On This Day In Black History… July 15
1822 – Philadelphia opens its Public schools for African Americans
When African-Americans took charge of their own education, they did so in a variety of creative and effective ways. While the goals of equal access and desegregation of schools still appear distant, the result of black education in Pennsylvania were immense; by creating a broad literate black constituency, education fueled the fight against slavery, bred articulate advocates for reform, brought to life a vibrant culture, and generated the intense movement for political and civil rights.
1864 – Gen. A. J. Smith
(April 28, 1815 – January 30, 1897) was a United States Army general during the American Civil War, rising to the command of a corps. He was most noted for his victory over Confederate General Stephen D. Lee, Gen. A. J. Smith with fourteen thousand men, including a brigade of Black troops, defeated Nathan B. Forrest at Harrisburg, near Tupelo, Mississippi on July 14, 1864.
1869 – A.J. Hayne killed
A.J. Hayne, Black captain of the Arkansas militia, assassinated in Marion, Arkansas. It was named the Cowardly Assassination in news media.
1929 – Francis Bebey was born, 1929
(15 July 1929 in Douala, Cameroon – 28 May 2001 in Paris, France)
Guitarist and author, Francis Bebey was born, 1929, In the early 1960s, Bebey moved to France and started work in the arts, establishing himself as a musician, sculptor, and writer. His most popular novel was Agatha Moudio’s Son. He also worked as a consultant for UNESCO.
1970 – James McGhee is sworn in as the first African-American Mayor
James McGhee is sworn in as the first African-American mayor of Dayton, Ohio. McGee was born in West Virginia and attended Wilberforce University. After serving in the United States Army, he received a law degree from Ohio State University. McGee, a member of the NAACP, was involved as a lawyer in several civil rights cases in the 1960’s. He served as a city commissioner and mayor of Dayton, Ohio. He was the first African-American mayor of Dayton and its longest-tenured mayor to date.
