This Week In Black History Nov 28-Dec 5, 2023

ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR. NOVEMBER 29 1780—After initial racist opposition, especially in the South, Blacks are wel­comed into the Continental Army to help fight for American independence from Britain. The move was also prompted by British actions. The Americans were losing to the British, the British had launched their Southern campaign and were promising Blacks freedom if they joined the British side. Overall, an esti­mated 5,000 Blacks fought in America’s war for independence. However, some Blacks did fight for the British. 1908—Adam Clayton Powell Jr. is born in New Haven, Conn. He would follow his father as head of Harlem, New York’s, powerful Abyssinian Baptist Church. He was also elected to Congress in 1945 and was a major force in the Civil Rights Movement. Powell died on April 4, 1972. 1919—Legendary dancer Pearl Primus is born in Trinidad, but she is raised in New York City. She blended African and Caribbean dance and music with Black American traditions of Blues, Jazz and the jitterbug to form a new vibrant dance form. She formed a dance troupe and she personally appeared in such early Broadway hits as “Showboat” and “Em­peror Jones.” In 1991, the first President Bush awarded her the National...