This Week In Black History (December 14 – December 20)
December 14, 1945 – Candid writer and music and cultural critic, Stanley Crouch was born in Los Angeles, California. A columnist, novelist and biographer, is known best for his jazz criticism and his 2004 novel “Don’t the Moon Look Lonesome?” He is the author of three collections of essays, Notes of a Hanging Judge (1990), The All-American Skin Game, or, The Decoy of Race: The Long and Short of It, 1990-1994 (1995), and Always in Pursuit: Fresh American Perspectives, 1995-1997 (1998) and one novel, Don’t the Moon Look Lonesome: A Novel in Blues and Swing (2000). (Courtesy Photo)
December 15, 1833 – A doctor and professor, William Augustus Hinton was born in Chicago, IL. He was the first African American to publish an academic textbook. Hinton was from Chicago. After graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1912, he taught bacteriology and immunology there from 1921 to 1946. In 1936, he wrote and published “Syphilis and Its Treatment.” He became the first Black clinical professor in 1949. Hinton was known worldwide for his development of a flocculation method for the detection of syphilis called the “Hinton Test.” (Courtesy Photo)
December 16, 2000 – Colin Powell was nominated for Secretary of State by President George W. Bush in 2000. The following January he was appointed the 65th Secretary of State in January 20, 2001. The first African American, Powell served for four years until January 26, 2005. (Courtesy Photo)
December 17, 2000 – Condoleezza Rice was the first Black woman to be appointed National Security Adviser by George W. Bush, as well as the first to serve as the 66th U.S. Secretary of State from January of 2005 to 2009. (Courtesy Photo)
December 18, 1917 – Ossie Davis born in Cogdell, Georgia. A writer, actor, director, and social activist. Along with theatre and film, Davis was an active advocate during he civil rights movement. He starred on Broadway, television and in films, “The Cardinal Davis” (1963). Davis directed and wrote the films “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970). He starred in “Do the Right Thing” (1989) and “Malcolm X” (1992). A recipient of numerous honors, Davis and fellow actor and wife, Ruby Dee were jointly awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1995 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2004.
December 19,1933 – Award winning film, television, stage and actress, Cicely Tyson was born in New York City. A model turned actress, Tyson solidified herself as a bonafide actress with credits including: “Sounder,” (1972) “Roots,” (1977) “The Help,” (2011) “The Trip Bountiful,” (2014) and on Broadway in 2013. The legendary actress is an Emmy and Tony Award winner. (Courtesy Photo)
December 20, 1959 – NBA player Trent Tucker was born in Tarboro, North Carolina. Tucker played with the Knicks before joining the San Antonio Spurs in 1991. After one season with the Spurs, he continued his career, joining the Chicago Bulls, who won the 1993 NBA Championship. He retired after that season, having tallied 6,237 career points and 1,532 career assists. (Photo Courtesy NBAE/Getty Images)
