September 10
1961- Jomo Kenyatta returned to Kenya from exile to lead his country. He was the first President of Kenya from the day of independence in 1963 until his death in 1978.
September 11
1943- Dancer Lola Falana was born in Camden, New Jersey. Falana started her career as a dancer at a nightclub where Sammy Davis Jr. discovered her. He later featured her in the Broadway musical “Golden Boy”.
September 12
1992- Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman in space when she launched from the Kennedy Center to join Spacelab J, a joint U.S.-Japanese mission.
September 13
1981- Isabel Sanford won an Emmy for best comedic actress for “The Jeffersons.”
September 14
1921- U.S. Cabinet member and civil rights lawyer Constance Baker Motely was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She became the first African-American woman to ever argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
September 15
1978- Muhammad Ali became the first African American prizefight to gross more than five million dollars at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ali won the 13-round fight and became the first to win the heavyweight title three times.
September 16
1990- Keenan Ivory Wayans’ “In Living Color” won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
