September 4

On September 4, 1957 Governor Orville Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African American students (the Little Rock Nine) from entering Central High in Little Rock.  Three weeks later President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne and nationalized the state National Guard to facilitate their entry. In this photo by Will Counts, Lt. Col. Marion Johnson, commander of National Guard troops, turns back Carlotta Walls and other students.

Birthdays

Lewis Morrison (September 4, 1845 - 1906) was a Jamaican-born actor best known for his portrayal of Mephistopheles in Faust for 15 years in New York and on tour. He and his first wife, British actress Rose Wood, were the grandparents of Joan and Constance Bennett. Morrison served as a lieutenant in the First Louisiana Native Guard, becoming the first African American Jewish officer in both the CSA and the Union Army.

Lewis Latimer (September 4, 1848 - December 11, 1928) was born in Chelsea MA to escaped slaves. After serving in the Navy he worked as a draftsman for a patent law firm, registering his first patent, a railroad car toilet, in 1874. He later worked with Alexander Graham Bell on drawings for the first phone, and patented a carbon filament for light bulbs before being hired by Thomas Edison in 1884. He was later a consultant to patent attorneys and active in community service.

Alfred L. Cralle (September 4, 1866 - May 3, 1920) developed an interest in mechanics while working in his father's carpentry shop as a boy. He attended Wayland Seminary in Washington, D. C. and settled in Pittsburgh where he worked as a porter at a drugstore and a hotel. The drugstore had a soda fountain, and he noticed that it was difficult for clerks to dish up a serving of ice cream. This led him to invent the ice cream scoop, which he patented in 1897 with a basic design that is still in use today.

Martin David Jenkins (September 4, 1904 - 1978) was president of Morgan State College from 1948 to 1970 after having taught at NCA&T, Cheyney State, and Howard. His doctoral dissertation, “A Socio-Psychological Study of Negro Children of Superior Intelligence,” found that intelligence levels were as high for black children as they were for white ones. He continued this research throughout his career.

Richard Nathaniel Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960) was an author of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially those involving the plight of African Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. His work helped the change of race relations in the mid-20th century in the United States. His most notable works include Uncle Tom's Children, Native Son, Black Boy, and The Outsider.

Wendell P. Whalum (September 4, 1931 - June 9, 1987) chaired the Music Department at Morehouse College and was director of the Morehouse Glee Club which he led to international acclaim during his career spanning over 30 years. He is also the composer of "Guide My Feet," "I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me," and "God Is A Good God." Dr. Whalum held a BA from Morehouse College, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD from the University of Iowa and was the uncle of saxophonist Kirk Whalum.

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born September 4, 1981) leads all female singers with 54 Grammy Award nominations (20 wins) and 24 MTV music video awards. In 2015 Forbes named her the most influential woman in the entertainment industry. She began singing in talent shows and as a church choir soloist in her native Houston before appearing as a member of Destiny's Child in 1997 and releasing her first solo album in 2003. She is married to rapper Shawn (Jay-Z) Carter. The couple has one child, daughter Blue Ivy.



Events

On September 4, 1791, Los Angeles, California was founded by forty-four settlers know as Los Pobladores. Of the settlers, twenty-six were some degree of African descent. Their descendants include Pio Pico, the last California governor under Mexican rule, and Eugene Biscailuz, creator of the California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff from 1932 to 1958.

On September  4, 1875 a Republican  rally in Clinton (Hinds County), Mississippi, attended by 3000 people was interrupted by gunfire, killing four whites and three blacks. That night armed white men from Clinton and Vicksburg roamed the streets, killing approximately 50 African Americans. Hundreds more hid in nearby forests and swamps until the violence ended two days later.

On September 4, 1949, Paul Robeson performed at a concert in Peekskill, New York, which had been postponed a week due to violent protests after the press had reported allegedly un-American statements by Robeson. He and other performers, including Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, were heavily guarded by union members and other sympathizers at the later date, but violence from anti-communist and anti-black protesters broke out along the highways as concertgoers were leaving. National newspapers, however, blamed the rioting on the communist element, and it was heatedly discussed on the floor of Congress.

On September 4, 1957 Dorothy Counts was the first African American student at Harding High School in Charlotte, NC. The White Citizens' Council told the boys to "keep her out" and the girls to "spit on her". After four days of threats and rock-throwing her family moved to Philadelphia were Dorothy enrolled in an integrated high school. This photo by Douglas Martin was the 1957 World Press photograph of the year.

 Photo Gallery

Michael Jackson's private funeral service, September 4, 2009.
From right, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson and Randy Jackson attend
Photo credit: Reuters

Singer Ledisi performs during day one of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner
Cable Arena on September 4, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images / SF

Publications

Jet Magazine, September 4, 1952

Bixie Crawford of Count Basie's Orchestra.
Jet Magazine, Sepember 4, 1952

Dizzy Gillespie, June Christy, Charlie Parker, Jet Magazine, September 4, 1952

Jet Magazine, September 4, 1958

Doris Chambers Models in Fashion Show During Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
45th Conclave in Washington DC - Jet Magazine, September 4, 1958

Deep in Conversation at Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Conclaves
Jet Magazine, September 4, 1958

Jet Magazine, September 4, 1968

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