Black History Corner

LIBRA SEPTEMBER 23 OCTOBER 22

- by Adelaide Abdur-Rahman

LIBRA - The Harmonizer

Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique appeal. Creative, energetic and very social. Hate to be alone. Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible.

The Opal is the stone for the month of October Opal has been called the Cupid stone because it reflects the complexion of Eros, the Greek god of love. In the Middle Ages, opal was thought to render the wearer invisible, thus it was recommended for thieves to wear opals. Ancient Arab culture believed opals fell from heaven, acquiring their play of color from flashes of lighting. To the Romans, the opal was the symbol of hope and purity. They called it “Cupid Paederos”, a child beautiful as love. The Roman senator Nonius chose to go into exile rather than surrender an opal to Mark Anthony and most opals are 50-65 million years old, dating back to the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs walked the earth.

October 17

You are domestic, reliable, competent, and generally satisfied with yourself. You have definite likes and dislikes. You are bright, witty, good-natured, and popular in your own circle. You should marry young.

1711 Jupiter Hammon, a slave all of his life and the first African American to publish his own poetry, was born in New York, NY.

1794 Thomas Dalton, an abolitionist dedicated to improving the lives of people of color in Boston, Massachusetts, was born in Gloucester, MA.

1799 Adam Crosswhite, a slave who won his case to be free, was born in Bourbon County, KY.

1806 Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first ruler of an independent Haiti, died in Pont Rouge, Haiti.

1817 Samuel Ringgold Ward, an orator and author (Autobiography of a Fugitive Negro), was born on the Eastern Shore, MD.