Our History

March 30, 1870 – Fifteenth Amendment ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to African Americans. March 31, 1988 – Toni Morrison wins Pulitzer Prize for Beloved. April 1, 1950 – Charles R. Drew, who developed techniques for processing and preserving blood, died. April 2, 1984 – Georgetown coach John Thompson becomes first black coach to win NCAA basketball … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

March 23, 1873 – Slavery abolished in Puerto Rico. March 24, 1837 – Canada gives African American citizens the right to vote. March 25, 1843 – Explorer Jacob Dodson sets out in search of the Northwest Passage. March 26, 1872 – Thomas J. Martin patents fire extinguisher. 1911 – William H. Lewis becomes U.S. assistant attorney general. March 27, 1930 – Of the 116,000 … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

March 16, 1846 – Rebecca Cole, second black female physician in America, born. March 17, 1885 – William F. Cosgrove patents automatic stop plug for gas and oil pipes. 1890 – Charles B. Brooks patents street sweeper. March 18, 1822 – The Phoenix Society, a literary and educational group, founded by blacks in New York City. March 19, 1971 – Rev. Leon Sullivan elected to … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

March 9, 1941 – Amistad mutineers freed by U.S. Supreme Court. March 10, 1913 – Harriet Tubman dies. March 11, 1959 – Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin In the Sun” opens at Barrymore Theater, New York, the first play by a black woman to premier on Broadway. March 12, 1932 – Andrew Young, former U.N. ambassador and former mayor of Atlanta, born. March 13, 1773 – Jean … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

March 2, 1867 – U.S. Congress enacts charter to establish Howard University. March 3, 1865 – Freedman's Bureau established by federal government to aid newly freed slaves. March 4, 1965 – Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics honored as NBA most valuable player for fourth time in five years. March 5, 1770 – Crispus Attucks becomes one of the first casualties of the … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

February 23, 1868 – W.E.B. Dubois, scholar, activist and author of the Souls of Black Folk, born. February 24, 1922 – The home of Frederick Douglass made a national shrine. February 25, 1853 – First black YMCA organized in Washington, DC. February 26, 1965 – Civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson died after being shot by state police in Marion, AL. February 27, … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

February 16, 1874 – Frederick Douglass elected president of Freedman’s Bank and Trust. February 17, 1902 – Marion Anderson, internationally acclaimed opera star, born. February 18, 1931 – Toni Morrison, winner of 1988 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, born. February 19, 1923 – In Moore vs. Dempsey decision, U.S. Supreme Court guarantees due process of law to blacks in state … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

February 9, 1964 – Arthur Ashe, Jr., becomes first African American on U.S. Davis Cup team. February 10, 1989 – Ronald H. Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee. February 11, 1990 – Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years. February 12, 1909 – NAACP founded in New York City. February 13, 1970 – Joseph L. Searles becomes first … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History

February 2, 1807 – Congress bans foreign slave trade. February 3, 1956 – Autherine Lucy enrolls as the first African American student at the University of Alabama. February 4, 1913 – Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer who sparked Montgomery bus boycott, born. February 5, 1934 – Major league home run champion Hank Aaron born. February 6, 1867 – Robert Tanner Jackson … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History