Black Facts for August 20th

First National Negro Convention
In Philadelphia Richard Allen chairs the first National Negro Convention, 1830
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Aug
20
1830
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes was an African-American Singer-Songwriter, producer and actor. Hayes is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Hayes is also a three time Grammy Award
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Source: Black History Resources
Aug
20
1942
Watkins, Perry (1948-1996)
Perry James Henry Watkins was the only openly gay person discharged from the U.S. Army with full honors after serving almost two decades.  He had to fight for this distinction, suing the Army after being forced out because of his sexual orientation.  The case went all the way to the Supreme
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Boston Professional Chapter
Aug
20
1948
Jamestown, Virginia.
On August 20, 1619, twenty Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, aboard a Dutch ship. They are the first blacks to be forcibly settled as involuntary laborers in the North American British Colonies.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Aug
20
1619
The first National Black Theater Festival closes in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The first National Black Theater Festival closes in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Illinois Math and Science Academy
Aug
20
1989
Musician Isaac Hayes born
Composer, songwriter, musician and singer Isaac Hayes was born in Covington, Tennessee.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) Boston Professional Chapter
Aug
20
1942
Gray, William Herbert, III (1941–2013)
William Herbert Gray III was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 20, 1941. His mother, Hazel Yates Gray, was a high school teacher. His father, William Herbert Gray Jr. was a Baptist Minister and over his career, the president of two Florida colleges. Upon taking a job as pastor of Bright
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Source: Black Past
Aug
20
1941
Wilberforce University Established
In Ohio, Wilberforce University established, 1856
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Boston Professional Chapter
Aug
20
1856
Anna Lucasta, starring Hilda Simms and Frederick
Anna Lucasta, starring Hilda Simms and Frederick ONeal, opened on Broadway.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) Boston Professional Chapter
Aug
20
1944
Spingarn Medal: Charles R. Drew
Spingarn Medal presented to Charles R. Drew who set up and ran the blood plasma bank in the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City which served as one of the models for the widespread system of blood banks now in operation for the American Red Cross.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Aug
20
1944
Wooten, Howard A. (1920-1948)
Tuskegee Airman Howard Adolphus Wooten was born on April 20, 1920 in Lovelady, Texas to parents Johnnie C. Morris Wooten and Howard L. Wooten.  His father was the principal of the “colored school” in Lovelady, a town 100 miles north of Houston, and his mother also was a teacher
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Museum of African American History in Massachusetts
Aug
20
1948
SS Frederick Douglass lost at sea
The SS Frederick Douglass, the first ship named in honor of a black man, was lost in European waters.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts
Aug
20
1944
President Johnson signed Economic Opportunity Act
President Johnson signed Economic Opportunity Act.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Aug
20
1964
Don King
Donald King is a boxing promoter, known for setting up some of the most notorious fights in boxing history. He was born on  August 20, 1931 in Cleveland, Ohio. He had considered a career in law at first and attended Western Reserve University where he became a bookkeeper at a betting ring. In
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Source: Black History Resources
Aug
20
1931
First President of the National Negro Bowling Asso
The National Negro Bowling Association was organized in Detroit, Michigan and Wynston Brown became its first president.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Aug
20
1939
William Herbert Gray, III (Bill Gray) was born on this day.
William Herbert Gray, III (Bill Gray) was born on this day.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Aug
20
1941
First Black Slaves in USA
The Dutch brought the first Black slaves to the colony of Jamestown, 1619
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Aug
20
1619
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