*The book, An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy, was published on this date in 1944. This book was a study of American race relations authored by white Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal. Myrdal’s volume, at nearly 1,500 pages, painstakingly detailed what he saw as obstacles to full participation in American society that American blacks faced […]
learn more*On this date in 1932, Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, was decided. This was a landmark Supreme Court decision in which the Court reversed the convictions of nine young black men for allegedly raping two white women on a freight train near Scottsboro, Alabama. In March 1931, nine black men—Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen […]
learn more*Lemuel Penn was born on this date in 1915. He was a Black educator and soldier. Lemuel Augustus Penn was born in Washington D.C., joined the Army Reserve from Howard University, and served as an Officer in World War II in New Guinea and the Philippines, earning a Bronze Star. After serving his country, Penn […]
learn more*On this date in 1966, the Supreme Court decided United States v. Guest, 383 U.S. 745. Justice Potter Stewart authored this landmark decision. The Court extended the protection of the 14th Amendment to citizens who suffer rights deprivations at the hands of private conspiracies, where there is minimal state participation in the conspiracy. The Court also held that […]
learn more*On this date in 1964, Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. the United States was decided. This court case was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court. It held that the Commerce Clause gave the U.S. Congress power to force private businesses to abide by Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits […]
learn more*The Hollywood Victory Committee Negro Division was created on this date in 1941. Chaired by Hattie McDaniel, this was a Black subcommittee of the white Hollywood Victory Committee. Both committees were associated with the Screen Actors Guild to support American troops during World War II. It provided a means for stage, screen, television, and radio performers […]
learn more*Gunnar Myrdal was born on this date in 1898. He was a white Swedish economist, author, and sociologist. Myrdal’s writing used social economics to shed light on 20th-century American racism. Karl Gunnar Myrdal was born in Skattungbyn, Sweden, to Karl Adolf Pettersson, a building contractor, and his wife, Anna Sofia Karlsson. He took the name Myrdal in […]
learn more*James Nettle Glover was born on this date in 1793. He was a Black abolitionist and soldier. Born into slavery on a plantation in Port Tobacco, Maryland, he was one of three known War of 1812 veterans buried in Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. He was the grandson of John Glover, one of four brothers who […]
learn more*The birth of Cyril of Alexandria is celebrated on this date in c. 376. He was a Black North African leader. Little is known about Cyril’s early life. He was born in Didouseya, Egypt, modern-day El-Mahalla El-Kubra. A few years after his birth, his maternal uncle Theophilus rose to the powerful position of Patriarch of […]
learn more*Touré was born on this date in 1971. He is a Black author, journalist, cultural critic, and television personality. From Boston, MA., Touré Neblett’s father, Roy E. Neblett, was an accountant and a member of the personal staff of Boston mayor Kevin White. Touré’s parents met while Roy was studying at Suffolk University Law School, […]
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