Today in Black History: June 20th
1947 – Gayleatha Beatrice Brown Is Born
Brown was born in Matawan, West Virginia on June 20, 1947. She received bachelor’s and master’s honor degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1968 and 1970, respectively. Brown held high ranking state and international governmental positions throughout her long career.
Before joining the United States Foreign Service in 1982, Brown was a Special Assistant at the Agency for International Development (USAID). She also served the U.S. State Department as Counselor for Political Affairs in South Africa, Chief of the Economic and Commercial Sections in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and was a desk officer for Canada, Senegal, Guinea, and Mauritania.
In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Brown to be the U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso. Ambassador Brown died on Friday, April 19, 2013, at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Edison, N.J. at the age of 65.
1949 – Lionel Richie is Born
Richie was born on June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Richie grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. His family home was given to his grandparents as a gift from Booker T. Washington. A star tennis player, he accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee, where he was a member of the marching band, the Marching Crimson Pipers, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics with a minor in accounting.
As a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s. In 1968, he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. He rose to fame in the 1970s writing and recording the hit singles “Easy”, “Sail On”, “Three Times a Lady” and “Still”, with the group before his departure. He started his solo career debuting his Lionel Richie album, and several top hits after that. In 2017, started his tv personality career on American Idol.
1960 – Harry Belafonte Wins Emmy
Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. was born on March 1, 1927, in Harlem, New York. Well known for his works on film, television, and Broadway earning an Emmy for his television special, Tonight with Harry Belafonte, Belafonte was the first Black American to win the prestigious industry award on June 20, 1960.
Belafonte’s career as an entertainer had a rocky start, but in the 1950s he found great success. In the first half of 1956, Belafonte had three top-ten albums, the most notable being Calypso, which spent 31 weeks at number one.
As a great supporter of integration during the Civil Rights Era, Belafonte was also a world-renowned political activist and humanitarian. Harry Belafonte passed away at age 96, on March 25, 2023, in Manhattan, New York.
