BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History - Unita Blackwell & Charley Pride (1295 hits)
Unita Blackwell
Politician And Activist, Unita Blackwell, Was Born March 18, 1933, In Lula, Mississippi. Ms. Blackwell Has The Distinction Of Being The First Black Female Mayor In The State Of Mississippi.
Ms. Blackwell Began Her Formal Education By Attending School In West Helena, Arkansas, Due To The Limited Educational Opportunities In Mississippi At The Time. At Age 14, She Completed The Eighth Grade And Then Joined Her Parents As Sharecroppers For $3 Per Day. She Later Received A Master’s Degree In Regional Planning From The University Of Massachusetts-Amherst.
During The 1960's Ms. Blackwell Became Involved With The Civil Rights Movement. In June 1964, She Worked With Two Activists From The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Registering Blacks To Vote. Also That Year, She Served As A Delegate Of The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, Which Went To The Democratic National Convention In Atlantic City, New Jersey.
From The Late 1960's And Into The Early 1970’s, Unita Blackwell Served As A Community Development Specialist With The National Council Of Negro Women. After Becoming Mississippi's First Black Female Mayor In 1976, She Served The Issaquena County Community of Mayersville In That Capacity, For 25 Years . In 1979, She Participated In President Jimmy Carter’s Energy Summit At Camp David.
Ms. Blackwell Has Risen As A Prominent Speaker On Rural Housing And Development. She Is The Founder Of The United States China Peoples Friendship Association, A Group Dedicated To Promoting Cultural Exchange Between The United States And China. She Has Also Served On The Democratic National Committee And As Co-chairman Of The Mississippi Democratic Party. Her Autobiography, "Barefootin'," Chronicles Her Activism.
In 1992 She Received The MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Sadly, Mayor Blackwell Has Recently Been Diagnosed With Dementia.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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Charley Pride
Country-And-Western Singer, Charley Frank Pride, Was Born On March 18, 1938, In Sledge, Mississippi.
A Former Professional Baseball Player In The Negro Leagues, Charley Pride Was The First Black American Country Music Star.
He Recorded His First Album, The Snakes Crawl At Night, In 1965, On RCA Records. In 1967 He Became The First Black To Perform At Nashville, Tennessee’s Grand Ole Opry. Two Years Later He Released "All I Have To Offer You (Is Me)," His First Number One Single. His Signature Tune, "Kiss An Angel Good Morning," Became A Million-Seller In 1971.
In 1971 Charley Pride Was Also Voted Country Music’s Entertainer Of The Year And Best Male Vocalist, By The Country Music Association. He Was Inducted Into The Country Music Hall Of Fame In 2000.
CHARLIE PRIDE PERFORMING
"KISS AN ANGEL GOOD MORNING"
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
601-320-4371
The BLACK IN TIME ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER FOR BLACK HISTORY & CULTURE
