Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American to become a presidential cabinet member when1991"> Lyndon B. Johnson appoints him to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Chess Grandmaster1991"> Maurice Ashley is born.

Economist1991"> Andrew Brimmer becomes the first African American Governor of the Federal Reserve Board. He will go on to teach at Harvard and work as a consultant.

In the professional game between the Washington Senators and the Cleveland Indians, Emmett Ashford becomes the first black major league umpire. Vice President Hubert Humphrey is in attendance at this historic event. He goes on to umpire in the American League from 1966 through 1970.

Milton Olive, Jr., becomes the first African American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The award is given posthumously after Olive dove on a live grenade, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.

Grammy-winning1991"> R&B singer and actress Janet Jackson was born on this date in Gary, Indiana. Jackson has been performing since she was a child. She started her acting career with roles on the television series Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame. She then moved on to singing and performing. Some of her biggest musical hits include Control and That's the Way Love Goes.

Boxer1991"> "Iron" Mike Tyson was born on this date in Brooklyn, New York. Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world at the age of 20.

Honorable Harold D. Melton is born on this date in Washington, D.C.

Electrical Engineer1991"> & Entrepreneur John D. Terry is born.

African American revolutionaries1991"> Huey Newton and Bobby Seale form the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Oakland, California. The goals of the party, which branches out to other major cities throughout the country, include self-defense and revolutionary change in the United States. Harassed by local, state and federal authorities, Newton and Seale’s alternative to the nonviolent movement emerges as one of the most misrepresented segments of the Black Power Movement, working toward full black rights in employment, housing and education.

Edward W. Brooke III became the first Black elected to the1991"> U.S. Senate since Reconstruction on this date in Massachusetts.

Bill Russell is named the coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the first African American coach in the1991"> National Basketball Association.

Muhammad Ali defeats Floyd Patterson for the world heavyweight boxing title. It is, in the eyes of a public eager for symbolic figures, the triumph of DuBoisian nationalism over1991"> Booker T. Washington's style compromise.

Artist1991"> Zenobia Washington is born in Newark, New Jersey.

Dr. Maulana Karenga celebrates the first Kwanzaa, a seven day African American celebration of family and heritage. Kwanzaa means1991"> "first fruits of the season" in Swahili.