This Week In Black History (January 4 – January 10)
January 4, 1935 – African American boxer Floyd Patterson was born in Waco, North Carolina this year. At the 1952 Olympics, Patterson won the middleweight gold medal and became the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1956. Four years later, he became the first heavyweight to reclaim his title after being defeated. Patterson was honored as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission in 1995. (Courtesy Photo)
January 5, 1931 – Legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey was born in Rogers, Texas. An activist, Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York in 1958. He influenced modern dance internationally. Ailey is famous for “Revelations,” an acclaimed spiritual dance that the company continues to honor today. Ailey was honored by the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988. (Courtesy Photo)
January 6, 1879 – Born to slaves, African American educator and poet Effie Waller Smith was born in Pike County, Kentucky. In 1904, Smith published her first volume of poetry, “Songs of the Month” followed with “Rhymes From the Cumberland” and “Rosemary and Pansies in 1909. Smith wrote for Harper’s Weekly and published “Autumn Winds” in Harper’s Monthly (1917). (Courtesy Photo)
January 7, 1891- Novelist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston was born in Alabama. Hurston was a part of the Harlem Renaissance and wrote the literary masterpiece “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” (Courtesy Photo)
January 8, 1937 – International phenom Shirley Bassey was born in Cardiff, Wales. A renowned singer, Bassey recorded numerous hits, and was famous for three “James Bond” classic theme songs, such as “Goldfinger,” “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Moonraker.” (Courtesy Photo)
January 9, 1935 – Entrepreneur and publisher Earl G. Graves Sr. was born on this year in Brooklyn, New York, he created Black Enterprise magazine. (Courtesy Photo)
January 10, 1957 – Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired civil rights activists to form a civil rights organization. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected as president of the organization. (Courtesy Photo)
