On February 27th…
in 1788, PRINCE HALL, Founder of the African Grand Lodge of North America, now known as Prince Hall Freemasonry and Revolutionary War Veteran, led a number of free men of Boston in filing a petition to the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The men protested the unlawful seizure of three free black men who were kidnapped in Boston Harbor and taken to the West Indies to be sold into slavery. The petition stated, among other things, that while they, the petitioners, were aware of laws against such kidnappings, there was a troubling frequency of occurrence that prevented prudent freemen from making an honest living at sea, one of the few professions open to African Americans. The petition, along with one by a group of Quakers, and one put forward by the Boston clergy, precipitated an act to prohibit the slave trade which was passed on March 26, 1788.
Prince Hall may have been BORN in BARBADOS. On March 6, 1775, Prince Hall along with 14 other men became the FIRST BLACK MEN TO BE MADE MASONS IN AMERICA in Lodge #441 of the Irish Registry attached to the 38th British Foot Infantry at Castle William Island in Boston Harbor, MA. However, after the conflict between England and America commenced, the British Foot Infantry left along with the lodge. Subsequently, African Lodge #1 was organized and petitioned the Grand Lodge of England, the Premier or Mother Grand Lodge of the world, for a or charter to organize a regular Masonic lodge, with all the rights and privileges on March 2, 1784. African Lodge #459, the Black Lodge in America was issued a charter by the Grand Lodge of England on September 29, 1784. Prince Hall remained the FIRST GRAND MASTER OF AFRICAN GRAND LODGE until his death in 1807. In 1847, the name of African Grand Lodge was officially changed toPRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE.
In addition to being a Veteran of the Revolutionary War, Prince Hall was a noted abolitionist. He lobbied relentlessly for the education rights of black children and spearheaded a Back-to-Africa Movement.
in 1844, The DOMINICAN REPUBLIC gained its INDEPENDENCE FROM HAITI.
in 1833, MARIA W. STEWARD delivered one of the four speeches which confirmed her place in history as the FIRST AMERICAN-BORN WOMAN TO GIVE PUBLIC LECTURES. Stewards lectures focused on encouraging African-Americans to attain education, political rights, and public recognition for their achievements. Her speech on this day delivered at the African Masonic Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, was titled “On African Rights and Liberty.”
Sixty-seven years later in Boston on this same day, African-American teacher and poet Angelina Weld Grimke was born. Grimke was a descendant of the famous white abolitionist and feminist sisters Angelina and Sarah Grimke.
in 1865, MAJOR MARTIN ROBINSON DELANY was commissioned as the FIRST BLACK LINE FIELD OFFICER IN THE U.S. ARMY. 
Major Delany, a judge, abolitionist, journalist, physician and writer, was arguably the first proponent of American Black Nationalism. He was one of the first three blacks admitted to Harvard Medical School.
in 1869, JOHN WILLIS MENARD, the FIRST BLACK PERSON ELECTED TO CONGRESS, presented his case for having been denied the Louisiana Second Congressional District seat on this date in 1869. In doing so, Mr. Menard became the first Black Person to make a speech on the floor of the House.
Congressman James A. Garfield of the examining committee said “it was too early to admit a Negro to the U.S. Congress.” Therefore, while he was never seated, Mr. Menard was the first Black person to be elected.
in 1872, CHARLOTTE E. RAY, the FIRST BLACK WOMAN LAWYER, GRADUATED from Howard University.
in 1883, WILLIAM B. PURVIS of Philadelphia, PA received PATENT No. 273,149 for a SELF-INKING HAND STAMP. It was specifically designed for postage stamp cancellation and dating the envelopes simultaneously. Between 1884 and 1897, Purvis received patents for the fountain pen, a paper bag machine, a bag fastener, an electric railway device, an electric railway switch and a magnetic car-balancing device.
in 1890, MABEL KEATON STAUPERS, a leader in breaking down racial barriers in nursing, was BORN inBARBADOS. Ms. Stauper and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 13. In 1917, she graduated from Freedmen’s Hospital School of Nursing and in 1920 helped two physicians establish the first hospital in Harlem to treat blacks with tuberculosis. 
In 1934, Nurse Stauper became Executive Secretary of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses and over the next 12 years she increased membership, established a citizen advisory committee, built coalitions with other medical groups, and dismantled many racial barriers, including integrating the Armed Forces Nurse Corps in 1945 and the American Nurses Association in 1948. Nurse Stauper earned many honors, including the NAACP SPINGARN MEDAL in 1951. In 1961, she published her autobiography, “No Time for Prejudice: A Story of the Integration of Negroes in Nursing in the United States.” Stauper died November 29, 1989.
in 1897, MARIAN ANDERSON was BORN in PHILADELPHIA, PA. Marian Anderson always claimed she was born on February 17, 1902, however her birth certificate is reported to give her birth date as February 27, 1897. At the age of six, Anderson began singing at local functions for small change. In 1925 she got her first big break when she won a singing competition sponsored by the New York Philharmonic. Ms. Anderson’s music teacher entered her in the competition where she came in first place over 299 other singers. After being awarded a Rosenwald Fellowship in 1930, Ms. Anderson went to Europe to study for a year. After a brief return to the U.S., Ms. Anderson went back to Europe in 1933 to debut in Berlin and in Austria in 1935. On Easter Sunday in 1939, Ms. Anderson was scheduled to perform at the concert hall at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Daughters of the American Revolution, who controlled the hall, refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. 
As a result, with the aid of President and Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience of millions. On January 7, 1955, Ms. Anderson became the FIRST BLACK PERSON TO PERFORM AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA and in 1963 she sang at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. She also sang for PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER’S INAUGURATION in 1957 andPRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY’S in 1961. In 1956, she published her autobiography, “My Lord, What a Morning.” The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Anderson received the NAACP SPINGARN MEDAL in 1939, thePRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM in 1963, the CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL in 1977, the KENNEDY CENTER HONORS in 1978, the NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS in 1986, and a GRAMMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD in 1991. Anderson died April 8, 1993 and the United States Postal Service issued a COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP in her honor. 
In 1999, a one-act play entitled “My Lord, What a Morning: The Marian Anderson Story” was produced by the Kennedy Center and in 2001 the 1939 documentary film, “Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert,” was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” A number of biographies of Anderson have been published, including “Marian Anderson: A Singers Journey” (2002) and “The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights” (2004). Anderson’s name is enshrined in the Ring of Genealogy at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan.
in 1907, HILTON LEE SMITH, Negro League pitcher, was BORN in SOUR LAKE, TX. Smith made his professional debut in 1932 and from 1937 until his retirement was a star pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs. Over his career, he was a 6-TIME NEGRO LEAGUE ALL-STAR. After retiring, Smith worked as a schoolteacher and scout for the Chicago Cubs. Smith died November 18, 1983 and was posthumously inducted into the BASEBALL HALL OF FAME IN 2001.
HILTON LEE SMITH
in 1923, DEXTER KEITH GORDON, jazz tenor saxophonist and actor, was BORN in LOS ANGELES, CA. Gordon played the clarinet from the age of 13 before switching to the saxophone at 15. Between 1940 and 1943, Gordon was a member of the Lionel Hampton Band and in 1943 he made his first recording under his name. During the first half of the 1960s, Gordon produced some of his most highly regarded work, including “Doin’ Alright” (1961) and “A Swingin’ Affair” (1962). In 1962, Gordon moved to Europe where he experienced less racism and greater respect for jazz musicians. While there he produced “Our Man in Paris” (1963), “One Flight Up” (1964), and “Getting Around” (1965). Gordon returned to the United States in 1976. In 1987, he starred in the movie “Round Midnight” which earned him an ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION FOR BEST ACTOR. In 1978 and 1980, he was voted MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR by Down Beat magazine and in 1980 he was inducted into the DOWN BEAT JAZZ HALL OF FAME. In 1986, Gordon was designated a NEA JAZZ MASTER by the National Endowment for the Arts and he died April 25, 1990.
in 1942, CHARLAYNE ALBERTA HUNTER-GAULT, journalist and foreign correspondent, was BORN in DUE WEST, SOUTH CAROLINA. Hunter-Gault attended Wayne State University from 1959 to 1961, the year that she and Hamilton Holmes became the first African Americans to attend the University of Georgia. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the university in 1963. 
Hunter-Gault was the FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN REPORTER FOR THE NEW YORKER and the SECOND FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES. She was the chief correspondent in Johannesburg, South Africa for CNN from 1977 to 1999 and the bureau chief from 1999 to 2005. She won two Peabody Awards and two Emmy Awards for her series “Apartheid’s People.” In 1992 Hunter-Gault published her memoir, “In My Place,” about her experiences at the UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA and in 2001the university renamed its academic building the HUNTER-HOLMES ACADEMIC BUILDING. Hunter-Gault is the recipient of more than TWO DOZEN HONORARY DEGREES and in 2005 she was inducted into the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS’ HALL OF FAME.
in 1956, Specialty Records released LITTLE RICHARD’S “SLIPPIN’ AND SLIDIN’.”
in 1960, SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES made their first TV appearance on “AMERICAN BANDSTAND.”
in 1961, JAMES AGER WORTHY, hall of fame basketball player, was BORN in GASTONIA, NORTH CAROLINA. Worthy was an All-American high school basketball player and after graduating enrolled at the University of North Carolina. In 1982, Worthy was an ALL-AMERICAN and CO-COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR. That year, he also led UNC to the NCAA basketball championship and was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. 
Worthy was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1982 NBA Draft and over his 12 season professional career was a 7-TIME ALL-STAR and 3-TIME NBA CHAMPION. Worthy retired in 1994 and in 2003 was inducted into theNAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME and the COLLEGE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME. Worthy is Chief Executive Officer of Worthy Enterprises and dedicates significant time and resources to non-profit community organizations.
in 1964, ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, author, educator, and scholar, DIED. Cooper was born August 10, 1858 in Raleigh, North Carolina and at the age of nine received a scholarship to attend Saint Augustine’s Normal School and Collegiate Institute, a school for training teachers to educate formerly enslaved blacks and their families.
After completing her studies, Cooper remained at the institution as an instructor. In 1892, Cooper published her FIRST BOOK, “A VOICE FROM THE SOUTH: BY A BLACK WOMAN OF THE SOUTH,” which is widely considered the FIRST ARTICULATION OF BLACK FEMINISM. Its central thesis was that the educational, moral, and spiritual progress of Black women would improve the general standing of the entire African American community and that it was the duty of educated and successful Black women to support their underprivileged peers in achieving their goals. In 1914, Cooper began courses for her doctorial degree at Columbia University but due to family obligations was forced to stop. In 1924, at the age of 65, she earned her Ph. D. in history from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, the FOURTH BLACK WOMAN TO EARN A DOCTORATE OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE. In 2009, the United States Postal Service issued a COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP in her honor and onPAGES 26 AND 27 OF EVERY NEW UNITED STATES PASSPORT there is the following QUOTE FROM COOPER, “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class – it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.”
in 1968, FRANKLIN JOSEPH “FRANKIE” LYMON, R&B singer and songwriter, DIED. Lymon was born September 30, 1942 in Harlem, New York. At the age of 12, he began singing in a group that called itself both The Ermines and The Premiers. In 1955, they wrote the song “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.” On the day of recording, the original lead singer was late so Lymon stepped in and sang the lead. The song became their first hit, topping the Billboard R&B singles chart for five weeks. Over the next year or so five other top ten singles followed, including “I Want You to Be My Girl” and “The ABC’s of Love.” The group’s last single, recorded in 1957, was “Goody Goody.” After that Lymon went solo but was not nearly as successful as he was with the group. Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and in 1998 a fictionalized version of Lymon’s life was told in the film “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.”
in 1988, DEBRA JANINE “DEBI” THOMAS, M.D., a U.S. Figure Skater, became the FIRST BLACK PERSON TO WIN A MEDAL AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS in Calgary when she was awarded the Bronze Medal for her Long Program performance.
in 1997, DON CORNELIUS received a STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME.
in 1999, OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, a retired Nigerian Army General, a Christian of Yoruba descent WON THE 1999 ELECTIONS, the first in sixteen years, as the People’s Democratic Party candidate for President of Nigeria with 62.6% of the vote.
DID YOU KNOW…
ROBERT H. LAWRENCE, JR.
- ROBERT H. LAWRENCE, JR. was the FIRST BLACK ASTRONAUT in 1967 but he died in a plane crash during a training flight and never made it into space?
- GUION BLUFORD became the FIRST BLACK ASTRONAUT TO TRAVEL IN SPACE in 1983?
- MAE JEMISON became the FIRST BLACK FEMAL ASTRONAUT in 1992?
- DR. BERNARD A. HARRIS, JR. became the FIRST BLACK ASTRONAUT TO PERFORM A “SPACEWALK” in1995
- FREDERICK D. GREGORY was the FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SHUTTLE COMMANDER in 1998?
On This Day In Black History 