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 tournament.
April 3, 1826
Poet-orator James Madison Bell, author of the Emancipation Day poem “The Day and the War”, born.
April 4, 1968
Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated.
April 5, 1951
Washington, DC Municipal Court of Appeals outlawed segregation in restaurants.
April 6, 1909
Matthew A. Henson reaches the North Pole, 45 minutes before Commander Peary