Our History

June 27, 1991 – Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall announced his retirement. June 28, 1864 – Fugitive Slave Laws repealed by Congress. June 29, 1886 – Photographer James Van Der Zee was born. June 30, 1921 – Charles S. Gilping awarded Spingarn Medal for his performance in Eugene O’Neill's play "Emperor Jones." July 1, 1889 – Frederick Douglass named U.S. … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 27, 2024

June 20, 1953 – Albert W. Dent of Dillard University elected president of the National Health Council. June 21, 1945 – Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., became first African American to command a U.S. Army Air Corps base. June 22, 1897 – William Barry patented the postmarking and canceling machine. June 23, 1940 – Sprinter Wilma Rudolph, winner of three gold medals at … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 20, 2024

June 14, 1864 – Congress ruled that African American soldiers must receive equal pay. 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 … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 13, 2024

June 6, 1831 – First annual “People of Color” convention was held in Philadelphia. June 7, 1917 – Poetess Gwendolyn Brooks, first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize (Poetry 1950), was born. June 8, 1953 – Supreme Court ruling banned discrimination in Washington, DC restaurants. June 9, 1995 – Lincoln J. Ragsdale, pioneer fighter pilot of World War II, died. … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – June 6, 2024

May 30 1965 – Vivian Malone became the first African American to graduate from the University of Alabama. May 31, 1870 – Congress passed the first Enforcement Act, providing stiff penalties for those who deprive others of their civil rights. June 1, 1968 – Henry Lewis became the first black musical director of an American symphony orchestra – the New Jersey Symphony … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – May 30, 2024

May 23, 1900 – Sgt. William H. Carney became the first African American awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor at Fort Wagner, SC, in 1863. May 24, 1854 – Lincoln University (PA), the first black college, was founded. May 25, 1926 – Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis was born. May 26, 1961 – Marvin Cook was named ambassador to Niger Republic, the first black … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – May 23, 2024

May 16, 1927 – William Harry Barnes became first African American certified by any American surgical board. May 17, 1954 – U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education decision. May 18, 1896 – In Plessy vs. Ferguson, Supreme Court upheld the doctrine of “separate but equal” in education and public … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – May 16, 2024

May 9, 1899 – John Albert Burr patented the rotary blade lawn mower. May 10, 1950 – Boston Celtics selected Chuck Cooper as first black player drafted to play in the NBA. May 11, 1895 – Composer William Grant Still, the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, was born. May 12, 1820 – The New York African Free School population reacheed … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – May 9, 2024

May 2, 1920 – Indianapolis ABCs defeated Chicago Giants in first Negro National League Game. May 3, 1964 – Frederick O’Neal became first black president of the Actor’s Equity Association. May 4, 1961 – “Freedom Riders” began protesting segregation of interstate bus travel in the South. May 5, 1988 – Eugene Marino became first African American installed as a Roman … [Read more...] about This Week In Black History – May 2, 2024