People, Locations, Episodes

Michaele Pride, Architect, and Educator born

Michaele Pride was born on this date in 1956. She is an African American architect and educator.

The Little Rock Nine, a story

*The Little Rock Nine is celebrated on this date in 1957. The Little Rock Nine were nine African American students who were first denied but eventually enrolled to integrate Arkansas Little Rock Central High School. The U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision occurred on May 17, 1954. Tied to the Fourteenth Amendment, the decision declared […]

Julie Felix, Ballerina, and Teacher born

*The birth of Julie Felix is celebrated on this date in 1958. She is a retired Black British ballerina and teacher. Having grown up in Ealing, west London, in the 60s, Felix knew about racial distinction. She did not often notice any faces that weren’t white in the neighborhood or at college, she says. After […]

Michael Eric Dyson, Writer, Minister, and Scholar born

Michael Eric Dyson was born on this date in 1958. He is an African American educator and writer.

The University of Georgia Reinstates Hunter, and Holmes

On this date in 1961, racial rioting erupted on the campus of the University of Georgia.

Black students Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes were suspended for their involvement, but eventually reinstated by a federal court order. Hunter-Gault later became an Emmy award-winning journalist with the McNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.

100 Black Men of America is Formed

*On this date in 1963, we affirm 100 Black Men of America.  They are a men’s civic organization and service club aiming to educate and empower African American children and teens.   100 Black Men has 110 chapters in different cities in the United States and worldwide. The mission statement is “to improve the quality of life within our communities and enhance educational and […]

The University of Alabama Integrates

On this date in 1963, Vivian Malone and James Hood integrated the University of Alabama.

Accompanied by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, their attempt to register at the University of Alabama was temporarily blocked by Governor George Wallace. The governor (physically) bodily blocked their entrance to the University with his “stand in the schoolhouse door.” In 2003, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., gave a keynote address at The University of Alabama’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the first successful enrollment of African American students.

“A Better Chance” is Founded

*The founding of A Better Chance (ABC) in 1963 is celebrated on this date. They are a national non-profit talent search organization.

The National Museum of African Art in Washington D.C. Opens

This date in 1964 celebrates the National Museum of African Art (NMAA) in Washington, D.C. It was established as a private museum by diplomat Warren M. Robbins, and officially became a part of the Smithsonian Institution in August 1979.

The museum was originally housed in the Washington residence of African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. It is a celebration of the visual arts and cultures of Africa. It opened in a new building on the National Mall on this date in 1989.

Freedom Schools in America Begin

This date in 1964 celebrates Freedom Schools. These were exclusive Black institutions of learning that helped shape the Civil Rights movement.

In the 1960s, the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) organized its Freedom Summer operation. Its main objective was to end the political disenfranchisement of Blacks in the Deep South. Volunteers concentrated their efforts in Mississippi.

Maurice Ashley, Chess Grand Master born

*Maurice Ashley was born on this date in 1966. He is an African American chess player, educator and Grand Master.

From St. Andrew, Jamaica he moved to Brooklyn, NY with his family at age 12. His brother was the source of his learning the game of Chess. Ashley also got a great amount of inspiration from writings of former World Champion Paul Morphy. While attending Brooklyn Tech High School he gained proficiency in local tournaments. Ashley also sharpened his Chess competition with the Black Bear Chess Club.

Charles Drew University is Founded

*The founding of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science happened on this date in 1966. Originally the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School (later Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science) has evolved and grown since it’s beginning.

The City, Inc., Youth Center Opens

The founding of The City, Inc., in 1967 is celebrated on this date. It was a community service and alternative school for at-risk youth grades 9 through 12 in Minneapolis, MN.

The Institute of the Black World (IBW) is Formed

*The Institute of the Black World (IBW) is celebrated on this date in 1969. IBW was a think tank based in Atlanta, Georgia, founded and directed by African diaspora intellectuals until 1983. Led primarily by Vincent Harding, it was originally a project of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Described by the historian […]

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association is Founded

*The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) is celebrated on this date in 1970. They are an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA) that focuses on the needs of African American library professionals by promoting careers in librarianship, funding literacy initiatives, and providing scholarships. While work began to organize a Black Caucus […]