This Week In Black History December 4-10, 2024

LITTLE RICHARD DECEMBER 4 1783—General George Washington gives his famous farewell address to troops at Fraunces Tavern in New York City. The tavern was owned by a prom­inent Black businessman of French and West Indian descent named Samu­el “Black Sam” Fraunces, who had aid­ed the Americans in their bid to gain independence from England. After he became president, Washington hired Fraunces as his chief steward. 1807—Prince Hall dies. His was one of the most prominent Black names in colonial America. Hall was born (circa 1748) in Barbados in the West Indies and migrated to Boston. He became one of the leaders of the city’s Black community. He also became an aboli­tionist and a Mason. In fact, he is con­sidered the “father of Black Masons.” He also fought in the American war for independence from England. 1906-Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is the oldest intercollegiate his­torically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social stud­ies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved into a fraternity with a founding date of December 4, 1906. DECEMBER 5 & 1775—A memorial is dedicated to Salem Poor in Cambridge, Mass. Poor was a slave who had bought...