Today in Black History: November 30th
1933 – Sam Gilliam Born
Sam Gilliam, an innovative artist who is known the world over, was born on November 30, 1933, in Tupelo, Mississippi on November 30, 1933, to Sam Gilliam, Sr. and Estery Gilliam.
Gilliam was always an artist, beginning his path with cartoons during his childhood and pursuing an artist’s education at the University of Louisville where he obtained his BA in Fine Arts in 1955, and later got his Masters in painting at the same university in 1961.
Gilliam’s aforementioned innovation in the arts was born at the Corcoran School of Art in the District of Columbia where he was a painting instructor. In 1965, he was the first artist to introduce the idea of a draped, painted canvas hanging without support according to Black Past.
His innovation has proved to be successful, with 56 museums throughout the United States and France, including the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), and the Galerie Darthea Speyer (Paris, France), housing Sam Gilliam’s work permanently.
Sam Gilliam passed away on June 25, 2022, in Washington, D.C. at the age of 88.
1924– Shirley Chisholm Born
Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm, a name well known across the United States for her tenacious advocacy for People of Color and women, was born on November 30, 1924, in Brooklyn, NY, to Barbados immigrants.
Of course, Chisholm, aside from her advocacy, is known for her achievement of becoming America’s first Black woman to be elected to Congress (November 1968) as a representative for the Brooklyn, NY area of Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) assigned to the House Agriculture Committee. Chisholm, who Black Past reports felt the assignment was “irrelevant” to her constituents, demanded a reassignment – something that had yet to be done before her. Her demands got her assigned to the Committee of Veterans Affairs.
Chisholm, who served Congress until 1983, became the first Black woman (and first Black person in general) to run for the U.S. Presidency seeking a majority party vote. After serving just two terms in Congress, she ran for the New York Democratic primary.
Shirley Chisholm passed away on January 1, 2005, at her home in Ormond Beach.
