Gay and Lesbian
Pride Month. On June 11, 1999,
President Clinton issued a presidential proclamation designating June
as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In that proclamation, the president said
"...Since our earliest days as a nation, Americans have strived to make
real the ideals of equality and freedom so eloquently expressed in our
Declaration of Independence and Constitution. We now have a rare opportunity
to enter a new century and a new millennium as one country, living those
principles, recognizing our common values, and building on our shared
strengths. I encourage all Americans to observe this month with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate our diversity, and
to remember throughout the year the gay and lesbian Americans whose many
and varied contributions have enriched our national life."
June 1
Brigham Young
(1801–1877) : The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Religious leader. Converted after reading
the Book of Mormon, Brigham Young became the second president of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, fleeing persecution, led its
followers to establish the center of the Church at Salt Lake City.
Children's Day
: Laos. Public holiday.
Children's Day
: People's Republic of China. Public
holiday.
Madaraka (Self-Rule)
Day : Kenya. This marks the
day in 1964 that Kenya attained self-rule as a republic with Jomo Kenyatta
as its first president.
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June 2
Dorothy West
(1907–1998) : African American. Writer.
Nicknamed "the Kid" by Langston Hughes, Dorothy West was, when she died,
the last remaining member of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Born
into a Black upper middle class Boston family, West first published at
14 and later attended Boston University and the Columbia School of Journalism.
In 1934, she founded the literary journal, Challenge to give young
Black writers a place to publish. West later joined the Federal Writers
Project. In 1947, she left New York for Martha's Vineyard, where she lived
the rest of her life. West's novel, The Wedding, begun in the 1960s
and published in 1995, focuses as much on class as on race; in 1998 it
aired as a television miniseries produced by Oprah Winfrey.
Granting of
citizenship to American Indians (1924) : United States.
On this day, Congress extended the rights
of citizenship to all American Indians born in the United States. Previously,
only part of the American Indian population had been granted citizenship
through treaties, statutes, naturalization, and service in the armed forces.
Republic Day
: Italy. The Italian Republic
was established on June 2, 1946, by a popular referendum in which the
people chose a Republic over a Monarchy.
Visakaha
(vye-sak-hah) Day: Buddhist. In
the Theravada Buddhist tradition that predominates in Burma, Thailand,
Laos, and Cambodia, Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and nirvana are all
celebrated on this day. (m)
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June 3
Charles Richard
Drew (1904–1950) : African American. Physician.
A pioneer in blood research, Dr. Drew introduced the use of plasma on
the battlefield; organized the world's first mass blood bank project,
Blood for Britain; and established the American Red Cross Blood Bank,
of which he was the first director.
Roland Hayes
(1887–1976) : African American. Concert
singer. Roland Hayes was one of the first African Americans to have an
international concert career. His magnificent tenor voice brought him
wide acclaim from 1917 until his retirement from the concert stage in
the 1950s.
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June 4
Anniversary of
1979 Coup : Ghana. Public holiday.
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June 5
Constitution
Day : Denmark. This day commemorates
Denmark's adoption of a constitutional monarchy in 1849, ending absolute
rule by the monarchy.
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June 6
Alfred Kazin
(1915–1998) : Jewish American. Writer,
critic, teacher. Born of immigrant parents, Kazin attended the City College
of New York, receiving both his bachelor's and master's degrees in English.
In 1942, Kazin published his first book, entitled On Native Ground.
A wide-ranging review of the history of American literature from William
Dean Howells to William Faulkner, the book set a new standard for literary
criticism. Kazin continued to write many articles and essays, as well
as novels and literary criticism. His works include the postwar novel,
A Walker in the City, and literary volumes such as A Writer's
America and God and the American Writer.
Memorial Day
: South Korea. Public holiday.
National Day
: Sweden. This day commemorates
Sweden’s gaining independence from Denmark and the ascension to the throne
of King Gustavus in 1523.
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June 7
Bank Holiday
: Republic of Ireland. Public
holiday.
Malvinas Day
(Falkkand Islands) : Argentina. Public
holiday.
Queen's Birthday
: New Zealand. Public holiday.
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June 8
LeRoy (Satchel)
Paige (1906–1982) : African American. Baseball
player. Perhaps the most talented baseball player in the history of the
game, Paige became a legend for his showmanship, his fast ball, and his
longevity. Beginning in the 1920s in the Black leagues, Paige played some
2,500 professional games, of which he won at least 2,000; 250 of these
were shutouts, and 45 were no-hitters. In 1948, after the integration
of major league baseball, Paige signed with the Cleveland Indians. In
1952, as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns, he was named to the American
League All-Stars. This is the date of his death.
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June 10
Portuguese National
Day : Portugal. This national
holiday commemorates the death in 1580 of Luís Vaz de Camões, author of
the greatest literary work in Portuguese, the epic poem Os Lusíadas.
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June 12
Anne Frank (1929–1945)
: Jewish Dutch. This young girl
hid with her family from the Nazis in a secret apartment during the occupation
of the Netherlands. The hiding place was eventually discovered and the
family deported to concentration camps, but Anne's diary, discovered and
published after her death, became the most widely read of all personal
accounts of the
Independence
Day : Philippines. On this day
in 1898 the Philippines declared its independence from Spain. Many Filipinos
in the United States also celebrate this day. Filipino Americans all over
the United States celebrate Philippine Independence Day. Featured are
parades, folk dances, food and craft fairs, music, and various other forms
of cultural performances. Filipino Americans also observe Philippine-American
Friendship Day on July 4, as well as Rizal Day on December 30 to commemorate
the martyrdom of their national hero, José Rizal.
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June 13
Luis Alvarez
(1911–1988) : Mexican American.
Physicist. Alvarez's greatest contribution to science was his research
on subatomic particles, for which he won the Nobel Prize for Physics in
1968. During World War II he created a ground-controlled radar system
for aircraft landings, and later collaborated in the building of the atomic
bomb. In 1970 he and his son Walter proposed the theory that the extinction
of the dinosaurs had been caused by the collision of a comet or asteroid
with the earth.
Mary Antin (1881–1949)
: Jewish Russian American. Writer.
Coming to the United States at the age of 13 with her family, Mary Antin
flourished in her new country, going from first to fifth grade in the
Boston public schools in half a year. She soon showed herself to be a
gifted writer, published her first poem at age 15 and her first book,
a narrative of her journey from Russia to the United States, at age 18.
She is best known for her autobiographical work The Promised Land,
a classic account of immigration and assimilation.
Carlos Chávez
(1899–1978) : Mexican. Composer,
conductor, and educator. In the course of his long career, Chávez left
his mark on nearly every aspect of musical life in Mexico. He organized
Mexico's first symphony orchestra and conducted it for 20 years, introduced
modern European music to Mexican audiences, directed the National Conservatory,
and overhauled the system of music education in Mexican schools as head
of the department of fine arts in the ministry of education. His field
research into Mexican folk music enriched his own compositions, which
are notable for their complex rhythmic patterns, simple melodic lines,
and strong percussive effects.
Puerto Rican Day
Parade : United States. Since 1958, New
York and other major cities have held parades on the second Sunday in
June to celebrate the contributions of the Puerto Rican people to the
history of their city. The parades feature floats, singers, and dancers
in colorful costumes. These parades are similar to St. Patrick’s
Day, Italian, and Polish parades that have been held for decades in cities
throughout the country. (m)
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June 14
Independence
Day : Russia. This holiday celebrates
the first democratically elected president of Russia in the one-thousand-year
history of the state.
Queen's Birthday
: Australia. This holiday honors
the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of Great Britain, Northern
Ireland, Canada, and Australia. As queen of both England and Australia,
Elizabeth II is head of state and represented by the governor general.
This holiday is not celebrated in Western Australia.
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June 16
Youth Day observed
: South Africa. Public holiday.
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June 17
James Weldon
Johnson (1871–1938) : African American. Writer,
diplomat, educator, and civil rights leader. Johnson's writings include
songs (among them "Lift Every Voice and Sing," see entry for Dec. 12),
poetry, fiction, an autobiography, and critical and historical works on
African American culture. He also compiled anthologies of African American
poems and spirituals. A former high school principal, journalist, attorney,
and diplomatic representative in Venezuela and Nicaragua, he served the
NAACP from 1916 to 1930 as field secretary and then executive secretary,
greatly expanding the organization's membership and influence. He spent
the remainder of his life in university teaching.
Susan LaFlesche
Picotte (1865–1915) : American Indian (Omaha). Physician.
Youngest daughter of Chief Joseph LaFlesche (Iron Eye) and his wife Mary
(Iron Woman). After her education in the East, Picotte returned to the
reservation as a doctor and spent four years traveling among the 1,300
widely scattered Omahas, caring for the sick and hurt and educating them
about health and sanitation. Widowed in 1905 and with two sons, she moved
in 1906 to the new town of Walthill on the reservation, where she spent
her life practicing medicine, establishing a hospital, and serving her
community as a leader in church and civic activities.
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June 18
Evacuation Day
: Egypt. This marks the proclamation
of the Egyptian republic after a military coup deposed King Farouk in
1952.
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June 19
Juneteenth :
African American. This commemorates
the emancipation of all slaves in Texas by the Union general Gordon Grange.
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June 20
Father's Day
: Panama. Public holiday.
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June 21
Joseph H. Rainey
(1832–1887) : African American. Congressman.
The first African American elected to the United States House of Representatives,
Rainey was elected to five terms. He served his North Carolina district
from 1869 to 1879, supporting improvement of conditions for Indians on
reservations and the granting of full constitutional rights to Blacks.
Flag Day observed
: Argentina. Public holiday.
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June 22
Dragon Boat Festival
(Tuan-wu) : China. This is a
holiday in honor of Ch'ü Yuan, China's first major poet, who drowned himself
in 278 B.C.E. to protest the injustice and corruption of his prince's
government. In the traditional dragon boat races, teams from different
towns compete in long boats with bows shaped like large dragon heads.
The customary holiday food is a dumpling made of rice with a sweet filling
wrapped in a bamboo leaf. (m)
Sagrado Corozón
: Colombia. Public holiday.
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June 23
Wilma Rudolph
(1940–1994) : African American. Athlete.
Although Wilma Rudolph spent her childhood wearing a leg brace to support
a lame leg, she overcame her handicap and became a champion sprinter,
eventually setting a world record in the 200-meter dash. In the 1960 Olymimages
she was the most successful competitor in track and field events, as the
individual winner of the 100- and 200-meter dashes and a member of the
winning team in the 4 x 100-meter relay.
National Day
observed : Luxembourg. Also
celebrated as the King's birthday, this day commemorates Luxembourg's
gaining independence from Belgium and the Netherlands in 1848.
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June 24
Battle of Carabobo
: Venezula. Public holiday.
Manila Day :
Philippines. Public holiday.
St. John the
Baptist : Puerto Rico. Public
holiday.
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June 25
Bank Holiday
: Ecuador. Public holiday.
Battle of Little
Bighorn (1876) : American Indian. On
this date at Little Bighorn River, General George A. Custer was killed
and his command annihilated by combined forces of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians.
The determined resistance of the nomadic Plains tribes in the protection
of their hunting grounds and way of life earned them a number of military
victories before they were defeated by the stronger U.S. government forces.
(See entry for December 15.)
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June 27
Helen Keller
(1880–1968) : American. Author
and educator. Left deaf and blind by illness at the age of 19 months,
Helen Keller learned to speak and then to read and write Braille with
the help of her remarkable teacher, Annie Sullivan. After graduating cum
laude from Radcliffe College in 1904, she devoted her life to writing
and social activism, particularly in aid of people with one or both of
her disabilities. She traveled throughout the world, spoke out on public
issues, and wrote numerous books, including The Story of My Life
(1902) and Helen Keller's Journal (1938). Her extraordinary achievements
made her an international heroine and an inspiration to millions.
Stonewall Rebellion
(1969) : Gay/Lesbian. In the
early morning of this day, New York City police entered a gay bar on Christopher
Street in Greenwich Village and began harassing and taunting the patrons
with anti-gay comments. The patrons fought back in a protest that lasted
for the next three days. For many gays and lesbians, this protest marks
the first organized effort in the United States by gays and lesbians to
openly gain equality under the law.
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June 29
Stokely Carmichael
(1941–1998) : African American. Civil
rights leader. Known later in his life as Kwame Ture, Stokely Carmichael
was a charismatic civil rights leader. A graduate of the Bronx High School
of Science and Howard University, Carmichael became chairman of the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1966, a committee that had
two years earlier sent volunteers to the South to teach, set up clinics,
and register Black Southerners to vote. Carmichael originated the term
"Black Power" in a speech in 1966 that called for a more militant approach
to the civil rights movement. Becoming more militant and radicalized,
Carmichael resigned from SNCC and became prime minister of the Black Panther
Party in 1968. The following year Carmichael moved to Guinea, West Africa,
where he spent the latter part of his life as an advocate for a unified,
socialist Africa.
St. Peter and
St. Paul Day : Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Venezuela. Public
holiday.
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June 30
McCarran-Walter
Act (1952) : United States. This
U.S. immigration act, passed during the Korean War over President Truman's
veto, generally reaffirmed earlier, restrictive immigration policies but
removed the ban against naturalization of Asian and Pacific immigrants.
This provision was greeted with jubilation by Japanese-born residents
of the United States, who had been barred under previous laws from seeking
citizenship. Another provision of the law, however, empowered the Attorney
General to deport immigrants for Communist sympathies even if they had
become U.S. citizens. This provision led to widespread investigations
and deportations of Chinese residents.
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