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Historical Events in Time, the Nineties

1990


Saddam Hussein flexed his military muscle by invading his little oil rich neighbor, Kuwait. Moscow joined the U.S. and other nations demanding an immediate retreat by the Iraq forces.
 
 
 
Nelson Mandela, imprison for the last 27 years in Johannesburg, South Africa was set free.

1991


President Bush’s nomination of Clarence Thomas for the U.S. Supreme Court set off a firestorm of controversy, topped by an appearance of Anita Hill at the Senate confirmation hearings. She accused Mr. Thomas of sexually harassing her during the time she worked in his law office. Never the less, the man whose opponents called "a black face on the right-wing agenda" was confirmed to take the vacated seat of Thurgood Marshall.
                
 
 

George Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated" after allied forces broke through Iraqi fortifications along the Kuwaiti boarder and completely neutralized their ability to take any aggressive action to defend themselves, Liberation came after six months and twenty-five days.

1990


New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicks off its 21 year by showcasing B.B. King, Linda Ronstadt, Gay Burton, Ornette Coleman, Ramsey Lewis, and the home grown Neville Brothers with Aron Neville. The event, complete with jambalaya, crawfish pie, gumbo, and red beans and rice served will last ten days.
 
Times…they are a changing. Presently, 1 out of ever 4 Americans is nonwhite. It’s predicted that Asians will increase by 22%, Hispanics by 21%, African Americans, 12%, and whites by 2%.

1991

 
 
 
                                   
In March the name of Rodney King dominated the news. He was the black man who took a severe beating from 4 white policemen. This after the car in which he was a passenger lead police on a high-speed chase finally came to a halt. The savage beating was video taped and occurred after Mr. King exited the car and was being taken into custody. The police stated that he was resisting arrest so they had to use force to subdue him.
        1992

South Central Los Angeles erupted in a riot after a all white jury returned a not guilty verdict for the 4 policeman videotaped beating Rodney King.

                     1992

At the Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain’s, NBA players, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Scottie Pippen were members of United States basketball team. "The Dream Team", as they were called beat each opponent by an average of 40 points to win the gold medal.

Natalie Cole captured a Grammy musical award for her recording of a sound-mix duet with the late Nat King Cole. It was a moving experience to see a background video of her father singing the lyrics of Unforgettable, originally released 42 years ago and Ms Cole singing along as if he were on stage and at her side.                        

 

1992
    

Mae C. Jemison, MD, a Cornell Medical School graduate is the first female and black woman to travel into outer space. Her duties aboard the 8 day Endeavor space flight included conducting experiments in claustrophobia, and motion sickness to name a few.

  

 

 

L. Douglas Wilder, the man Virginia elected as the first African American Governor in the U.S. ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The U.S. Census records 31 million African Americans make up 12.5% of the United States population.

1993

Jocelyn Elders,MD, was appointed by President Clinton and became the first black U.S. Surgeon General. Carol Mosley Braun, Democrat of Illinois was elected the first African American woman United States Senator.


                               

 


 

32.8% of African American high school graduates enrolled in college to continue their education. This is a decline of 15.2% from 1977 record year of 48 percent. 41.4% of white high school graduates enrolled. Cypress Hill, a Hip-Hop group is riding high in the charts. Their new CD, Black Sunday is the top selling LP on Billboards pop chart.

1994


Moses Gunn, Broadway and film actor, and co-founder of the Negro Ensemble Company died on Jan 3rd. Winner of OBIE awards for his Titus Andronicus (1967), and The First Breeze of Summer (1975), his many films credits included The First White Hope (1970) and Shaft (1971).                               

1994


At 45 years of age, "Big" George Forman excited old and young boxing fans by knocking out 26 year old Michael Moorer to regain the heavyweight championship he lost 20 years earlier to Muhammad Ali in Zaire.
 

Medgar Evers case reopened in Jackson Mississippi with Assistant DA Bobby DeLaughter set to prosecute the case.

1994


Ernest Finney Jr., elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court in 1985 became Chief Justice. Annice Wagner became the country’s first African American woman Chief Justice as she was appointed and serves for the District of Columbia. She also serves as the Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, a policy-making body for the courts of Washington, D.C.                       

1995

Celebrating the organizations 150th anniversary in Atlanta, GA, 20,000 Southern Baptist Conventioneers, speaking for their 15.6 million memberships, overwhelmingly to "repent of racism of which we have been guilty" and asked the forgiveness of "all African Americans". Reportedly the church began in 1845, supported slavery and failed to support civil rights movements in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  
 
 

October 16th will be remembered as the day One Million Black Men descended on Washington, D.C. to show their solidarity and concern for the plight of the communities from which they came. The event first called for by Louis Farrakhan turned out to be a testimony to African American males concern with their status in the United States.

           
                   1995

Robert Benham became Chief Justice of Georgia’s Supreme Court. Vivian Malone Jones Scholarship Fund was established honoring one of the first black enrollees and graduates at the University of Alabama. Danell Tipton is the urban cowboy and International Professional Rodeo Associations bull riding champion.

By a vote of 5 to 4, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that voting districts designed to promote the election of minorities was unconstitutional. In doing so, this would affect many of the 39 African Americans elected during the 1994 campaign.
Dr. Jocelyn Elders resigned the position of U.S. Surgeon General. Her views on abortion, public school sex education, and the advocating of condoms to combat Aids and teenage pregnancy proved too much for the Clinton administration to defend.                   

1996

 


      

 


    

Willie L. Brown Jr., who served as Speaker of the California Assembly for the last 14 years, was elected as the first black Mayor of San Francisco. Robert Bell, a Harvard University Law School graduate became Chief Justice of Maryland’s State Supreme Court. The United States first black Commerce Secretary; Ronald Harmon Brown was killed when a plane carrying 34 other people on a Balkans trade mission crashed into a Croatian mountaintop.

                

 


     

The National Trust for Historic Preservation of Washington D.C. placed Southern Black Churches at the top of the Nations most endangered historic sites. Fires classified as arson burned over 36 churches and threatens to destroy one of the most important African Americans Institutions. The Museum of African American History in Detroit reopens as the nations largest black museum.


Atlanta, Georgia hosted the Worlds greatest sporting event-1996 Centennial Olympic Games. As a result, traditional black colleges Clark Atlanta, Spelman, Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris Brown, and Morehouse played major roles in hosting the games practices or events. Morehouse received a new state-of-the-art basketball facility. Spelman has new tennis courts and feel the world was exposed to its multi-million dollar art museum. Clark Atlanta has a new 5000 seat stadium, a brand new track surface, upgraded baseball field, and Hi-tech dormitory building. Morris Brown received a 15000-seat stadium with classrooms and weight room. And Morehouse School of Medicine has a new million dollar Sports Research Center.                               

 

 

      

Michael Jordan is set to earn $25 to $30 million dollars for leading the Chicago Bulls to a fifth NBA Championship.
 

1997

                               
Charles Freeman was appointed Chief Justice of the Illinois State Supreme Court. Conrad Mallett became the youngest Chief Justice at 43 years old. He was appointed to head Michigan’s State Supreme Court. David Satcher, MD, PHD, a four star Admiral was chosen by President Clinton to serve as U.S. Surgeon General, making him the first black male to hold that post.

In October, Philadelphia Activists Phile’ Chionesu and Asia Coney realized the fruits of Their efforts-The Million Woman March. Black women from all over the country convened in Philadelphia and marched to Benjamin Franklin’s Park to exhibit solidarity with their sisters.

 

1998

                                         
In June, 49 year old James Byrd Jr., a disabled black man died after 3 white men tied him to the back of their pickup truck and dragged him over a rough dirt in Texas.
After taking the Viagra (Thrill) pill, a 70-year old New York man dumped his 63-year-old lover stating "It’s time for me to be a stud again. The Viagra pill allows people suffering from impotency to enjoy sexual relations again. It is taking mostly by men.

 

  

1997


More and more African Americans are abandoning the north and returning to the southern areas from which they or their parents came. Cities such as Atlanta, Montgomery, Little Rock, Charlotte and the more rural areas of the south are experiencing this reversal of "the great migration" to the north some 90 years ago.
       

Twenty-one year old Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods won golf’s most prestigious event, The Masters. His feat caused a rise in minorities interest in playing and following Golf.

1998


The Los Angeles Times reported a deadly drug over turf in Imam’s Overtown neighborhood. The police reported a would be assassin "was so eager to fire at his street corner targets that he did not bother to roll down the window of his own car before unleashing a volley from a high-powered assault weapon. "In this game, territory is worth a lot more than human life. And a body count is a good thing" said Miami police Lieutenant Bill Schwartz.
                    1998
Two Articles of Impeachment on President Clinton passed the House of Representatives in one of the most partisan debates and vote ever held. Against the American public’s wishes and Democratic opposition, Republicans sent the whole sordid matter to the Senate for trial.

A Budget Surplus of $70 billion was realized at the end of the United States Fiscal. According to a Gallup Poll, President Clinton was the most admired man in America. His rating was 4% higher than before the Monica (the Dress) Lewinsky sex scandal.

‘Contract with Americas’ Republican Newt Gingrich-once described as the most powerful man in Washington resigned as Speaker of the House in December.

1999

    

Make your reservations early for the year 2000 New Years Eve. It will be a night to remember. So plan for it to be special for you and yours.

   

 

                 

     

There are reports of a possible champagne shortage meaning the price will rise more and more as the Millennium approaches.

Its politics as usual in Washington D.C. as we embark on making history in 1999. The Senate trial for the Impeachment of President Clinton has started. The public can attend the trail, that is 50 can buy a ticket that last 15 minutes. Whose idea was this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         
2000 and beyond

Y2K, as expected by industry watchers came and went without a major glitch in services, etc in the US or around the world. And now we can get on with our lives.

Today’s minority population stands at 26 percent of the US total. In the year 200, African American is expected to make up 12.2% of the US population to the Hispanics 11.4%. By 2010 Hispanics will number 13.8% to African Americans 12.6%. And by 2020 Hispanics gains will reach 16.3% to 12.9 for African American. During that same span 2000 to 2020, whites will decrease from 71.8% to 64.3%; Asian will increase from 3.9% to 5.7%.

Its expected that computers and technology will continue to replace workers', prompting many of those displaced to start their own business. And so it goes.