Today In Black History On January 13th

0 Posted by - January 13, 2016 - January, LATEST POSTS, Today In Black History
  1. Donald Argee “Don” Barksdale became the first Black player (January 13, 1953) to play in an NBA All-Star Game. Also, he was the first Black player to be named an NCAA All-American and the first to play on the United States men’s Olympic team. It’s no surprise that Barksdale he ended up in the Hall of Fame, even after playing his first professional basketball game as a 28-year-old rookie. His playing career in the NBA came to an end due to excessive ankle injuries, but he remains one of the more decorated players in the early days of the NBA.
  2. Robert Weaver became the first Black appointed to a presidential cabinet (January 13, 1966) thanks to President Lyndon B. Johnson. His new appointment was important since he was to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD has been an important part of the housing community for all races for years, and Weaver’s involvement was no surprise since Weaver he had previously served under John F. Kennedy. To add to his great career, he was only 1 of 45 African Americans in the Black Cabinet, a group of public policy advisers during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.
  3. Governor Evan Mecham rescinds MLK Day (January 13, 1987) which was his first act after getting elected to office. The decision did not start nor end well for the Governor as the state was boycotted by several people. By 1989, 44 states had already adopted the holiday, even with Arizona holding out. Even the NFL reacted, moving the 1993 Super Bowl site away from Phoenix, AZ in protest. The citizens spoke up in 1992 and voted to enact the day, although it was better late than never. On the other side of things, it was South Carolina that became the last state to recognize MLK day fully, by making it American paid holiday for state employees.
  4. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded (January 13, 1913) by 22 students at Howard University. These women wanted to promote academic excellence and offer help to those in need. In March 1913, the sorority’s founders performed their first public act of service by participating in the Women’s Suffrage March in Washington, D.C. In 1930, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was officially incorporated.

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