Black History Fact of the Week

Black History Fact of the Week: Three-Fifths Compromise
OW Staff Writer
Jul 7 2011

Taxation purposes

On July 12, 1787, the United States Congress passed the Three-fifths Compromise, which mandated that each enslaved African would be counted as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes.

Before the compromise was passed, southerners wanted Congress to count enslaved Africans in order to have more representation, but did not want them to be counted for taxation. And it was just the opposite desire for the northerners.

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Black History Fact of the Week: Muhammad Ali
OW Staff Writer
Jun 23 2011

Boxer put his career on the line

On June 25, 1967, heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title as heavyweight champion.

The action was a result of his defiant stand against what he thought was an unjust war. He refused induction into the Army after being drafted, stating that he was a practicing Muslim minister and that his religious beliefs prevented him fighting in the Vietnam War. During the controversy, Ali argued that he had no quarrel with the Viet Cong.

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Black History Fact of the Week: James Weldon Johnson
Jun 16 2011

Educator, attorney, lyricist and writer

On June 17, 1871, James Weldon Johnson, writer of the lyrics for “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” (then called the Negro National Anthem), was born in Jacksonville, Fla., to James and Helen Johnson.

Coming from a well-educated and cultured family, Johnson was first taught by his schoolteacher mother. She  instilled in him a sense of appreciation for English literature and the European tradition in music.

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Black History Fact of the Week: Betty Shabazz
OW Staff Writer
May 26 2011

Wife of Malcolm X

On May 28, 1936, Betty Shabazz, the then-future wife of Black liberationist leader, Malcolm X, was born. Named Betty Jean Sanders by her mother, Ollie Mae Sanders, she was the illegitimate daughter of Shelman Sandlin. According to records, her mother abused her, so authorities gave to another family.

She grew up in Detroit and was raised by foster parents, Helen Lowe and Lorenzo Don Malloy. Her parents shielded her from racism and White supremacy in her younger years, and fervently taught Black self-reliance.

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Black History Fact of the Week: Judith Jamison
OW Staff Writer
May 5 2011

She possessed a dancer's presence

On May 10, 1943, ballerina and choreographer Judith Jamison was born in Philadelphia, Pa., the younger of two children. Tall and lanky, she was enrolled in dance classes at 6 years old, where she began to exhibit grace and a dancer’s presence on stage. She also studied piano and violin, as well as classical ballet.

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Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.

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This Week in LA

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