January 11

Alan Paton (January 11, 1903 – April 12, 1988), author of Cry, the Beloved Country, was a white man in a country of oppressed blacks who fought for their freedom and believed in their worth. It has been said that Paton was "the man who pulled up the barbed wire fence and planted geraniums" in South Africa. As a chronicler of his times, he brought America and the rest of the world face-to-face and heart-to-heart with the problem of race relations in South Africa.

Birthdays

Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone.

Malcolm D. Lee (born January 11, 1970) has directed such films as Undercover Brother, The Best Man, Roll Bounce, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, & Soul Men. He also directed an episode of the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. He is the cousin of film director Spike Lee, and is a graduate of Packer Collegiate Institute and Georgetown University.

Mary J. Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and occasional rapper and actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She starred in the 2009 Tyler Perry box-office hit I Can Do Bad All By Myself and played a role in the film Rock of Ages (2012), and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her musical contribution to the film The Help.




Events

The Anglo-Zulu War began January 11, 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following Lord Carnarvon's successful introduction of federation in Canada, it was thought that similar political effort, coupled with military campaigns, might succeed with the African kingdoms. Six months later, the war eventually resulted in a British victory and the end of the Zulu nation's independence.

Photo Gallery

Unidentified young man in front of the Koreshan Unity general store on the Estero River. Date: Postmarked January 11, 1911. Credit: State Library and Archives of Florida

Mr & Mrs John Oke Agbede 1st white wedding in Igede Ekiti Western Region of Nigeria. January 11, 1940 

Ray Charles, semi-planking during rehearsals for "Duke Ellington... We Love You Madly", a tribute to Duke Ellington, produced by Quincy Jones (r), recorded at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles, on 10 and 11 January 1973 (aired on the 11th).

'That's So Raven' star Raven Symone recently came out on the social media website Twitter, tweeting: "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you." FILE PHOTOS from January 11, 2013.

Beyonce at Tina Knowles's 60th Birthday Party in New Orleans January 11, 2014

January 11, 2015 - Rev. James E. Blakely, a survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, celebrates his 95th birthday, with family on Saturday.

Publications

SOUL — America's Most Soulful Newspaper, January 11, 1971 — Sly Stone

High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Jessica B. Harris. $11.78. Author: Jessica B. Harris. 304 pages. Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (January 11, 2011)

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