June 29, 1886 – Photographer James Van Der Zee born. June 30, 1921 – Charles S. Gilping awarded Springarn Medal for his performance in Eugene O’Neill's Emperor Jones. July 1, 1889 – Frederick Douglass named U.S. Minister to Haiti. July 2, 1872 – Elijah McCoy patents his first self-lubricating locomotive engine. The quality of his inventions helped coin the phrase … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 29, 2023
Our History
This Week In Black History – June 22, 2023
June 22, 1897 – William Barry patents the postmarking and canceling machine. June 23, 1940 – Sprinter Wilma Rudolph, winner of three gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics, born. June 24, 1964 – Carl T. Rowan appointed the Director of the United States Information Agency. June 25, 1941 – Franklin D. Roosevelt issues executive order establishing Fair Employment … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 22, 2023
This Week In Black History – June 15, 2023
June 15, 1913 – Dr. Effie O’Neal, first black woman to hold an executive position in the American Medical Association, born. June 16, 1970 – Kenneth A. Gibson elected mayor of Newark, NJ, first African American mayor of a major eastern U.S. city. June 17, 1775 – Minuteman Peter Salem fights in the Battle of Bunker Hill. June 18, 1863 – The 54th Massachusetts Colored … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 15, 2023
Different fight, same goal: How the black freedom movement inspired early gay activists
The civil rights and early “homophile” movements shared leaders, ideas and, ultimately, the same goal, according to historians. On April 25, 1965, three teenagers refused to leave Dewey’s Restaurant in Philadelphia after employees repeatedly denied service to “homosexuals and persons wearing nonconformist clothing,” according to Drum magazine, which was created by the Janus … [Read more...] about Different fight, same goal: How the black freedom movement inspired early gay activists
This Week In Black History – June 8, 2023
June 7, 1917 – Poetess Gwendolyn Brooks, first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize (Poetry 1950), born. June 8, 1953 – Supreme Court ruling bans discrimination in Washington, DC restaurants. June 9, 1995 – Lincoln J. Ragsdale, pioneer fighter pilot of World War II, dies. June 10, 1854 – James Augustine Healy, first African American Roman Catholic Bishop, is … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 8, 2023
This Week In Black History – June 1, 2023
June 1, 1968 – Henry Lewis becomes first black musical director of an American symphony orchestra – the New Jersey Symphony. June 2, 1971 – Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., becomes first African American admiral in U.S. Navy. June 3, 1890 – L.H. Jones patents corn harvester. June 4, 1972 – Angela Davis acquitted of all murder and conspiracy charges. June 5, 1987 – Dr. … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 1, 2023
The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day
Nowadays, Memorial Day honors veterans of all wars, but its roots are in America’s deadliest conflict, the Civil War. Approximately 620,000 soldiers died, about two-thirds from disease. The work of honoring the dead began right away all over the country, and several American towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Researchers have traced the earliest annual … [Read more...] about The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day
On Memorial Day, remember our most loyal and ill-treated troops
Hundreds of thousands of African American men enlisted and fought for a nation that saw them as second-class citizens. They deserve our thanks. Hundreds of thousands of African American men enlisted and fought for a nation that saw them as second-class citizens. They deserve our thanks. While serving as a sentry with French forces in the Argonne Forest in 1918, a black … [Read more...] about On Memorial Day, remember our most loyal and ill-treated troops
This Week In Black History – May 25, 2023
May 25, 1926 – Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis born. May 26, 1961 – Marvin Cook named ambassador to Niger Republic; first black envoy to an African nation named by Kennedy Administration. May 27, 1919 – Madame C.J. Walker, cosmetics manufacturer and first black female millionaire, died. May 28, 1948 – National Party wins whites-only election in South Africa and begins to … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – May 25, 2023
This Week In Black History – May 18, 2023
May 18, 1896 – In Plessy vs. Ferguson, Supreme Court upholds the doctrine of “separate but equal” education and public accommodations. May 19, 1925 – Malcolm X born Malcolm Little in Omaha, NE. May 20, 1961 – U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy dispatches U.S. Marshals to Montgomery, AL, to restore order in the “Freedom Rider” disturbance. May 21, 1833 – African … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – May 18, 2023