Black History Month - Day 8, 9 & 10
Kirani James
Kirani James is a Grenadian sprinter who won the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics securing his place on the world stage as an athletics superstar. James was 19 year old when he became the first non-American athlete to run the 400 meter in less than 44 seconds,. He is Grenada's first Olympian in any sport.
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar in 1940 for the role of Mammy in Gone With The Wind. She had to sit at a blacks-only table during the Oscar ceremony because of segregation laws of the time. In addition to acting in many films, McDaniel was a professional singer-songwriter, comedian, stage actress, radio performer, and television star; she was the first black woman to sing on the radio in America. She received screen credits for only 80 films, however McDaniel was in over 300 films during her expansive career.
Mandla Maseko
Mandla Maseko will be the first black African in space. The South African DJ beat out 1 million other international competitors and will be one of 23 to enter space on an hour-long excursion on the Lynx Mark II spaceship in 2015. Maseko had to endure a series of tests including assault courses, skydiving, air combat and G-force training, building and launching a rocket, and a written aptitude test in order to be accepted into the program. When asked about his motivation for wanting to go to space he answered, “I want to defy the laws of gravity".
Kirani James is a Grenadian sprinter who won the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics securing his place on the world stage as an athletics superstar. James was 19 year old when he became the first non-American athlete to run the 400 meter in less than 44 seconds,. He is Grenada's first Olympian in any sport.
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar in 1940 for the role of Mammy in Gone With The Wind. She had to sit at a blacks-only table during the Oscar ceremony because of segregation laws of the time. In addition to acting in many films, McDaniel was a professional singer-songwriter, comedian, stage actress, radio performer, and television star; she was the first black woman to sing on the radio in America. She received screen credits for only 80 films, however McDaniel was in over 300 films during her expansive career.
Mandla Maseko
Mandla Maseko will be the first black African in space. The South African DJ beat out 1 million other international competitors and will be one of 23 to enter space on an hour-long excursion on the Lynx Mark II spaceship in 2015. Maseko had to endure a series of tests including assault courses, skydiving, air combat and G-force training, building and launching a rocket, and a written aptitude test in order to be accepted into the program. When asked about his motivation for wanting to go to space he answered, “I want to defy the laws of gravity".
