April in African American History

April 25, 1776 The Pennsylvania Magazine published a poem written by slave poet Phillis Wheatley in honor of Gen. George Washington. Wheatley was the first African American and the second woman to publish a volume of poetry in the U.S.

A round of applause for this woman, had it not been for her, black journalists like myself would not be where we are and where we’re going today!

The Hampton Roads Gazeti
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By Tiffani Addison

April in African American History

April 24, 1944 The United Negro College Fund was incorporated. Dr. Frederick Patterson, president of Tuskegee Institute, founded the UNCF to help raise funds for America's historically black colleges and universities, which were facing severe financial crises at the time.

The Hampton Roads Gazeti
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By Tiffani Addison

April in African American History

April 21, 1932 African American cowboy Bill Pickett died at 72 after being kicked while roping at bronco. Pickett invented and was the master of the rodeo event called “Bulldogging.” Called the “Dusky Demon,” Pickett was one of the most talented and loved cowboys of the 101 Ranch Wild West Show that toured throughout America and Europe.

The Hampton Roads Gazeti
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By Tiffani Addison

April in African American History

April 20, 1982 Opera star Leontyne Price performed a concert at the Daughters of the American Revolution convention at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. in honor of Marian Anderson, who had been barred from performing at the same venue in 1939 by the DAR because of racist practices.

The Hampton Roads Gazeti
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By Tiffani Addison

April in African American History

April 16, 1862 President Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia, a step toward full emancipaiton and enfranchisement for African Americans. This illustration from Harper’s Weekly depicts the fourth anniversary of the District’s Emancipation Act.

The Hampton Roads Gazeti
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By Tiffani Addison

April in African American History

April 8, 1974 At 9:07 p.m. on this day in 1974,in Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta Braves baseball player Hank Aaron sent a fastball served up by Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers over the left field fence, hitting his 715th home run and breaking Babe Ruth's record. The ball game stopped while 53,775 fans showered "The Hammer" with a 15-minute ovation!

Hat's off to Hank Aaron!!

The Hampton Roads Gazeti
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By Tiffani Addison

April in African American History

April 11, 1899 The “Soybean Chemist” was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama. Percy Lavon Julian, who received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Vienna, used soya beans for several of his important discoveries.

Hampton Roads Gazeti
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By Tiffani Addison