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Annie Brown who created the role of Bess in the George Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess” dies at age 97. Historian John Hope Franklin dies at age 94. He's best known for his book “From Slavery to Freedom,” which sold three million copies. ... The National Action Network holds its 11th annual national convention in New York at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers. Thousands of members of the organization, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, come from across the nation to attend. ...