Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, passes away on this date. She took her seat in the House of Representatives in 1969, and during her seven terms, she was highly critical of the legislative body as being to clubby, as well as a very outspoken opponent of the1991"> Vietnam War. Chisholm ran for President in 1972, and was also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Civil rights activist, author and educator1991"> James Forman passes away on this date.

Famed contralto1991"> Marian Anderson is honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp in a ceremony at Washington's Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall, the same building she was once denied the right to sing in because of the color of her skin.

Photographer1991"> Bertrand Miles passes away on this date in New York City.

Legendary actor1991"> Ossie Davis passes away on this date in Florida while filming a movie. He is survived by his wife of more than fifty years, Ruby Dee.

Jazz pianist and educator Edwin Kelly died on this date.

Writer, Director, Actor1991"> & Producer Ossie Davis dies.

R&B vocalist1991"> Tyrone Davis passes away on this date.

Attorney1991"> Earl L. Neal passes away in Chicago on this date. He is survived by his wife, Isobel, and his son, Langdon.

Co-founder and former chairman of ShoreBank1991"> Milton Davis passes away on this day.

Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, best known for heading up the defense for O.J. Simpson, passes away in Los Angeles.

Chemist1991"> Samuel Massie, who broke the race barrier at the United States Naval Academy as an instructor and worked on the Manhattan Project, passes away.

Insurance executive1991"> Lloyd Wheeler passed away on this date.

Nurse1991"> Betty Gross passes away in Chicago.

Musician, playwright and poet1991"> Oscar Brown, Jr. passes away in Chicago.

Internationally recognized opthamologist1991"> Dr. Maurice Rabb passes away in Chicago.

Music promoter1991"> Eddie Thomas is awarded the National Newspaper Publishers Association Music Legacy Award.

Hair care expert1991"> Olive Lee Benson passes away on this date.

Widely regarded as the father of1991"> affirmative action, Arthur Fletcher passes away on this date.

Affirmative Action Pioneer1991"> Arthur Fletcher dies.

Educator1991"> James Oscar Lee passes away on this day.

Cellist1991"> Donald White passes away on this date.

Publishing giant1991"> John H. Johnson, founder of Ebony and Jet passes away on this date.

Bass player1991"> Keter Betts, who performed with such legendary acts as Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald, passes away.

Publisher1991"> John H. Johnson dies.

Former1991"> Negro League Baseball player Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe passes away in Chicago.

Negro League Baseball Player Ted1991"> “Double Duty” Radcliffe dies.

Actor Brock Peters passes away on this date from complications with pancreatic cancer on this date. Some of Peters' film credits include1991"> Porgy and Bess, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Ghosts of Mississippi.

MaVynne1991"> 'Beach Lady' Betsch dies of cancer on this date.

Judge Constance Baker Motley dies on this date of congestive heart failure at the age of 84. She was the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge.

Motown producer and singer Willie Hutch passes away on this date in Duncanville, Texas.

Two-time1991"> Pulitzer prize-winning playwright August Wilson dies on this date. Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for The Piano Lesson and Fences during his career.

Actor Nipsey Russell dies on this date in1991"> New York City. He was 80 years old. Russell is best known for his role as the Tinman in the film, The Wiz.

Educator and arts advocate1991"> Rhoda Louise Kent-Hope passes away on this date.

Civil rights activist, C. DeLores Tucker dies on this date.

Vivian Malone Jones dies on this date. She was the first Black graduate of the University of1991"> Alabama and one of two to integrate the university.

Journalist Mattiebelle Woods dies on this date. She was known as the first lady of the Black press.

Civil Rights pioneer1991"> Rosa Parks dies on this date of natural causes at the age of 92.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye is named World Series MVP on this date in Houston, Texas. Dye had a batting average of1991"> .438 and hit one homerun and drove in three runs during the series against the Houston Astros.

Theologian1991"> & College President Richard McKinney dies

Junius Gaten dies on this date in1991"> Chicago, Illinois at the age of 105.

Actor, writer and innovative comedian1991"> Richard Pryor dies on this date of a heart attack in California. He was sixty-five years old.

Arts educator1991"> Della Hardman dies on this date on the island of Martha's Vineyard.

Community leader1991"> Art Minson passes away on this date.

Community Leader1991"> Art Minson dies.

Attorney and boxing promoter Truman Gibson dies on this date.

Community activist1991"> Jorja English Palmer passes away on this date.