This Week in History:
Contributions of African-Americans
   
Note: Here, learn about some of the African-Americans who have influenced history and contributed to the culture we now enjoy. To learn more about each individual, click on that person's name.

May 9
On this day in 1800, American abolitiionist John Brown was born. And in 1899, African-American John Albert Burr invented the first rotary-blade lawn mower.

May 10
On this day in 1748, "Amazing Grace," one of the best-loved hymns in history, was written. And author, editor, and emigrationist Henry Bibb was born on this day in 1748; he published one of the best-known slave narratives in history, and started "Voice of the Fugitive," the first Black newspaper in Canada, which became a central instrument of emigration advocates.

May 11
On this day in 1970, Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., was born. A conservative politician from Tennessee, he holds the seat vacated by his father and was a special assistant to the Department of Commerce before being elected to Congress.

May 12
On this day in 1916, writer Albert Murray was born; an essayist and critic, his writings assert the vitality and powerful influence of Blacks in forming American traditions.

May 13
On this day in 1951, Sharon Sayles Belton was born. The first Black and first woman mayor of Minneapolis, she co-founded the Harriet Tubman Shelter for Battered Women and is a senior fellow with the Hubert Humphery Institute's Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations.

May 14
On this day in 1888, midwestern businessman and politician Archie Alexander was born. When he couldn't find a job after graduating college, his worked his way up as a laborer and eventually founded his own successful engineering firm. He also served as governor of the Virgin Islands. And in 1927, sculptor, painter, and printmaker Artis Lane was born. Her works are on display at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution and are in the private collections of President and Mrs. George Bush, Henry Kissinger, Nelson and Winnie Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Cosby, among others.

May 15
On this day in 1934, social psychiatrist Alvin Poussaint was born. An associate dean at Harvard Medical School, he has written extensively on the psychological and social adjustment of children in interracial marriages and the impact of racism on the psychological development of Blacks. A former professor at Tufts Medical School and Harvard Medical School, he has played an active role in the positive portrayal of Blacks on television.