This Week In Black History

Jet, March 22, 1999

March 16, 1827--

Freedom's Journal, one of the first Black newspapers, was published by John B. Russwurm and

Samuel E. Cornish, in New York City on this day. Freedom's Journal was founded to counteract a local newspaper that encouraged slavery and deplored the thought of freedom for slaves. The Journal's name was later changed to Right of All.

March 19, 1894--

* Jackie "Moms" Mabley, comedienne, was born Loretta Mary Aiken in Brevard, NC, on this day. Moms Mabley, a pioneer among women stand-up comics, was billed as the funniest woman in the world. She is best remembered for her "old man jokes." Moms always appeared onstage toothless, wearing a frumpy old hat, coat, dress and big brogans. Moms Mabley began her career in the 1920s in vaudeville. She was a major draw on the Black Theater circuit in the `40s, `50s and `60s and recorded a score of "party" comedy albums. She also made a variety of motion pictures. In 1969, she hit the pop Top 40 singles charts singing her tribute to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John F. Kennedy. Moms Mabley died on May 23, 1975.

March 20, 1883--

* Jan E. Matzeliger, inventor, patented the shoe lasting machine (Patent #274,207) that revolutionized the shoe industry on this day. He was born on September 15, 1862, in Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana (now Suriname). During the Industrial Revolution, there were many inventions that could cut, sew and tack shoes, but none could last a shoe. Jan Matzeliger designed such a device. His lasting machine could adjust a shoe, drive in the nails, and deliver the finished product in one minute! Not only that, Matzeliger's machine was capable of turning out 150 to 750 pairs of shoes a day compared to 50 done manually. He didn't live long enough to share in the great profits that resulted from his invention. Matzeliger died of tuberculosis at age of 37. In 1991, a stamp was issued in his honor as part of the U.S. Post Office's Black Heritage Collection.