This Week in Black History (June 16)

Legends

Amen Oyiboke, Contributing WriterJune 15, 2016

This Week in Black History (June 16)

June 16, 1970- Kenneth A. Gibson was elected as the mayor of Newark, N.J., and became the first African American mayor of a major Eastern U.S. city. (Courtesy nj.com)

June 17, 1948- Actress and humanitarian Phylicia Rashad was born in Houston, Texas. Rashad is best known for her performance as Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”. (CHRIS PIZZELLO/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

June 18, 1966- Dr. Samuel Nabrit became the first African American to serve on the Atomic Energy Commission. (Courtesy photo aaregistry.org)

June 19, 1856- African Americans in Texas are notified of Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863. The day is marked as “Juneteenth” to acknowledge their freedom. (Photo AP: Rodolfo Gonzalez)

June 21, 1945- Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes first African American to command a U.S. Army Air Corps base. (Courtesy photo)

June 22, 1965- Arthur Ashe led University of California Los Angeles to win a NCAA tennis championship. (AP file photo)

Amen Oyiboke author ashe benjamin o. davis harry belafonte Juneteenth kenneth a gibson phylicia rashad Samuel Nabrit This Week in Black History