Month: July 2021

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion event was the Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) was a part of the planning of the Black Power Conference chaired by Dr.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion event was the Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) was a part of the planning of the Black Power Conference chaired by Dr. Nathan Wright, scheduled to take place in Newark in the summer of 1967 before the Rebellion hit.The Black Power Conference Committee was composed of nationally recognized black leaders of all stripes, and Nathan Wright was selected to coordinate this 3-day event at an Episcopal Church property in downtown Newark. After the rebellion, the local power brokers said, “call it off!” but the planners said, “No way!” And so the conference convened, fresh on the heels of the dying embers of the fires that consumed Newark for five days.Today in our History – July 20, 1967 – The first Black Power Conference held in Newark, NJ in 1967. Before the 1967 Newark conference even began, the community had seen several violent riots over the course of a few days in early July. These riots started after the police brutality of John Smith, a taxi driver, was released to the public. Mr. Smith had been pulled over for traffic violations, and he was found later that day in jail battered by his arresting officers.The predominantly black community who had faced oppression by the police for countless years decided to rebel and fight for change. This riot ended up taking place over 5 days with 26 deaths, 750 injuries, and 1000 people jailed (Wang). The total cost of damage was estimated to be about 10 million dollars. Martin Luther King Jr. himself commented on how Newark had “a short fuse and a long train of abuse” (Asante).This riot started a stir that had some members of the Newark planning committee worried to continue with the conferences plans, but ultimately the conference was still held. This riot signified the increasing impatience of the black community with white oppression. This conference was needed more than ever in Newark, New Jersey to bring peace to the city.The Newark Conference was a three-day gathering in Newark, New Jersey in the summer of 1967 that focused on the oppression of African Americans and the possible solutions to obtain a better quality of life. This was the first Black Power conference ever held, and it comprised of organizations such as the NAACP, The Urban League, Afro-American Unity, Harlem Mau and Maus along with big names such as Jessie Jackson, Ron Karenga, Floyd McKissick, Rap Brown, and Charles 27X Kenyatta. (The Black Power Conference).This event ultimately turned out to be one of the largest gatherings for the Black Power leaders, which included not only American representatives, but also people from Bermuda and Nigeria. The conference included workshops and lectures for the group in order to hopefully create some sort of solution to the escalating issues that blacks every where faced. Many ideas were brought up focusing heavily on developing programs that would help better the black community and its youth.Materially, the only official consequence of this conference was the Black Power Manifesto that demanded the end of “neo-colonialist control” of black populations on the globe and they wanted to unite African Americans by promoting a “philosophy of Blackness” (Hicks). The document also demanded reparations for the black community because of the horrors they had to face during slavery.While this manifesto is the only official resolution that was passed at the conference, more than 80 others were proposed. Additionally, this conference still brought major leaders together and ignited the long journey that African Americans have faced in their goals to reach equality.The usable memory of the Newark conference has led to countless other Black Power conferences in the nation. These conferences have swept from San Fransisco to the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Particularly, the State of the Black World Conference IV held a conference in late 2016 in Newark, New Jersey; they held this conference in memory of Amiri Baraka.Amiri Baraka, or LeRoi Jones, was part of the planning committee under Dr. Nathan Wright for the 1967 Newark Black Power Conference. Baraka had participated in the Newark riots and was arrested under allege gun possession charges. He was brutally beaten by police, but was finally released from the jail and hospital to make it in time to the conference.He soon became a predominant figure after the conference writing several controversial poems and papers. (The Black Power Conference). Beyond the spectrum of just conferences, nothing had ever occurred similar to the largest Black Power gathering for leaders at that time. It helped to develop a systematic approach to combating inequality among all groups in the United States.The National Conference was the first Black Power gathering of its kind: it held workshops and presented papers for programs that would help empower black people. Following 1967, subsequent conferences were held in ‘68 and ‘69.The conferences supported the growth of these Black Power organizations and reflected the ideas that black youngsters arrived at when non-violent civil rights persuasion failed. The movement was a forerunner to many current approaches to political activism, engaging with ideas of structural and systemic inequality and identity politics. Looking at the history of the Black Power movement, it is easy to see its lasting effects in the current #BlackLivesMatter movement and the ongoing struggle for black empowerment.Even though this conference was held 54 years ago, the struggle African Americans face are still present today despite the advancements this country has made. One thing has changed, however, African Americans learned from these prior conferences and riots that they must take matters into their own hands to finally grasp their own destiny. Research more about this great American Champion event and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is President of State University of New York College at Old Westbury and Pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is President of State University of New York College at Old Westbury and Pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York.Today in our History – July 19, 1949 -Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, becomes the first black president of State University of New York College at Old Westbury.As President of The College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts works continuously to create an invigorating atmosphere dedicated to academic excellence and the development of leadership qualities in students. Through its broad multidisciplinary liberal arts programs, the College confers undergraduate degrees in more than 40 majors leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees and 15 graduate offerings.Since being named Old Westbury’s President in September 1999, Dr. Butts has reinvigorated among the most diverse public college campuses in America. He is determined to prepare Old Westbury students to succeed in the global marketplace while fostering in each leadership qualities that will prove valuable to both themselves and the communities in which they live.In working to enable Old Westbury to achieve its fullest potential, Dr. Butts has guided the campus to its largest enrollment in 15 years, added full-time faculty, and expanded the services it provides to support and aid students. Under his leadership, the College earned accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and created its first-ever graduate programs, which now include Master of Science degrees in Accounting and Taxation, and Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Adolescence Education in the following disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, English Language Studies, Mathematics, Social Studies and Spanish. Dr. Butts has also overseen the College’s investment of more than $4 million in cutting-edge technologies, the introduction of five new residence halls and a new Student Union, and the financing and development of a $72 million academic building scheduled to open on campus in 2012.A native of New York City, Dr. Butts earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He returned to New York and earned a Master of Divinity Degree in Church History from the Union Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Church and Public Policy from Drew University. He has taught Urban Affairs and served as an Adjunct Professor in the African Studies Department at City College, New York. He has also taught Black Church History at Fordham University. Sought after internationally for his comments on social, religious, educational and ethical issues, Dr. Butts has conducted speaking engagements before a vast array of colleges and universities, business and professional organizations, religious congregations, and governmental agencies throughout his career.Along with his Presidency at the College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts continues as pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York — among the most historic churches in the nation. Under his leadership, Abyssinian Baptist Church is committed to playing an active role in the ongoing development of its New York City home.Dr. Butts was also instrumental in establishing the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change – a public, state-of-the-art, intermediate and high school in Harlem, and he is the visionary behind the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School, which opened in September 2005.In addition to his professional and religious avocations, Dr. Butts serves as Chairman of the Board of Abyssinian Development Corporation, Youth On the Move, and Blue Nile Passage, Inc. He also serves as a member of the leadership boards of The Long Island Association, The Levin Institute, Sustainable Long Island, the Boy Scouts of America-Theodore Roosevelt Council, The Long Island Housing Partnership, the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tenn., New Visions for Public Schools, and the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education. In July 2011, he was named by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve on the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, which will redesign the relationship between the state government and businesses to stimulate regional economic development and create jobs.He is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, is chairman of the Board of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) and a founding member of the organization’s Board of Commissioners.He has served as President of Africare NYC, an independent organization dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in rural Africa. He has also served as a member of the board of the September 11th Fund. Dr. Butts has been presented with honorary degrees from Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the City University of New York/The City College of New York, New York City; Claflin College, Orangeburg, South Carolina; Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana; Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York; Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia; Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut; and Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama.For his efforts and community activism, Dr. Butts has received innumerable honors and commendations, including Man of the Year, Morehouse College Alumni Association; The Morehouse College Candle Award; The William M. Moss Distinguished Brotherhood Award; and The Louise Fisher Morris Humanitarian Award. He has also been inducted as an Archon of the Beta Zeta Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Prince Hall Masons and has received the 33rd and final degree in Masonry. Further, he has been recognized as a Living Treasure by the New York City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.In every effort, his leadership has had a pervasive impact on such wide-ranging community development initiatives as education, homelessness, senior citizen and youth empowerment, cultural awareness and ecumenical outreach. Research more about this great American Champion and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!

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GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion was an American character actor whose career spanned five decades, from the late 1940s until just before his death in 1993.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion was an American character actor whose career spanned five decades, from the late 1940s until just before his death in 1993. He started out making films in the 1940s and 1950s and expanded into television work in the following decades. Davis was known for his dignified portrayals which were often in contrast to prevailing stereotypical roles. He played the role of Dr. Caldwell in three episodes in the second and third seasons of the NBC-TV sitcom series Sanford and Son, and as Dr. Ozaba in the 1968 episode “The Empath” in the original Star Trek series. He was active off-screen as well, serving several terms on the western advisory board of Actors’ Equity Association. As one of the officers of Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch of the NAACP he helped present the first Image Awards in 1967. Today in our History – July 18, 1990 – Davis Roberts (born Robert A. Davis, March 7, 1917 – July 18, 1993) died.Throughout his career, Roberts, a native of Mobile, Alabama who was also raised in Chicago, IL, appeared in over 30 feature films, including: In a Lonely Place (1950); The Killers (1964) written by Star Trek executive producer Gene L. Coon and featuring Ronald Reagan in his last film role; The Chase (1966) with Steve Ihnat; Westworld (1973) , Demon Seed (1977), and John Schlesinger’s Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), which featured Teri Garr, Jerry Hardin and Jeffrey Combs.He also appeared in the ABC-TV mini-series Roots, (1977) as well as many television series, including I Dream of Jeannie, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Sanford and Son, and All in the Family. He also guest starred as Dr. Ozaba in the 1968 episode “The Empath” in the original Star Trek series.Davis was active off-screen as well, serving several terms on the western advisory board of Actors’ Equity Association. As one of the officers of Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch of the NAACP he help present the first Image Awards in 1967. Davis died in the home of his brother Charles on July 18, 1993 of emphysema at the age of 76.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is one of my all-time great human rights advocate.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is one of my all-time great human rights advocate. She had a tough and complicated life. There has been attempts to tell her story and they did well but fell short in giving the viewer her whole painful story.She was an American jazz and swing music singer with a career spanning 26 years. Nicknamed “Lady Day” by her friend and music partner Lester Young, she had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills.After a turbulent childhood, she began singing in nightclubs in Harlem, where she was heard by producer John Hammond, who commended her voice. She signed a recording contract with Brunswick in 1935. Collaborations with Teddy Wilson yielded the hit “What a Little Moonlight Can Do”, which became a jazz standard. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, she had mainstream success on labels such as Columbia and Decca. By the late 1940s, however, she was beset with legal troubles and drug abuse. After a short prison sentence, she performed at a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, but her reputation deteriorated because of her drug and alcohol problems.She was a successful concert performer throughout the 1950s with two further sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall. Because of personal struggles and an altered voice, her final recordings were met with mixed reaction but were mild commercial successes. Her final album, Lady in Satin, was released in 1958. She died of cirrhosis on July 17, 1959 at age 44. She won four Grammy Awards, all of them posthumously, for Best Historical Album. She was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1973. Lady Sings the Blues, a film about her life, starring Diana Ross, was released in 1972. She is the primary character in the play (later made into a film) Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill; the role was originated by Reenie Upchurch in 1986 and was played by Audra McDonald on Broadway and in the film. Again in 2021 a film The United States v Billie Holiday was released to mixed reviews. In 2017, she was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Today in our History – July 17, 1959 – Eleanora Fagan (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), known professionally as Billie Holiday dies.Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction. Billie Holiday is considered one of the best jazz vocalists of all time, Holiday had a thriving career as a jazz singer for many years before she lost her battle with substance abuse. Also known as Lady Day, her autobiography was made into the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues. In 2000, Holiday was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Some sources say her birthplace was Baltimore, Maryland, and her birth certificate reportedly reads “Elinore Harris.”) Holiday spent much of her childhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Her mother, Sadie, was only a teenager when she had her. Her father is widely believed to be Clarence Holiday, who eventually became a successful jazz musician, playing with the likes of Fletcher Henderson. Unfortunately for Holiday, her father was an infrequent visitor in her life growing up. Sadie married Philip Gough in 1920 and for a few years, Holiday had a somewhat stable home life. But that marriage ended a few years later, leaving Holiday and Sadie to struggle along on their own again. Sometimes Holiday was left in the care of other people.Holiday started skipping school, and she and her mother went to court over Holiday’s truancy. She was then sent to the House of Good Shepherd, a facility for troubled African American girls, in January 1925. Only 9 years old at the time, Holiday was one of the youngest girls there. She was returned to her mother’s care in August of that year. According to Donald Clarke’s biography, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon, she returned there in 1926 after she had been sexually assaulted.In her difficult early life, Holiday found solace in music, singing along to the records of Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. She followed her mother, who had moved to New York City in the late 1920s, and worked in a house of prostitution in Harlem for a time. Around 1930, Holiday began singing in local clubs and renamed herself “Billie” after the film star Billie Dove. At the age of 18, Holiday was discovered by producer John Hammond while she was performing in a Harlem jazz club. Hammond was instrumental in getting Holiday recording work with an up-and-coming clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman. With Goodman, she sang vocals for several tracks, including her first commercial release “Your Mother’s Son-In-Law” and the 1934 top 10 hit “Riffin’ the Scotch.”Known for her distinctive phrasing and expressive, sometimes melancholy voice, Holiday went on to record with jazz pianist Teddy Wilson and others in 1935. She made several singles, including “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Miss Brown to You.” That same year, Holiday appeared with Duke Ellington in the film Symphony in Black.Around this time, Holiday met and befriended saxophonist Lester Young, who was part of Count Basie’s orchestra on and off for years. He even lived with Holiday and her mother Sadie for a while. Young gave Holiday the nickname “Lady Day” in 1937 — the same year she joined Basie’s band. In return, she called him “Prez,” which was her way of saying that she thought it was the greatest.Holiday toured with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1937. The following year, she worked with Artie Shaw and his orchestra. Holiday broke new ground with Shaw, becoming one of the first female African American vocalists to work with a white orchestra. Promoters, however, objected to Holiday — for her race and for her unique vocal style — and she ended up leaving the orchestra out of frustration.Striking out on her own, Holiday performed at New York’s Café Society. She developed some of her trademark stage persona there — wearing gardenias in her hair and singing with her head tilted back.During this engagement, Holiday also debuted two of her most famous songs, “God Bless the Child” and “Strange Fruit.” Columbia, her record company at the time, was not interested in “Strange Fruit,” which was a powerful story about the lynching of African Americans in the South. Holiday recorded the song with the Commodore label instead. “Strange Fruit” is considered to be one of her signature ballads, and the controversy that surrounded it — some radio stations banned the record — helped make it a hit.Over the years, Holiday sang many songs of stormy relationships, including “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” and “My Man.” These songs reflected her personal romances, which were often destructive and abusive. Holiday married James Monroe in 1941. Already known to drink, Holiday picked up her new husband’s habit of smoking opium. The marriage didn’t last — they later divorced — but Holiday’s problems with substance abuse continued. In 1939, after singing her song “Strange Fruit,” Holiday received a warning from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a government agency which lasted from 1930 to 1968, to never sing the song again. Holiday refused and kept singing the song.FBN commissioner Harry Anslinger believed Holiday to be the symbol of everything that America had to be afraid of.“She had a heroin addiction because she’d been chronically raped as a child and she was trying to deal with the grief and the pain of that,” Johann Hari, who wrote the book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, told WNYC. “And also, she was resisting white supremacy. And when she insisted on continuing on her right as an American citizen to sing ‘Strange Fruit,’ Anslinger resolves to destroy her.”Anslinger was a widely known racist and made it his mission to take Holiday down for her drug and alcohol addiction and relentlessly pursued her all the way up until her death in 1959. That same year, Holiday had a hit with “God Bless the Child.” She later signed with Decca Records in 1944 and scored an R&B hit the next year with “Lover Man.” Her boyfriend at the time was trumpeter Joe Guy, and with him she started using heroin. After the death of her mother in October 1945, Holiday began drinking more heavily and escalated her drug use to ease her grief.Despite her personal problems, Holiday remained a major star in the jazz world—and even in popular music as well. She appeared with her idol Louis Armstrong in the 1947 film New Orleans, albeit playing the role of a maid. Unfortunately, Holiday’s drug use caused her a great professional setback that same year. She was arrested and convicted for narcotics possession in 1947. Sentenced to one year and a day of jail time, Holiday went to a federal rehabilitation facility in Alderson, West Virginia.Released the following year, Holiday faced new challenges. Because of her conviction, she was unable to get the necessary license to play in cabarets and clubs. Holiday, however, could still perform at concert halls and had a sold-out show at the Carnegie Hall not long after her release. With some help from John Levy, a New York club owner, Holiday was later to get to play in New York’s Club Ebony. Levy became her boyfriend and manager by the end of the 1940s, joining the ranks of the men who took advantage of Holiday. Also around this time, she was again arrested for narcotics, but she was acquitted of the charges.While her hard living was taking a toll on her voice, Holiday continued to tour and record in the 1950s. She began recording for Norman Granz, the owner of several small jazz labels, in 1952. Two years later, Holiday had a hugely successful tour of Europe.Holiday also caught the public’s attention by sharing her life story with the world in 1956. Her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues (1956), was written in collaboration by William Dufty. Some of the material in the book, however, must be taken with a grain of salt. Holiday was in rough shape when she worked with Dufty on the project, and she claimed to have never read the book after it was finished.Around this time, Holiday became involved with Louis McKay. The two were arrested for narcotics in 1956, and they married in Mexico the following year. Like many other men in her life, McKay used Holiday’s name and money to advance himself. Despite all of the trouble she had been experiencing with her voice, she managed to give an impressive performance on the television broadcast The Sound of Jazz with Ben Webster, Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins.After years of lackluster recordings and record sales, Holiday recorded Lady in Satin (1958) with the Ray Ellis Orchestra for Columbia. The album’s songs showcased her rougher sounding voice, which still could convey great emotional intensity. Holiday gave her final performance in New York City on May 25, 1959. Not long after this event, Holiday was admitted to the hospital for heart and liver problems. She was so addicted to heroin that she was even arrested for possession while in the hospital. On July 17, 1959, Holiday died from alcohol- and drug-related complications.More than 3,000 people turned out to say good-bye to Lady Day at her funeral held in St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church on July 21, 1959. A who’s who of the jazz world attended the solemn occasion, including Goodman, Gene Krupa, Tony Scott, Buddy Rogers and John Hammond.Considered one of the best jazz vocalists of all time, Holiday has been an influence on many other performers who have followed in her footsteps. Her autobiography was made into the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues with famed singer Diana Ross playing the part of Holiday, which helped renew interest in Holiday’s recordings. In 2000, Holiday was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Ross handling the honors.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). A Pro Bowl invitee in each of his ten NFL seasons and two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, he led the league in rushing yards four times and established himself as one of the most elusive runners in pro football with his quickness and agility.In 2007, he was ranked by NFL Network’s NFL Top 10 series as the most elusive runner in NFL history and was also voted the greatest short player of all time as well as being placed #1 on the list of the greatest players never to play in a Super Bowl. He is often regarded as one of the greatest running backs in the NFL history.Today in our History – Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) was born on this date.Sanders played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys football team, where, as a junior in 1988 he compiled what is considered one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history, rushing for 2,850 yards and 42 touchdowns in 12 games. He was awarded the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college player in the nation and was unanimously recognized as an All-American. Sanders was first inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He then was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and in that same year inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.Sanders joined the Lions in 1989 and had an immediate impact, winning the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award. Through ten seasons in Detroit, he averaged over 1,500 rushing yards per season and just under 100 rushing yards per game. In 1997, he became the third player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player (He was co-MVP with Green Bay Quarterback Brett Favre). Still seemingly in his prime, Sanders unexpectedly retired from football after the 1998 season, 1,457 yards short of breaking the then NFL’s all-time rushing record. His number 20 jersey was retired by the Lions, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. A year later Sanders was also inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame along with fellow pro and college football Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas.In 2019, Sanders was included in the National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team as one of the greatest all-time running backs alongside fellow Hall of Fame running backs such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Earl Campbell, Emmitt Smith, and many others.Barry Sanders, born on July 16, 1968, in Wichita, Kanas is a former American football running back. He was the son of William, who was a Roofer, and Shirley, a registered nurse. He was one of the eleven children. He attended Wichita North High School. During his career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League, he was a ten-time pro bowl selection and four-time rushing champion.Sanders was always athletic and had a great love for basketball.Although his father believed that it would be better for him to develop an interest in football as it would help him in winning a college scholarship. In his early years, Sanders became the starting running back in the fourth game of his senior year, where he rushed for 1417 yards which earned him all-state honors. Even though he was a stellar athlete, he received scholarships from only Emporia State, the University of Tulsa, and Oklahoma State. He decided on going to Oklahoma State.Oklahoma State University had very high hopes for Sanders and football. They demanded at least 50-60 hours a week due to which Sanders lacked behind in his schoolwork. During his freshman and sophomore years, Sanders played second string to Thurman Thomas. During his junior here, Sanders became the starter and proceeded to smash 13 NCAA records. Sanders had most rushing yards of 2,628 and most touchdowns 39 in a season, which led to his nomination for the coveted Heisman Trophy. After receiving the trophy, Sanders entered NFL instead of continuing his studies at Oklahoma State University, mostly because he wanted to support his family financially.After entering the NFL, Sander signed a $6.1 million five-year contract with The Detroit Lions. They selected him with the 3rd overall pick in the 1989 draft. In the same year, Sanders was named Sporting News NFL Rookie of the Year. Due to a contract dispute, Sanders missed his rookie training camp in 1989. Sanders, during the regular season, ran for 18 yards in the first carry and a touchdown during his fourth. During the 1990s, Sanders was featured as running back on the Lions Teams that made the playoffs. In 1991, Sanders averaged 4.5 yards per rushing attempt and compiled a total of 1,548 yards, the same year he was named NFCs Most Valuable Player by the NFL Players Association. Although in 1992 and 1993, his scores went a little down to 1,352 and 1,115 respectively due to his injury. In 1994, he averaged 5.7 yards per rushing attempt but scored only seven touchdowns. 1997 turned to be a good year as he compiled a total of 2,053 yards rushing and averaging a 6.1 yards. At the end of 1998, Sanders had a total of 15,269. In 1997, he was named Sporting News Player of the Year.In 1999, Sanders announced his retirement. It was believed that Sanders could have surpassed Walter Payton’s career record of 16,726 but Sanders did not choose that path. He was well-respected and one of the league’s most popular players. Research more about this great American Champion and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion was an American politician of the Ohio Democratic party

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion was an American politician of the Ohio Democratic party. He served as the first black mayor of Dayton, Ohio. He was also the city’s longest-tenured mayor to date. He was born in Berryberg, West Virginia and was raised in Steubenville, Ohio. He graduated from Wilberforce University in 1937. After serving in the United States Army, he received a law degree from Ohio State University in 1948. He moved to Dayton to practice law and worked with the NAACP in civil rights cases. He filed one of the first segregation cases after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.In 1959, he became the 23rd president of the Dayton Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP. He entered politics as an assistant to Rep. Rodney M. Love of Ohio working on the War on Poverty. in 1967, Dayton City Commissioner Don Crawford resigned to become the Dayton City Clerk and McGee was selected to fill his term. McGee won re-election to the seat in 1969. In May 1970, Mayor Dave Hall resigned for health reasons. The City Commission deadlocked for two months with tie votes of 2-2 with McGee and Michael Liskany each receiving the vote of another commissioner. Liskany ultimately announced that he would drop out, allowing McGee to become mayor. McGee was re-elected in 1973 and 1977 before stepping down. After leaving politics, he continued with his legal practice.Today in our History – July 15, 1970 – James Howell “Jim” McGee is sworn in as the first black Mayor of Dayton, Ohio.He met his wife, Elizabeth while he was in law school. They had two daughters, Annette and Frances.He was a Prince Hall Freemason, holding membership in Ancient Square Lodge No. 40 of Dayton, Ohio, and was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.James McGee died on March 4, 2006 in Trotwood, Ohio. In 1988, a major boulevard in Dayton was named for McGee. Formerly known as Western Avenue, in West Dayton, the road is now known as James H. McGee Boulevard from Germantown Street to Little Richmond Road. Research more about this great American Champion and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion event, Bruce’s Beach was a beach resort in the city of Manhattan Beach, California, that was owned by and operated for African Americans.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion event, Bruce’s Beach was a beach resort in the city of Manhattan Beach, California, that was owned by and operated for African Americans. It provided the African American community with opportunities unavailable at other beach areas because of segregation.As a result of racial discrimination from disgruntled white neighbors, the property was seized using eminent domain proceedings in the 1920s and closed down. Some of the areas was eventually turned into a city park in the 1960s and renamed Bruce’s Beach in 2007.Today in our History – July 14, 2021 – Bruce Beach returned to the ancestors from which it was taken in 1924.While many historians credit George H. Peck (1856–1940), a wealthy developer and the founder of Manhattan Beach, for having “bucked” the practice of racial exclusion, Peck created barriers to deter Black out-of-town visitors to Bruce’s Beach. To reach the ocean, visitors had to walk an extra half mile around the property owned by Peck, who had lined it with security and “No Trespassing” signs.Willa and Charles Bruce bought a property in the strand area for $1,225 that was set aside from Henry Willard in 1912 and added on three lots. They established a resort and named it for Mrs. Bruce.The development included a bathhouse and dining house for blacks, whose access to public beaches was highly restricted. Aside from the blacks-only beach resort, Manhattan Beach was “an otherwise lily-white community” and blacks only had limited access to beaches; Mrs. Bruce’s initiative “defiantly transgressed these racial boundaries.” It was not the only beach attraction available to black people; there was also Peck’s Pier and pavilion on 34th Street, a section of Santa Monica State Beach referred to as the “Ink Well”, and the Pacific Beach Club in Orange County. As Los Angeles’s population increased and property values soared in the 1920s, black people in the area suffered from increased racial tension, before eminent domain proceedings started by the city forced the club to close down.In the 1920s, the resort was attacked by the Ku Klux Klan in an attempt to get the city to take back the land from the rightful owners, the Bruce family. Under the pretense of building a city park, the city of Manhattan Beach did take the land away from the Bruce family, and African Americans were run off the land. It was not until 2007, practically eighty years later, that this travesty was acknowledged by the city and the beach was renamed Bruce’s Beach.In the 1950s, city officials began to worry that family members might sue to regain their land unless it was used for the purpose for which it had been originally taken. In the 1960s, the property, which had been vacant for decades, was made into a city park first called Bayview Terrace Park, then Parque Culiacan; in 2006, the Manhattan Beach City Council decided to rename the park, “commemorating our community’s understanding that friendship, goodwill, and respect for all begins within our own boundaries and extends to the world community. All are welcome.” It was ceremoniously renamed in March 2007 during an event exhibiting “a deep tide of goodwill.”The park is on a slope overlooking the ocean and includes rolling grassy terraces with benches and small trees. It is located a few blocks from the beach, between 26th and 27th Street, and runs west from Highland Avenue to Manhattan Avenue.A beachfront property in Manhattan Beach that was seized from a Black family 97 years ago may be returned to the family’s descendants.In 1924, the city of Manhattan Beach used eminent domain to force Willa and Charles Bruce off their land where they lived and ran a resort for Black families. The Bruces were among the first Black landowners in the city.The land is now owned by Los Angeles County and houses the county’s lifeguard headquarters and training center.The story of racial injustice shocked L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn and now she’s exploring what can be done to right the wrong.”I’m considering, first of all, giving the property back to the Bruce family,” Hahn tells Eyewitness News. “I think that would be the one act that would really be justice for that family. I wanted the county of Los Angeles to be a part of righting this terrible wrong.”The beach on Highland Avenue at 27th Street was a resort for Black families who came to enjoy the beach until it was taken away. Anthony Bruce, one of the family’s last living direct descendants of the family, says the seizure robbed him of his family’s legacy.”It was a wrong against the Bruce family,” says Anthony Bruce. “I think we would be wealthy Americans still living there in California… Manhattan Beach probably.”Supervisor Hahn says there is also an option of leasing the property from the Bruce family so the county’s lifeguard building can remain at the location. Or the Bruce family could be paid reparations for what they lost.Manhattan Beach resident Kavon Ward has been petitioning and raising awareness about the history of Bruce’s Beach.”They need to pay for the stripping of generational wealth,” says Kavon Ward. “This family could have been wealthy, they could have passed on wealth to other family members. Manhattan Beach could have been more culturally diverse… there would have been more black people here.”Then there’s the matter of the beach itself. A Manhattan Beach city task force is sending the full City Council new recommendations, including a resolution of apology and creating a new commemorative plaque with wording that would prominently acknowledge the pioneering Bruce family instead of the original white landowner.Ward says the issue is far deeper than a plaque.”This task force and members of Manhattan Beach are living in this sort of bubble of white supremacy and white fragility and I feel like it’s time to penetrate that bubble,” says Ward. “It’s time for this bubble to be popped.”Hahn says the time may be right for the county to take action to correct history.”We are now in this country finally meeting this moment,” says Supervisor Hahn. “And there are a lot of talks about reparations, financial restitution being made to African Americans in this country.” Research more about this great American Champion Institution and make it with your babies. Make it a champion day!

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is an American actress, designer, and former model.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is an American actress, designer, and former model. She is best known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993–1996) in her role as the second Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom.Today in our History – July 13, 1948 – Daphne Etta Maxwell Reid is born.Reid was born in New York City, the daughter of Rosalee and Green Maxwell. She is a graduate of The Bronx High School of Science. She received a degree in interior design and architecture from Northwestern University, which she attended on a scholarship and where she became the first African-American woman to be named homecoming queen. While at Northwestern she began a modeling career, eventually signing with the Eileen Ford modeling agency. She was the first black woman to be on the cover of Glamour magazine.She has appeared in numerous television programs. Her best-known role was replacing Janet Hubert-Whitten as Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1993 to 1996. She joined the show right after the fictional character Nicky Banks was born toward the end of Season 3, when Hubert-Whitten did not renew her contract.Before that role, she starred in several television series including, Simon & Simon, Frank’s Place, and Snoops.She had a recurring role as JT’s mother, Frances Hunter, on the UPN sitcom Eve, and then played Juanita Lawrence on the BET sitcom Let’s Stay Together.Reid is also an accomplished photographer as well as a designer and clothing creator.During the 1980s and 1990s Reid served on the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute.She is a recipient of the Women of Vision Award from Women in Film & Video, among a myriad of other awards.With her husband, actor Tim Reid, she owned and operated New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, Virginia, until 2014.She also served on the board of visitors at Virginia State University, for eight years. She was appointed in July 2008.On July 31, 2010, she became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, during their 50th national convention in New Orleans.She has one son, Chris Tubbs, from her first marriage to the late Robert Tubbs; and two stepchildren, Timothy II (b. 1968) and Tori Reid (b. 1971). She also has three grandchildren.Born Daphne Maxwell, actress Daphne Reid was born on July 13, 1948. Growing up on Manhattan’s West Side, Reid was influenced early on by her teachers to enroll in a challenging high school. Despite her initial desire to attend the Fashion Industries High School, she was swayed to attend the Bronx High School of Science.While attending Bronx Science, Reid was highly involved, serving as senior class president and joining the Group Theater Workshop. After her graduation, she received a scholarship to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. While there, she was named homecoming queen, becoming the first black woman at the school to attain the title. She went on to earn her B.A. in 1970.While still a student at Northwestern, one of Reid’s teachers from Bronx Science submitted a photograph of her to a modeling agency, and her modeling career took off. In 1969, Reid became the first African American woman to grace the cover of Glamour. While in Chicago in the 1970s, Reid met comedian Tim Reid and the two became fast friends, and they would go on to marry in 1982.Reid made her television debut in 1979 on the short-lived series, The Duke, and made the move to Los Angeles. There, she appeared on several episodes of the popular show WKRP in Cincinnati opposite her future husband. Throughout the 1980s, she would appear on numerous hit television shows, including T.J. Hooker, The A-Team, Murder, She Wrote and Simon & Simon, where she again worked with her husband.In 1987, her husband co-produced the critically acclaimed but short-lived series Frank’s Place, and featured Tim and Daphne opposite one another. The two went on to work together on Snoops before hosting a talk show, The Tim and Daphne Show. In 1993, Reid made her biggest move yet, when she joined the cast of the hit series, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air in the role of Aunt Viv, and she remained there until the show’s end in 1996.In 1997, Reid, her husband, Mark Warner (now governor of Virginia) and Dan Hoffler founded New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, Virginia. The studio was the first African American production operation since scar Micheaux’s to handle a project from start to finish.A number of documentaries and films have since been filmed there, including The Contender and Hearts in Atlantis. They have also re-released The Spook Who Sat By the Door, by Sam Greenlee, as a part of their Obsidian Gold Series, and are working on a series entitled American Legacy highlighting historical contributions of African Americans. Currently, Reid is working on the sitcom Eve on UPN. Research more about this great American Champion and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and author who held an active career for over six decades before being convicted of a number of sex offenses in 2018.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and author who held an active career for over six decades before being convicted of a number of sex offenses in 2018.He began his career as a stand-up comic at the hungry i in San Francisco during the 1960s. He then landed a starring role in the television show I Spy, followed by his own sitcom The Bill Cosby Show, which ran for two seasons from 1969 to 1971. In 1972, using the Fat Albert character developed during his stand-up routines, Cosby created, produced, and hosted the animated comedy television series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids which ran until 1985, centering on a group of young friends growing up in an urban area.Throughout the 1970s, he starred in about half a dozen films, and he occasionally returned to film later in his career. In 1976, he earned his Doctor of Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His dissertation discussed the use of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as a teaching tool in elementary schools.Beginning in the 1980s, he produced and starred in the television sitcom The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992 and was rated as the number one show in America from 1985 through 1989. The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family.He produced the spin-off sitcom A Different World, which aired from 1987 to 1993. He also starred in The Cosby Mysteries from 1994 to 1995 and in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000 and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things from 1998 to 2000.In the mid-2010s, numerous women made sexual assault accusations against him, the earliest dating back to 1965. More than 60 women have accused him of either attempted sexual assault, rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse, or sexual misconduct, all of which he has denied, and the statute of limitations had by the mid-2010s expired in nearly all cases.He was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault and sentenced to three to ten years in prison in September 2018. He is currently incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution – Phoenix in Pennsylvania.Today in our History – July 12, 1937 – William Henry Cosby Jr. is born.American comedian Bill Cosby has been the subject of publicized sexual assault allegations and was convicted of aggravated indecent assault in 2018. He has been accused by numerous women of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct.The earliest incidents allegedly took place in the mid-1960s. Assault allegations against Cosby became more public after a stand-up routine by comedian Hannibal Buress became popular in October 2014, alluding to Cosby’s covert sexual misbehavior; thereafter, many additional claims were made. The dates of the alleged incidents have spanned from 1965 to 2008 in ten U.S. states and in one Canadian province.Cosby has maintained his innocence and repeatedly denied the allegations made against him. He was asked about the allegations in November 2014 and responded, “I don’t talk about it!” He has declined to publicly discuss the accusations in interviews in the past, although he told Florida Today that “people shouldn’t have to go through that and shouldn’t answer to innuendos.” In May 2015, he said, “I have been in this business 52 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. Reality is a situation and I can’t speak.”Following the allegations, numerous organizations severed ties with Cosby and revoked honors and titles previously awarded to him. Media organizations pulled reruns of The Cosby Show and other television programs featuring Cosby from syndication.Twenty-five colleges and universities rescinded honorary degrees. Adweek reporter Jason Lynch noted that the “media landscape has changed considerably—and has now been joined by the far-less-forgiving social media arena.”Most of the alleged acts fall outside the statute of limitations for criminal legal proceedings, but criminal charges have been filed against Cosby in one case and numerous civil lawsuits have been brought against him. As of November 2015, eight related civil suits were active against him. Gloria Allred is representing 33 of the alleged victims.In July 2015, some court records were unsealed and released to the public from Andrea Constand’s 2005 civil suit against Cosby. The full transcript of his deposition was released to the media by a court reporting service. In his testimony, Cosby admitted to casual sex involving recreational use of the sedative-hypnotic methaqualone (Quaaludes) with a series of young women, and he acknowledged that his dispensing the prescription drug was illegal.In December 2015, three Class II felony charges of aggravated indecent assault were filed against Cosby in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, based on allegations by Constand concerning incidents in January 2004. Cosby’s first trial in June 2017 ended in a mistrial.Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault at retrial on April 26, 2018 and on September 25, 2018, he was sentenced to three to ten years in state prison and fined $25,000 plus the cost of the prosecution, $43,611. Cosby appealed on June 25, 2019 and the verdict was subsequently upheld and granted an appeal by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Bill Cosby was released from prison Wednesday, June 30, 2021, after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction for sexual assault, a dramatic reversal in one of the first high-profile criminal trials of the #MeToo era.The court’s decision seemed likely to end the Pennsylvania case, legal experts said, and while more than 50 women across the nation have accused Mr. Cosby of sexual assault and misconduct, statutes of limitations in their cases makes further prosecutions unlikely.Mr. Cosby had served three years of a three- to 10-year sentence at a maximum-security prison outside Philadelphia when the court ruled that a “non-prosecution agreement” with a previous prosecutor meant that Mr. Cosby should not have been charged in the case.Mr. Cosby, 83, returned to his home in suburban Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon where, looking frail and walking slowly, he was helped inside by his lawyer and a spokesman. He flashed a “V” sign as he reached his front door. 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GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion was an American gospel music singer and pastor.

GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion was an American gospel music singer and pastor. He was consecrated to the bishopric in 2000.Today in our History – July 11, 2010 – Walter Lee Hawkins (May 18, 1949 – July 11, 2010) dies.We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Gospel recording artist Walter Hawkins at 2:48 PST July 11th at his home. For the last two years, Hawkins has been battling pancreatic cancer. He was 61 years old. Please keep the Hawkins family, The Love Center Family and the Gospel community, who have all been encouraged and blessed by his music through the years.Walter Hawkins was an American gospel music singer born May 18, 1949 in Oakland, California. One of gospel music’s most legendary figures, Bishop Walter Hawkins was one of the most beloved pastors and figures in contemporary Gospel Music today. In the Forty plus years of his career, he had created one of the most prolific and outstanding catalogs of hit gospel recordings and published songs.Walter is the brother of gospel singer Edwin Hawkins and Lynette Hawkins-Stephens. While married to Tramaine Hawkins, the couple had two children a son, Walter “Jamie” Hawkins, Jr. and a daughter, Trystan Hawkins with one granddaughter, Jahve Hawkins and one grandson, Jamie Daniel Hawkins. Walter “Jamie” Hawkins, Jr. is married to Myiia “Sunny” Davis-Hawkins. Hawkins started his career in one of his brother’s chorale, “The Northern California State Youth Choir” of the Church of God in Christ. Later on he accompanied his brother and made significant contributions to his career with the founding of The Edwin Hawkins Singers. This collaborative effort produced the hit song, “Oh Happy Day” which became one of the first gospel songs to crossover onto mainstream music charts.Walter left the group in the early ’70s. The following year, Hawkins became a pastor and founded the Love Center Church in East Oakland and established the Love Center Church in Oakland, CA. After forming the Love Center Choir, he recorded their first album as a church family. He used $1,800 he borrowed from his mother-in-law to complete the project. He and his Love Center Choir had considerable success with his Love Alive series, which collectively sold over a million copies from the ’70s through the ’90s. Recordings and published songs that include such great hits as Marvelous, Going Up Yonder, Changed, Be Grateful, Thank You, He’s That Kind Of Friend, Until I Found The Lord, Jesus Christ Is the Way, I’m Not The Same, Holy One, Spirit Now, Battle, I Love You Lord, Special Gift, Set Me Free, Is There Any Way, Everybody Ought To Know, My Gratitude, It’s Right and Good, Cry On, I’m So Thankful, Just In The Nick of Time, Jesus Made A Way, Thank You Lord, I Must Go On, I’m Going Away, Lord Give Us Time, Try Christ, I Feel Like Singing, Dear Jesus, God Is Standing By, I Love Jesus More, Follow Me, All You Need Is Christ, He Brought Me, He’ll Be There, Goin’ To A Place, I’m A Pilgrim, Never Alone, On & On, and so many more.Hawkins’ songs have been recorded by a who’s who in music ranging from Aretha Franklin and “American Idol” champ Ruben Studdard to Vickie Winans and M.C. Hammer. Hawkins and his groups have recorded with Van Morrison, Diahann Carroll, Sylvester (singer), Jeffrey Osborne, and many others.As elder statesmen in gospel, Hawkins became a favorite for cameo appearances in recent years. The Mississippi Mass Choir had a hit with him on “Hold, On, Soldier” in 1993 and Donald Lawrence & the TriCity Singers watched him steal the show on “Seasons” from their “Go Get Your Life Back” CD in 2002. The 2001 “Love Alive V” CD featured a huge comeback hit for Hawkins with the ballad, “Marvelous.” Hawkins’ final solo CD “A Song in My Heart” won a Stellar Award for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year in 2006. He was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2007.After surgery for pancreatic cancer in late 2008, the Hawkins Family (Walter, Edwin, Tramaine, and sister, Lynette) staged a successful, multi-city Hawkins Family reunion concert tour. At the time of his death, Hawkins was planning a new “Love Alive” CD concert recording for this fall.Hawkins is survived by his two children, Walter “Jamie” and Trystan Hawkins; daughter-in-law, Myiia Hawkins; two grandchildren Jamie- Daniel and Jahve; a host of nieces and nephews; the Love Center Church family and Choir; and his siblings Carol, Feddie, Edwin, Daniel, and Lynette. Research more about this great American Champion and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!