February is Black History Month:

[Good Doctor HST]

Medgar Evers (1925-1963)

Civil Rights Activist:



Medgar Evers was one of the first martyrs of the civil-rights movement. He was born in 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi to James and Jessie Evers. After a short stint in the army, he enrolled in Alcorn A&M College, graduating in 1952. His first job out of college was traveling around rural Mississippi selling insurance. He soon grew enraged at the despicable conditions of poor black families in his state, and joined the NAACP. In 1954, he was appointed Mississippi's first field secretary.

Evers was outspoken, and his demands were radical for his rigidly segregated state. He fought for the enforcement of the 1954 court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka which outlawed school segregation; he fought for the right to vote, and he advocated boycotting merchants who discriminated. He worked unceasingly despite the threats of violence that his speeches engendered. He gave much of himself to this struggle, and in 1963, he gave his life. On June 13, 1963, he drove home from a meeting, stepped out of his car, and was shot in the back.

Immediately after Evers's death, the shotgun that was used to kill him was found in bushes nearby, with the owner's fingerprints still fresh. Byron de la Beckwith, a vocal member of a local white-supremacist group, was arrested. Despite the evidence against him, which included an earlier statement that he wanted to kill Evers, two trials with all-white juries ended in deadlock decisions, and Beckwith walked free. Twenty years later, in 1989, information surfaced that suggested the jury in both trials had been tampered with. The assistant District Attorney, with the help of Evers's widow, began putting together a new case. On February 5, 1994, a multiracial jury re-tried Beckwith and found him guilty of the crime. The loss of Evers changed the tenor of the civil-rights struggle. Anger replaced fear in the south, as hundreds of demonstrators marched in protect. His death prompted President John Kennedy to ask Congress for a comprehensive civil-rights bill, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the following year. Evers's death, as his life had, contributed much to the struggle for equality.

[Good Doctor HST]

Since I missed yesterday, I figured I'd profile two of the greatest influences in music.

Ray Charles
(Born 23rd September 1930
in Albany, Georgia)



A man who manages to straddle whatever musical labels you may wish to apply, Ray Charles has succeeded in whatever musical genre he chose to use. One of the few who genuinely deserve the 'genius' tag, he has provided a wealth of great material over a period of 30 - 35 years.
Blinded by glaucoma, he nevertheless learned to read and write music and was proficient on several musical instruments by the time he left school.

He first recorded in 1949, joined the Atlantic label in 1952, hitting early with 'It Should Have Been Me'(which, incidentally, he didn't want to record), 'Mess Around' and 'Losing Hand'. 'I Got A Woman' was however the embodiment of Charles' development whilst at Atlantic and, of course, 'What'd I Say', proved to be a staple of the encore circuit for R&B and rock'n'roll bands almost from the time it was released. Other hits for Atlantic included 'Halleluja I Love You So' and the superb ballads 'Drown In My Own Tears' and 'I Believe To My Soul'. Most of these can be found on "The Best Of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years " on Rhino 8122-71722-2, and although there are one or two surprising omissions it is still a fine introduction. For those who want more, there is also a Box Set which covers the whole of Charles' Atlantic career.

In 1959, he left to join ABC (but not before he reemphasised his jazz roots with a session including Ellington and Basie sidemen called "Genius Of Ray Charles" which included standards and lesser known blues and jazz gems); he continued in fine form with hits such as 'Georgia On My Mind' and 'Hit The Road Jack'. In 1962 he changed direction again recording "Modern Sounds In Country And Western", which included the million selling 'I Can't Stop Loving You'. Many commentators have said Charles lost his fire at this point - but what does that mean exactly? In my view, this is just the usual carping crticism from people who like to pigeon hole performers and lack the vision exhibited by the artist himself. All of the best RCA sides can be heard on the mid price CD "Ray Charles - The Collection".
He did eventually have musical lows (it's a long career to sustain for God's sake) but even then there were occasional gems such as "Crying Time". He did at times veer towards middle of the road but this should not in itself detract from the initial brave move to country music and the success he made of the venture.

His influence is probably inestimable, he was one of the first to marry gospel and R&B, performed blues, jazz, soul, country, and R&B and stamped his own authority on everything he played - he can rightfully be called the 'Father Of Soul'.





RUN DMC - "KINGS OF ROCK"

Run (Joseph Simmons) b. 11/15/64
DMC (Darryl McDaniels) b. 5/31/64
Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) b. 1/21/65 d. 10/30/02



"You're a five dollar boy and I'm a million dollar man
You're a sucker emcee and you're my fan
You try to bite rhymes, all lines are mine, you're a sucker emcee in a pair of Calvin Kleins
Coming from the wackest part of town, trying to rap but you can't get down
You don't even know your English, your verbs or noun
You're just a sucker emcee, you sad faced clown..."

And with that verse and that 12" single- "It's Like That b/w Sucker M.C.'s"- the era of the old school rapper came to a close.

Of course Run DMC are usually considered old school by today's terms, but in 1983 when that single was released it was as far from the sound of rap at that time. Run DMC had sparse beats and sharp lyrics. They didn't need a band backing them in the studio or on stage. They had the one man band- Jam Master Jay backing them all the way.

In 1978, Kurtis Blow was one of rap's first superstars and he needed a DJ. Russell Simmons was managing Kurtis at the time and he knew his teenage brother, Joseph, would be a perfect fit for the job. "Kurtis Blow's Disco Son- DJ Run" as he was known was born. He got his name because he could cut between two turntables so quickly.

After touring with Kurtis for a while, Run began to make a name for himself as an emcee. He traded rhymes with Kurt and taped his performances. After getting a good night's sleep he would call up his buddy Darryl McDaniels and play the tape.

D was not into the night life like Run. He played a lot of basketball and football growing up. Along with his brother he collected loads of comic books. D liked to draw all the time as well. One day, D heard a tape of Grandmaster Flash and decided he wanted to be like him. He bought 2 turntables, a mixer, and break beat records of the time. D taught Run to spin records and Run told D to start rapping.

D's mom wouldn't let him near any real rap shows, so when Run got some better deejay equipment it was Run's house for next few years. D began calling himself Easy D and busted out crazy rhymes that would never see the light of day- he would never rap in public.

Around 1980, they began going to the parties at Two-Fifth Park in Hollis to hear the deejays do their thing. It was there that they met up with a deejay named Jazzy Jase.

Jason Mizell had developed a reputation in the area. He wore the flyest b-boy clothes and did what he could to stand out. He hung out with the tough crowd, but was smart enough to also be down with the nerds. Everybody liked Jazzy Jase, as he was known.

After getting into some trouble with the law, Jay began to focus on music. He played drums and bass but gave them up for the new instrument of the time- the wheels of steel. Eventually he developed quite a following in the park, including Run and DMC. Emcees would do whatever they could to get up and rap in front of Jazzy Jase.

Flash ahead now. Run is 17 and has been working with Kurtis Blow and, through Russell, he finally got a chance to record a song. It was called "Street Kid" but the attitude was not right and it went no where. Run was determined to make a song with his main man D. D and Russell didn't see eye to eye. D didn't like Kurtis Blow. But both Kurtis and Russell knew that D knew the music and knew what was going to hit big. Russell didn't like D's rhymes though. He thought they were too hard at the time.

Finally it did come time to record. Run knew what he wanted. Straight b-boy type beats with nothing but a drum track and a scratch. That's what he got. 1983's "It's Like That b/w Sucker MC's" broke every rule in the book and, although it would continue a few more years, put a symbolic end to old school rap.

I could go on with their career, but I suspect you know the rest by heart. They released "RUN DMC" in 1984 (a near perfect hip hop album, by the way) and followed that up with "King of Rock" in 1985. They starred in Krush Groove in 1985. But it was their collaboration with Aerosmith on "Walk This Way" from 1986's "Raising Hell" that made their legacy complete.

They appeared in the documentary film The Show, performing "My Adidas" and "Together Forever."

At the beginning of the 1990's Jam Master Jay set up JMJ Records with Davy DMX. They released a few albums most notably, Smooth Ice and The Afro's. Jay also worked with Onyx.

They recorded several more albums, but none achieved the same success. Regardless, Run DMC will forever be the ones who broke down the doors to main stream popularity of the music.

Their label, Profile, is now part of Arista Records and thus much of their material may be difficult to get. I'm sure Arista will be reissuing the old stuff soon. The guys are currently working on a new album that promises to be a return to the style that made them superstars. It will include guest spots from several of today's top stars. The album is set for release in 1999.

They are featured in ads for The Gap and D.O.C. Eyecare.

They are working with Will "Fresh Prince" Smith's production company to shoot a film based on their lives.

Their latest effort titled Crown Royal was finally released in April of 2001 where it entered the BillBoard chart at #37. Jam Master Jay was killed during an altercation in October 2002.

[Gold9472]

Thanks for that cool image of Ray... I'm going to post it in his thread.

[Good Doctor HST]

Today's dedication is for the founder of "Black History Month":

Carter G. Woodson
(1875 - 1950)


Carter Godwin Woodson was born on December 19, 1875 at New Canton, Va. He was an American historian who first opened the long-neglected field of black studies to scholars and also popularized the field in the schools and colleges of blacks. To focus attention on black contributions to civilization, he founded Negro History Week in 1926. This celebration and remembrance would later evolve into Black History Month. Carter was born of a poor family. He supported himself by working in the coal mines of Kentucky and was thus unable to enroll in high school until he was 20. After graduating in less than two years, he taught high school, wrote articles, studied at home and abroad, and received his Ph.D. from Harvard University (1912). In 1915 he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History to encourage scholars to engage in the intensive study of the past as it related to Africans and their descendants through the world. Prior to this work, the field had been largely neglected or distorted in the hands of historians who accepted the traditionally biased picture of blacks in American and world affairs. In 1916 Woodson edited the first issue of the association's principal scholarly publication, The Journal of Negro History, which, under his direction, remained an important historical periodical for more than 30 years.

Woodson was dean of the College of Liberal Arts and head of the graduate faculty at Howard University, Washington, D.C. (1919-20), and dean at West Virginia State College, Institute, W.Va. (1920-22). While there, he founded and became president of Associated Publishers to bring out books on black life and culture, since experience had shown him that the usual publishing outlets were rarely interested in scholarly works on blacks.

Important works by Woodson include the widely consulted college text The Negro in Our History (1922; 10th ed., 1962); The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 (1915); and A Century of Negro Migration (1918). He was at work on a projected six-volume Encyclopedia Africana at the time of his death. Woodson died on April 3, 1950, in Washington, D.C.

Many people ask why Black History Month is in February. It is not some conspiracy to designate the shortest month to our remembrance as some would think. It is also not in honor of Fredrick Douglas who was born in February. Woodson chose February because even though the 13th Amendment to the constitution was signed in January which abolished slavery, slaves did not start to hear of the news until February. So that is why Woodson chose February. (He could have chosen June when slaves in the Mid Western states got the word but that is a debate for another time.

[Good Doctor HST]

Ever heard of this person? Just watched "Pearl Harbor" yesterday; it got me into pilots.

Bessie Coleman (1892-1926)

Aviatrix



Known to an admiring public as "Queen Bess," Bessie Coleman was the first black woman ever to fly an airplane and the first African American to earn an international pilot's license. During her brief yet distinguished career as a performance flier, she appeared at air shows and exhibitions across the United States, earning wide recognition for her aerial skill, her dramatic flair, and her tenacity. But the thrill of stunt flying and the admiration of cheering crowds were only part of Coleman's dream. Forced for a time to work as a laundress and manicurist to make ends meet, Coleman never lost sight of her childhood vow to one day "amount to something."

As a professional aviatrix, Coleman would often be criticized by the press for her opportunistic nature and the flamboyant style she brought to her exhibition flying. However, she also quickly gained a reputation as a skilled and daring pilot who would stop at nothing to complete a difficult stunt. Unfortunately, Coleman would not live long enough to fulfill her greatest dream—establishing a school for young, black aviators—but her pioneering achievements served as an inspiration for a generation of African American men and women. "Because of Bessie Coleman," wrote Lieutenant William J. Powell in Black Wings, "we have overcome that which was worse than racial barriers. We have overcome the barriers within ourselves and dared to dream."

Earned International Pilot's License


After receiving a string of rejections from American aviation schools, Coleman applied to accredited flying schools in France, where racism would be less of a barrier. Before long she had completed a course in basic French at a downtown language school and secured a better job as manager of a chili parlor. The money she saved from her work—together with gifts from a number of wealthy sponsors, including Robert Abbott, an editor of a Chicago newspaper—was enough to pay for her passage to Europe, as well as her flying lessons. She sailed for France in November of 1920, and upon her arrival enrolled in a seven-month training course at the Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudron at Le Crotoy.

Coleman's triumphant return to America was front-page news for most of the country's black newspapers and even a number of industry journals, which, according to Rich, hailed her as "a full-fledged aviatrix, the first of her race."

Appeared in First American Air Show


Coleman made her first appearance in an American air show on September 3, 1922, at an event honoring veterans of the all-black 369th American Expeditionary Force of World War I. Held at Curtiss Field near New York City and sponsored by her friend Abbott and the Chicago Defender newspaper, the show billed Coleman as "the world's greatest woman flyer" and featured aerial displays by eight other American ace pilots. Six weeks later she returned to Chicago to deliver a stunning demonstration of daredevil maneuvers—including figure eights, loops, and near-ground dips—to a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Checkerboard Airdrome (now Midway Airport). Following the show, she and David L. Behncke, founder and president of the International Airline Pilots Association and cosponsor of the event, took eager spectators for joy rides in a pair of two-seater planes.

Worked to Inspire Black Aviators

Although Coleman continued to perform in aerial exhibitions in Texas and throughout the United States, she became increasingly aware of the potential power lecture platforms held as a means of inspiring other young, black Americans to pursue careers in aviation. She spent the last year of her life speaking at schools, theaters, and churches around the country, accompanying each lecture with evocative film clips of her aerial displays.

The day before the Jacksonville event, Coleman, who was billed as the show's star attraction, and her mechanic, William D. Wills, took the old airplane out for a practice run. Wills was in the front cockpit, piloting the plane, while Coleman sat in the rear, her seatbelt unfastened so she could peer over the cockpit to study the contours of the field below. The highlight of her performance the next day was to be a spectacular parachute jump from a speeding plane at 2,500 feet.

The plane had only been in the air for about ten minutes and was cruising smoothly at 80 miles per hour when it suddenly accelerated, went into a tail-spin, and flipped upside down. Coleman was hurled out of the plane and plunged more than 500 feet to her death. Wills tried but failed to regain control of the aircraft, and died instantly when it hit the ground. Although the wreckage of the plane was badly burned, it was later discovered that a wrench used to service the engine had slid into the gearbox and jammed it, causing the plane to spin out of control. Experts noted at the time that gears in more modern planes had a protective coating—an accident like this need not have happened.

Honored by Chicago Pilots

Several years after her death, black aviators inspired by her pioneering achievements formed a network of Bessie Coleman Aero Clubs. A new organization known as the Bessie Coleman Aviators Club, open to women pilots of all races, was founded in 1977—some 50 years after her death—by a group of black women pilots from the Chicago area. Every April, on the anniversary of Coleman's death, the Bessie Coleman Aviators, together with pilots from the Chicago American Pilots Association and the Negro Airmen International, fly low over Lincoln Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Blue Island to drop flowers on her grave. As an additional tribute to the life and courage of the world's first black woman pilot, in 1990, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley renamed Old Mannheim Road at O'Hare Airport "Bessie Coleman Drive." In 1992 he proclaimed May 2nd "Bessie Coleman Day in Chicago." Shortly thereafter, Coleman received national recognition when the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating her extraordinary life and accomplishments.

[Good Doctor HST]

Today, let us remember and pay homage to a great baseball player and great person, who hit 755 home runs in an illustrious career without the aid of steroids, a mistress, or hitter-friendly parks and juiced baseballs.



"Alphabetically and arithmetically, what could be finer than having "Aaron, Hank" as the first name listed in The Baseball Encyclopedia? The book's leadoff man is better recognized as the cleanup hitter who holds the Cadillac of baseball records: His 755 home runs are the most by a major leaguer.




-Hank Aaron saw his name bypass Babe Ruth's on this April 8, 1974 swing of the bat.

Aaron also hammered his way into the record book for knocking in the most runs (2,297), total bases (6,856) and extra-base hits (1,477). He ranks second in at-bats (12,364), tied for second with Babe Ruth in runs (2,174), and third in hits (3,771) and games played (3,298). He is the only player to hit at least 30 homers in 15 seasons and at least 20 homers in 20 seasons. He hit at least 40 homers eight times, with a career-best of 47. He is the first player to reach 3,000 hits and 500 homers. He led the National League in homers and RBI four times each and played in 24 All-Star Games.

A lifetime .305 hitter, Aaron did most his damage for the Braves, first in Milwaukee (1954-65), then in Atlanta (1966-74), before finishing his 23-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1975-76).

"The thing I like about baseball is that it's one-on-one," Aaron said. "You stand up there alone, and if you make a mistake, it's your mistake. If you hit a home run, it's your home run."

Aaron's crowning moment was, of course, a home run. It came when he surpassed what had seemed like an unbreakable record only a decade earlier. That was the night in 1974 he walloped No. 715 and trotted around the bases past the Babe and into history.

While Aaron had the numbers, he didn't have much fan appeal. He was considered hard working, humble and shy, just as Joe DiMaggio was. But while those qualities made DiMaggio a hero, they made Aaron an enigma. Aaron was often overlooked as one of the game's greats until he took off on his chase of the Bambino. Racism had something to do with it, as well as his playing in the Atlanta and Milwaukee markets.

He hit his first home run on April 23, 1954 off of the Cardinals' Vic Raschi. In 122 games, he batted .280 (he wouldn't hit that low again until 1966) with 13 homers (he wouldn't go below 20 for the next 20 years) before suffering a broken ankle on Sept. 5.

In 1955, Aaron moved to right field, where he remained for most of his career (and won three Gold Gloves). He batted .314 with 27 homers and 106 RBI. This was just the start. The next season, he won his first of two National League batting titles with a .328 average. (In 1959, he won the crown with a career-best .355.)

Two changes were made in 1957. Aaron went from second in the batting order to fourth, behind Eddie Mathews instead of in front of him, and he switched from a 36-ounce bat to a 34-ounce model. Aaron responded by leading the league with 44 homers (one of four times he would hit his uniform number) and a career-high 132 RBI while batting .322.

While the 6 foot Aaron would fill out -- he would reach 190 pounds -- he never was a heavy man. The key to his hitting seemed to be his supple, powerful wrists that allowed him to crack his bat like a buggy whip.

The chase to beat the Babe heated up in the summer of 1973. So did the mail. Aaron needed a secretary to sort it as he received more than an estimated 3,000 letters a day, more than any American outside of politics. Unfortunately, racists did much of the writing. A sampling:

"Dear Nigger Henry,
You are (not) going to break this record established by the great Babe Ruth if I can help it. ... Whites are far more superior than jungle bunnies. . My gun is watching your every black move."

"Dear Henry Aaron,
How about some sickle cell anemia, Hank?"

The letters came from every state, but most were postmarked in northern cities. They were filled with hate. More hate than Aaron had ever imagined. "This," Aaron said later about the letters, "changed me."

The summer of '73 ended with Hammering Hank at 713 homers after hitting a remarkable 40 in just 392 at-bats. He was 39.

In his first at-bat in 1974, Aaron homered off Cincinnati's Jack Billingham, tying Ruth. His eyes got teary as he rounded third base. That night he called his mother. "I'm going to save the next one for you, Mom," he said.

On April 8, 1974, the largest crowd in Braves history (53,775) came out to witness history. Aaron didn't disappoint. In the fourth inning, he ripped an Al Downing pitch into the Braves bullpen, where it was caught by reliever Tom House. As Aaron rounded second base, two college students appeared and ran alongside him before security stepped in. The new home run king was mobbed at home by his teammates.

A quarter of a century later, Aaron still has the record -- and the hate mail. "I read the letters," he said, "because they remind me not to be surprised or hurt. They remind me what people are really like." After retiring as a player, Aaron became one of the first blacks in Major League Baseball upper-level management as Atlanta's vice president of player development. Since Dec. 1989, he has served as senior vice president and assistant to the president, but he is more active for Turner Broadcasting as a corporate vice president of community relations and a member of TBS' board of directors. He also is vice president of business development for The Airport Network."

[Good Doctor HST]

Benjamin Banneker

Mathematician, Astronomer, Surveyor
Born: 11/9/1731
Birthplace: Ellicott's Mills, Md.


Benjamin Banneker has been called the first African American intellectual. Self-taught, after studying the inner workings of a friend's watch, he made one of wood that accurately kept time for more than 40 years. Banneker taught himself astronomy well enough to correctly predict a solar eclipse in 1789. From 1791 to 1802 he published the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Almanac and Ephemeris, which contained tide tables, future eclipses, and medicinal formulas. It is believed to be the first scientific book published by an African American. Also a surveyor and mathematician, Banneker was appointed by President George Washington to the District of Columbia Commission, which was responsible for the survey work that established the city's original boundaries. When the chairman of the committee, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, suddenly resigned and left, taking the plans with him, Banneker reproduced the plans from memory, saving valuable time. A staunch opponent of slavery, Banneker sent a copy of his first almanac to then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson to counter Jefferson's belief in the intellectual inferiority of blacks.

[Good Doctor HST]

Douglass, Frederick,

Frederick Douglass By courtesy of the Holt-Messer Collection, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Mass. original name FREDERICK AUGUSTUS WASHINGTON BAILEY (b. Feb. 7, 1817, Tuckahoe, Md., U.S.--d. Feb. 20, 1895, Washington, D.C.), black American who was one of the most eminent human-rights leaders of the 19th century. His oratorical and literary brilliance thrust him into the forefront of the U.S. Abolition movement (see abolitionism), and he became the first black citizen to hold high rank in the U.S. government.



Separated as an infant from his slave mother (he never knew his white father), Frederick lived with his grandmother on a Maryland plantation until, at the age of eight, his owner sent him to Baltimore to live as a house servant with the family of Hugh Auld, whose wife defied state law by teaching the boy to read. But Auld declared that learning would make him unfit for slavery, and Frederick was forced to continue his education surreptitiously with the aid of schoolboys in the street. Upon the death of his master, he was returned to the plantation as a field hand at 16. Later, he was hired out in Baltimore as a ship caulker. He tried to escape with three others in 1833, but the plot was discovered before they could get away. Five years later, however, he fled to New York City and then to New Bedford, Mass., where he worked as a labourer for three years, eluding slave hunters by changing his name to Douglass.

At a Nantucket, Mass., antislavery convention in 1841, Douglass was invited to describe his feelings and experiences under slavery. These extemporaneous remarks were so poignant and naturally eloquent that he was unexpectedly catapulted into a new career as agent for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. From then on, despite heckling and mockery, insult, and violent personal attack, Douglass never flagged in his devotion to the Abolitionist cause.

To counter skeptics who doubted that such an articulate spokesman could ever have been a slave, Douglass felt impelled to write his autobiography in 1845, revised and completed in 1882 as Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. Douglass' account became a classic in American literature as well as a primary source about slavery from the bondsman's viewpoint. To avoid recapture by his former owner, whose name and location he had given in the narrative, Douglass left on a two-year speaking tour of Great Britain and Ireland. Abroad, Douglass helped to win many new friends for the Abolition Movement and to cement the bonds of humanitarian reform between the continents.

Douglass returned with funds to purchase his freedom and also to start his own antislavery newspaper, the North Star (later Frederick Douglass's Paper), which he published from 1847 to 1860 at Rochester, N.Y. The Abolition leader William Lloyd Garrison disagreed with the need for a separate, black-oriented press, and the two men broke over this issue as well as over Douglass' support of political action to supplement moral suasion. Thus, after 1851 Douglass allied himself with the faction of the movement led by James G. Birney. He did not countenance violence, however, and specifically counselled against the raid on Harpers Ferry, Va. (October 1859).

During the Civil War (1861-65) he became a consultant to Pres. Abraham Lincoln, advocating that former slaves be armed for the North and that the war be made a direct confrontation against slavery. Throughout Reconstruction (1865-77), he fought for full civil rights for freedmen and vigorously supported the women's rights movement.

After Reconstruction, Douglass served as assistant secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission (1871), and in the District of Columbia he was marshal (1877-81) and recorder of deeds (1881-86); finally, he was appointed U.S. minister and consul general to Haiti (1889-91).

[danceyogamom]

I am loving this thread. You are posting some great information!

[Good Doctor HST]

Thanks DYM. I thought this thread would be a good addition to the YBBS. Odds are most of us didn't learn a whole lot about African-American history, so everyone can spend some time if they desire and learn some stuff. I know I have been by keeping the thread going.

Today's focus is going to be Mae Jamison, the first African-American woman in space:

"Medical doctor, engineer, astronaut - Mae Jemison's skills and expertise reflect a determined individual whose contributions to the nation and the world make a difference.

Jemison, determined from childhood to explore space, became the first African-American woman in space when she traveled on the Endeavor on September 12, 1992. Earlier, Jemison spent several years as a Peace Corps physician in West Africa and opened a private practice in Los Angeles. After her space flight, Jemison took leave from NASA to lecture and teach at Dartmouth College, focusing on space-age technology and developing nations. She says that space "is the birthright of everyone who is on this planet. We need to get every group of people in the world involved because it is something that eventually we in the world community are going to have to share."

Jemison heads her own firm in Houston, and travels throughout the world. Jemison encourages women and minorities to enter scientific fields: "I want to make sure we use all our talent, not just 25 percent." In 1999 Jemison accepted appointment as the President's Council of Cornell Women Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University."