a keen interest in performing arts at a very young age. She possessed an exceptional talent for

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Source: Black History Resources

Mikal E. Belicove

Home › About Us - Staff Biographies

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Source: Black Past

The Black Settlers

Los Angeles, California, founded by forty-four settlers of whom at least twenty-six were descendants of Africans. Among the Black settlers, according to H.H. Bancrofts authoritative History of California, were Joseph Moreno, Mulatto, 22 years old, wife a Mulattress, five children; Manuel

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Sep

4

1781

What Comes Naturally: The Loving v. Virginia Case in Historical Perspective

When Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter decided to get married in June 1958, laws banning interracial marriage had been in effect for nearly three centuries. The colonies of Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts had banned intermarriage in 1664, 1691, and 1705. After the American Revolution, states

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Source: Black Past

Jun

12

1967

Morris, Morris W. / Lewis Morrison (1845-1906)

Lewis Morrison was one of the most prominent stage actors of his time. He was best known worldwide for his portrayal of “Mephistopheles” in Faust. He was also the first black Jewish officer to serve during the Civil

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Source: Black Past

Sep

4

1845

Marvin Gaye dies

Marvin Gaye dies in his parents Los Angeles home. Marvin attacked his father for verbally abusing his mother. His father responded by shooting his son to death. Since his death, the power and reach of Marvin’s music has increased.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Apr

1

1984

Loren Miller: Legal Crusader in the Long Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twentieth Century

In the essay below, journalist and historian Amina Hassan describes her 2015 biography of Loren Miller, a significant but understudied figure in the long twentieth century campaign for civil rights and racial

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Source: Black Past

Dec

5

1945

Baseball player Darryl Strawberry born

New York Mets controversial star outfielder Darryl Strawberry was born in Los Angeles.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Mar

12

1962

Rev

Rev. Thomas Kilgore, a Los Angeles pastor, was elected president of the predominantly white American Baptist Convention.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

May

17

1969

Mel Franklin dies

Bass Singer Melvin Franklin of The Temptations died of complications following a brain seizure in Los Angeles. He was 53.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Feb

23

1995

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