In December 1991, Michael Jordan was honored as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, recognizing his exceptional achievements during the year. The magazine’s December 23, 1991 issue featured Jordan on the cover, notably incorporating an innovative holographic image of him.

In 1991, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA Championship, securing the NBA Finals MVP award. He also earned his second NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award that year.

The Sportsman of the Year award by Sports Illustrated is presented annually to an athlete, coach, or team whose performance embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement. Jordan’s selection in 1991 highlighted his dominance in basketball and his influence on the sport’s global popularity.

George and Noble Johnson founded the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, the first Black-owned film production company in the United States. Based in Los Angeles, the company was created to produce films that portrayed African Americans in a dignified and realistic light, countering the harmful stereotypes prevalent in mainstream cinema.

Their debut film, “The Realization of a Negro’s Ambition” (1916), told the story of a young Black man’s journey to success—an empowering narrative rarely seen at the time.

Lincoln paved the way for future generations of Black filmmakers and actors by proving that African American stories deserved to be told by African Americans.

On December 17, 1975, baseball legend Henry “Hank” Aaron was honored with the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP. This prestigious award recognized his exceptional achievement in breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record and his exemplary sportsmanship throughout his career. Aaron’s accomplishment not only set a new benchmark in baseball but also served as a significant milestone in the broader context of African American achievements in sports.

The Spingarn Medal, established in 1914 by the NAACP, is awarded annually to honor the highest achievement of an American of African descent.

Aaron’s legacy extends beyond his athletic prowess; he was a life member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and received numerous accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Presidential Citizens Medal.

Noble Sissle, renowned jazz lyricist, bandleader, and playwright, died on this day in Tampa, Florida. He was best known for his groundbreaking collaboration with composer Eubie Blake. Together, they created the landmark Broadway musical “Shuffle Along” (1921), one of the first major theatrical productions to be written and performed by African Americans.

Sissle wrote the lyrics and provided vocals, while Blake composed and played the music. Their work paved the way for Black performers on Broadway and helped introduce jazz to mainstream American theater.

On December 17, 1971, Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr. of Michigan resigned from his position as a delegate to the United Nations. This action was taken in protest of what he described as the “stifling hypocrisy” of the Nixon Administration’s policies toward Africa.

Diggs, who was the first African American elected to Congress from Michigan, was a prominent advocate for African affairs and civil rights. He chaired the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa for a decade, emphasizing the importance of increased American aid to newly independent African nations and opposing colonial and apartheid regimes.

His resignation from the U.N. delegation underscored his commitment to aligning U.S. foreign policy with the principles of self-determination and justice for African countries.

Marion Perkins, a self-taught African American sculptor from Chicago, died on this day in 1961. Born in 1908, Perkins worked as a newspaper vendor on Chicago’s South Side during the Great Depression. In his spare time, he began carving figures from bars of soap—early signs of his immense artistic talent.

His work was discovered by Peter Pollack, then director of the Community Art Center Division of the Illinois Art Project (part of the WPA). Perkins went on to produce powerful sculptures reflecting social justice, civil rights, and the dignity of everyday people. His most famous work, Man of Sorrows, embodies themes of suffering and resilience.

Perkins’ life and art reflected a deep commitment to social change, and he remains a celebrated figure in African American art history.

Eddie Kendricks, future co-founder and falsetto lead singer of the legendary Motown group The Temptations, is born in Union Springs, Alabama. As part of the original Temptations lineup, Kendricks lent his smooth vocals to timeless classics like “Just My Imagination”, “The Way You Do the Things You Do”, and “Get Ready.”

In 1971, Kendricks launched a solo career, achieving major success with hits such as “Keep on Truckin’” and “Boogie Down.” His sound helped shape the evolution of soul, funk, and disco in the 1970s.

In 1982, Kendricks rejoined The Temptations for a reunion tour and commemorative album, marking a powerful moment in Motown history. He remains celebrated for his signature falsetto and contributions to Black music culture.

Art Neville was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He would go on to become a pioneering figure in funk and R&B music as a founding member of the iconic group The Neville Brothers, along with his siblings Aaron, Charles, and Cyril. Art also co-founded influential funk bands The Meters and The Funky Meters, whose grooves laid the foundation for countless hip-hop samples and funk classics. His contributions helped shape the sound of New Orleans music and left an enduring mark on American musical history.

On this day, the League of Nations officially granted South Africa a Class C mandate to administer South West Africa (present-day Namibia) following Germany’s defeat in World War I. This decision allowed South Africa to govern the former German colony, but in practice, it marked the beginning of decades of colonial rule and apartheid-like policies imposed on the local African populations.

South Africa administered the territory as a de facto fifth province and later refused to relinquish control even after the League of Nations was dissolved, leading to international disputes. The fight for Namibian independence would continue until the country finally gained freedom in 1990.

James P. Thomas, a formerly enslaved man who gained his freedom and became a prosperous entrepreneur, died on this day in 1913. After opening a barbershop in his home in Tennessee, Thomas went on to build an impressive financial legacy, amassing nearly $100,000 in assets and property over his lifetime — an extraordinary achievement for a Black man in the post-Civil War South.

His life is a testament to Black resilience and entrepreneurship during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era. Thomas’s story was preserved in his autobiography, “Life and Times of James P. Thomas, Written by Himself.”

Henry Adams was born enslaved in Forks of the Road, Louisiana. After gaining freedom, he became a Union Army soldier, political leader, and civil rights activist during and after Reconstruction. He is best remembered for his testimony before a U.S. Senate committee in 1880, which described in detail the violence and voter suppression Black citizens faced in the South after the Civil War.

Adams also helped organize one of the largest Black emigration movements of the 19th century, known as the Exoduster Movement, encouraging African Americans to leave the South and settle in Kansas to escape racial oppression.

Deborah Sampson Gannett, born on December 17, 1760, in Plympton, Massachusetts, was a remarkable figure in American history. She is best known for disguising herself as a man to serve in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Assuming the name Robert Shurtliff, she enlisted in 1782 and served for 17 months, participating in several engagements and sustaining injuries before her true identity was discovered. Following her honorable discharge in 1783, Deborah married Benjamin Gannett in 1785 and later became one of the first women to lecture publicly about her wartime experiences. She passed away on April 29, 1827, in Sharon, Massachusetts.

On this day, Queen Nzinga (also spelled Nzingha or Njinga), the legendary ruler of Ndongo and Matamba in present-day Angola, passed away. Known as the “Amazon Queen of West Africa,” Nzinga was a brilliant military strategist and skilled diplomat who fiercely resisted Portuguese colonization and the transatlantic slave trade for over 30 years.

Nzinga formed strategic alliances with other African kingdoms and even negotiated with the Dutch to challenge Portuguese dominance. She ruled as both queen and warrior, often leading troops into battle herself. Her legacy inspired future generations of African resistance leaders and remains a powerful symbol of anti-colonial struggle and African sovereignty.