President Truman Sends Congress Anti-Lynching Message
1862 – President Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia.
1914 – Sculptor William Ellisworth Artis was born in Washington, North Carolina.
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1915 – Biologist Ernest E. Just Receives Spingarn Medal for his pioneering work in cell division and fertilization. He was awarded the honor by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was considered one of the most important zoologists of his time. (For more information on Ernest Just, see his profile on greatblackheroes.com).
[wp_ad_camp_2]1827 – Abolitionist and inventor John P. Parker was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Parker aided more than 100 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad for nearly fifteen years. He later patented a screw for tobacco presses and was one of the few Black to obtain a patent before 1900. (For more information about John Parker, see his profile at greatblackheroes.com).
1938 – International opera star Simon Estes was born in Centerville, Iowa. Over the course of his career, Estes performed in front of numerous dignitaries, including Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Boris Yeltsin, Yasser Arafat, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
1948 – President Truman sent Congress a special message urging adoption of a civil rights program, the first message by a sitting president to address the question of black civil rights
