Today in Black History: April 17th
1823 – Mifflin Gibbs Is Born
Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, born in 1823, rose from apprentice to prominent abolitionist, founded the Mirror of the Times, one of the first Black newspapers in California, and became a politician in British Columbia – and one of the earliest Black elected officials in North America. Returning to the U.S., he was the first Black municipal judge and U.S. consul to Madagascar. He died in 1915 at 92.
1986 – Bessie Head Passes Away
Bessie Head, born in South Africa in 1937, was the biracial daughter of a white mother and unidentified Black father—her birth itself was deemed illegal under apartheid law. In Botswana, Head drew on her lived experience to write acclaimed novels like When Rain Clouds Gather. Despite struggles with mental illness, she became one of Africa’s most celebrated writers before her death on April 17, 1986.
1990 – Ralph David Abernathy Passes Away
Ralph David Abernathy, born in 1926, was a minister and civil rights leader. In 1951, he became pastor of Montgomery’s First Baptist Church, positioning him for a key role in the civil rights movement. He co-founded the Montgomery Improvement Association and the SCLC with Martin Luther King Jr., led the Poor People’s Campaign after King’s death, and continued activism until 1977. He died on April 17, 1990.
