August 11, 1921 – Alex Haley, author of Roots, born.
August 12, 1977 – Steven Biko, leader of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa, arrested.
August 13, 1981 – The Reagan Administration undertakes its review of 30 federal regulations, including rules of civil rights to prevent job discrimination.
August 14, 1989 – The North Carolina Black Repertory Company hosts the first National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, NC.
August 15, 1888 – Granville T. Woods patents electromechanical brake.
August 16, 1922 – Author Louis E. Lomax born.
August 17, 1849 – Lawyeractivist Archibald Henry Grimké, who challenged the segregation policies of President Woodrow Wilson, born.
