Today In Black History On January 19th

1 Posted by - January 19, 2016 - January, Today In Black History
  1. First African Baptist Church was formally established (January 19, 1788) on this day in Savannah. Founded by George Liele, it is one of the oldest African American Churches in North America, and a very important piece of Black history. Although it wasn’t formally established until 1788, its roots can be found 10 years earlier in 1778. Throughout history, many prominent pastors and people of importance within the African American community have established ties to the church. Much of the church’s history has been immortalized in a companion museum, in dedication to the many years that it has been a powerhouse.
  2. The Professional Golfer’s Association of America (PGA) lifted its non-white-players only ban (January 19, 1961) after years of fighting it. The Caucasians-only rule was obliterated thanks to several stars in high places like Joe Louis, Ted Rhodes, and Bill Spiller. This was a long time coming considering the times, as sports like baseball and basketball had already begun to redefine themselves during this period. Golf continued to be an elitist sport until named Tiger Woods came and changed the face of it forever. No matter what people think of Tiger Woods, he essentially saved a sport that was lagging far behind other major athletic powerhouses, such as the NFL, MLB, and the NBA.
  3. UCLA names a building after Ralph Bunche (January 19, 1969), one of their key alumni. He was a rare type of man that dabbled in both politics and science, managing to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. That made him the first African American to win the prize. The building that UCLA named after him was, appropriately enough, the social science building, a perfect fit for Ralph Bunche. In an interesting fact, Bunche had ties to the earlier versions of the CIA during World War II.

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