* Today in Black History - May 16 * 1792 - Denmark abolishes the importation of slaves. This law will take effect in 1803 to forbid trading in slaves by Danish subjects and to end the importation of slaves into Danish dominions. 1857 - Juan Morel Campos is born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He will become a musician and composer who will be one of the first to integrate Afro-Caribbean styles and folk rhythms into the classical European musical model. He will be considered the father of the "danza." He will join the ancestors on May 12, 1896. 1917 - Harry T. Burleigh, composer, pianist, and singer, is awarded the NAACP's Spingarn Medal for excellence in the field of creative music. 1929 - John Conyers, Jr. is born in Detroit, Michigan. He will be elected to the House of Representatives from Michigan's 1st District in 1964, where he will advocate home rule and Congressional representation for the District of Columbia. He will be the principal sponsor of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1983 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday bill, as well as a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus. He will join the ancestors on October 27, 2019. 1930 - Lillie Mae Jones is born in Flint, Michigan. She will become an uncompromising jazz singer using the stage name, Betty Carter, who will earn the nickname "Betty Bebop" for her bop improvisational style. She will tour with Lionel Hampton and Miles Davis during her career. In 1997, she will receive the National Medal of Arts award from President Bill Clinton. She will join the ancestors on September 26, 1998 after succumbing to pancreatic cancer. 1966 - Stokely Carmichael (later named Kwame Ture) is elected chairman of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a group formed during the Freedom Marches and dedicated to voter registration in the South. 1966 - Janet Damita Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana. Sister of the famous Jacksons of the Jackson 5 singing group, she will have her own successful career, first in acting ("Good Times," "Diff'rent Strokes," and "Fame"), then as a solo recording artist. Her albums "Control" and "Rhythm Nation 1814" will earn her five American Music Awards and a Grammy award. 1966 - The National Welfare Rights Organization is organized. 1977 - Modibo Keita joins the ancestors in Bamako, Mali. He was the first president of Mali, serving from 1960 to 1968. 1979 - Asa Philip Randolph, labor leader and civil rights pioneer, joins the ancestors in New York City at the age of 90. 1985 - Michael Jordan is named Rookie of the Year in the National Basketball Association. Jordan, of the Chicago Bulls, was the number three draft choice. At the time, he was third in the league scoring a 28.2 average and fourth in steals with 2.39 per game. 1990 - Sammy Davis Jr., actor, dancer, singer and world class entertainer, joins the ancestors in Beverly Hills, California at the age of 64 from throat cancer. Davis, born in Harlem, was a member of the Hollywood "Rat Pack." He also had starring roles in a host of Broadway musicals and motion pictures and had been an entertainer for over sixty years. 1997 - In Zaire, President Mobutu Sese Seko ends 32 years of autocratic rule, ceding control of the country to rebel forces. ______________________________________________________________ Munirah Chronicle is edited by Mr. Rene' A. Perry "The TRUTH shall make you free" E-mail: <[log in to unmask]> Archives: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/Munirah.html http://blackagenda.com/cybercolonies/index.htm _____________________________________________________________ To SUBSCRIBE send E-mail to: <[log in to unmask]> In the E-mail body place: Subscribe Munirah Your FULL Name ______________________________________________________________ Munirah(TM) is a trademark of Information Man. Copyright 1997 - 2016, All Rights Reserved by the Information Man in association with The Black Agenda.