This Week In Black History July 10-16, 2024

JULY 10 1775—Shortly after taking com­mand of the troops fighting for American independence from Britain, Gen. George Washing­ton (the nation’s first president) has his adjutant general issue an order barring any further Blacks from joining the Continental Army. The decision would be confirmed by the Continental Congress in November of 1775. The fear was that Blacks who fought for Amer­ica’s independence would be justified in demanding an end to slavery. And slave owners, includ­ing Washington, did not want that. 1927—David Dinkins, the first Black man elected mayor of New York City, is born on this day in 1927. He was born in Trenton, N.J., and served as New York City may­or from 1989 to 1993. 1943—Tennis sensation Arthur Ashe was born on this day in Richmond, Va. He would become the first Black male to win the Wimbledon men’s singles cham­pionship by defeating Jimmy Con­nors in 1975. Ashe would receive a contaminated blood transfusion and die of AIDS in February 1993. 1972—The Democratic Party holds its presidential convention in Miami, Fla. New York Con­gresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black person to actively seek the party’s presidential nom­ination, received 151.95 votes on the first ballot. Senator George McGovern would eventually be...