On this day in Black History - January 20, 1838-
James Weeks found himself a free Black man when slavery ended in New York State in 1838. He purchased land from another free Black named Henry C. Thompson. This sale established the beginnings of a thriving self-sufficient African-American enclave in Brooklyn called Weeksville.
The African-American Registry acknowledges Jan. 20, 1838, as its founding date. Slaves escaping from the South found a home in Weeksville. For Blacks in... New York, it was the safest place in the city to have a quality of life away from racism.
By 1850, it was the second largest independent Black community in pre-Civil War America. Weeksville had its own churches, schools, businesses and newspaper, the Freedman’s Torchlight. Almost 500 families lived in Weeksville. Dr. Susan Smith McKinney-Steward, the first female Black physician in New York, was one prominent citizen who took residence here.
By the mid-1950s the community had been forgotten. But today the Weeksville Society is active in restoring old buildings and holding events educating the current surrounding areas on its legacy.

On this day in Black History - January 19, 1994-
For many Americans, the name Marley is synonymous with reggae, a genre that originated in Jamaica in the '60s. Bob Marley's mastery of the music led him to become the first international superstar from a third-world nation. Throughout his career, he sold more than 20 million records and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Jan. 19, 1994.
Marley was born in Jamaica on Feb. 6, 1945. He began honing his... craft as a child when he and a friend, Neville "Bunny" O'Riley Livingston, discovered a mutual love of music and inspired each other to develop their talent.
In 1963, Marley, Livingston and three others formed the Wailing Wailers. Some of the members changed over the years, and Marley even spent eight months in the United States, where his mother was living, the group continued. Their big break came in 1972 with a contract with Island Records.
Marley also developed an interest in the Rastafarian movement, which deeply influenced his music. It also played a big role in his death. After cancerous cells were discovered in his toe in 1977, doctors recommended amputation. But because of his religious beliefs, which prohibited it, Marley refused. He lived for several more years before it spread and took his life on May 11, 1981.
Marley's musical legacy lives on through his children, who also are musicians, and the Bob Marley Foundation, which supports people and organizations in developing nations.

On this day in Black History - January 16, 1920-
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 16, 1920, by five young African-American students.
The women formed the sorority with the mission of putting scholarship, service, sisterly love and finer womanhood first in their organization. Founders Arizona Cleaver Stemons, Pearl Anna Neal, Myrtle Tyler Faithful, Viola Tyler Goings and Fannie Pettie Watts desired to be part of a soror...ity that was not focused on "sorority elitism" and "socializing," according to their website.
In its early years, Zeta Phi Beta expanded first to other historically Black colleges and universities, such as Morris Brown College and Morgan State University. The organization now has more than 800 chapters in the U.S., Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
Notable members include late authors Zora Neale Hurston and Gwendolyn Brooks, comedienne Sheryl Underwood and singer Syleena Johnson.

On this day in Black History - January 14, 1969-
Black students, boiling with frustration from neglect and discrimination by the university’s faculty and administration, took over Morrill Hall at the University of Minnesota.
Before the takeover, African-American students could not stay in university dormitories or join fraternities and sororities. Black students felt there were no incentives tailored for their experience. Fed up with being ignored, they formed the Afro-Americ...an Action Committee. The group, led by student John Wright, listed demands and presented them at a meeting with the university’s president and officials. The students issued a 24-hour deadline for action on the administration’s behalf.
When the deadline passed, seven students walked into Morrill Hall and refused to leave until changes were made. The siege lasted two days.
This event led to the forming of the institution’s Martin Luther King Program and Afro Studies Department, where Wright is now a professor.

On this day in Black History - January 13, 2010-
Teddy Pendergrass, a beloved soul singer and songwriter known for his big baritone voice, died due to complications of colon cancer on Jan. 13, 2010, in Philadelphia, his hometown.
Pendergrass was born on March 26, 1950. He had his first taste of fame as the lead singer of the Philadelphia soul group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes in the 1970s. Their hits include their no. 1 R&B songs "If You Don't Know Me by Now" and "Wake U...p Everybody (Part 1)."
Pendergrass left the act in 1979 and launched a successful career of solo recordings that heated up the Billboard R&B charts. Some of his most popular cuts include "Close the Door," "Love T.K.O." and "Turn Off the Lights," love songs that gave him popularity among female audiences.
At the height of his career, Pendergrass was left paralyzed from the chest down in a car accident in 1982. The crooner continue to record music and released eight more albums. Pendergrass gave his last performance at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in November 2008.