Thursday, August 24, 2006

Carl Brashear Legacy Inspires Military Black History Web Site

A retired U.S. Navy Officer, with a passion for African American military history and equal opportunity, has launched an interesting and provocative web site.

Black military world has features plus news of general interest for African American veterans, active duty members, and Department of Defense civilians.

Black History People from the armed services are profiled and highlighted.

Site founder retired Navy Commander Gregory Black says “this project is long overdue."

Black retired as a Navy diving officer in 2002, and has since worked to promote African American history and to publicize the significant roles of African Americans in the defense of America.

The site is dedicated to late master diver Carl Brashear, whose life story was told in the popular 2002 movie Men of Honor.

Black says “stories like that of master diver Brashear, the Buffalo Soldiers, the Tuskegee Airmen, and the 555th Paratrooper Battalion (Triple Nickles), are only the tip of the iceberg."

There are approximately a half million African Americans currently employed by the United States Department of Defense (the largest employer of African Americans in the United States).

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 08/24 at 08:32 PM
History • Web Site • (1) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Charles Sifford Links Black History to a Tee

Golf Digest has profiled an amazing trailblazer, Charles Sifford, the first African American man to play on the Professional Golfers Association Tour (PGA).

Forty years ago, for his own security, police escorted Sifford when he walked the fairways at professional tournaments.

When he played in the 1961 Greater Greensboro Open, he was introduced on the tee as “Charlie Sifford ... the first black man to ever play golf in the South in a white tournament.” The nickname “Charlie” stuck, however Sifford counters, “My name is Charles Sifford."

Despite dealing with death threats, discrimination, and verbal abuse from fans and peers, he won two PGA Tour events as well as the 1975 Senior PGA Championship.

In 2005 at age 82, Sifford was honored as the first African American man inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Among black history people, and golfers of every ethnicity, Charles Sifford made a name for himself through his talent and determination.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 08/17 at 07:00 PM
Civil Rights • Sports • (0) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Jesse Owens Historic Sprint for Gold

Seventy years ago on August 9, 1936, Jesse Owens made history in Berlin, Germany.

A member of the U.S. Olympic team, Owens became the first American to win four gold medals.

The outstanding track and field star excelled in the:

  • 100 meter dash
  • 200 meter sprint
  • 400 meter race
  • Broad jump
  • Relay team

From Oakville, Arkansas, Owens grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.  He was a stand-out on Ohio State’s track team.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 08/08 at 08:29 PM
History • Sports • (0) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, August 03, 2006

August Beckons Black History People

August is a very busy month for noteworthy accomplishments of black history people.  Just sample this five-decade timeline...

  • 1936 - Jesse Owens wins four gold medals in the Olympics
  • 1943 - W.L. Dawson becomes the Vice Presidential candidate of the African American Democratic Party
  • 1950 - Boxer Ezzard Charles defeats Freddy Beshone
  • 1963 - Martin Luther King Jr. leads the March on Washington, DC
  • 1977 - Lou Brock sets baseball’s stolen base record

These aren’t the only significant years.  August is literally a hot month through four hundred years of important black history:

  • From 1619 and the arrival of Africans to Jamestown, Virginia…
  • Through the 18th Century, and the founding of the AME Zion Church in 1796…
  • To Nat Turner’s 19th Century Rebellion in 1831…

When the heat is on, pioneers in black history have maintained their cool, and have risen to the occasion.

Let’s not neglect the other eleven months however, as more accomplishments have taken place every day of the year than we could ever imagine.

To discover more quick history, use QuikHistory365, one of my favorite tools.  It will help you close the knowledge gap about past events featuring black history people.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 08/03 at 08:11 PM
History • (0) Comments • Permalink