People, Locations, Episodes

Michele Roberts, Lawyer and Administrator born

*The birth of Michele Roberts is celebrated on this date in 1956. She is a Black lawyer and administrator. Michele A. Roberts grew up in a housing project in the South Bronx. She attended the master’s school in Dobbs Ferry, NY. She earned her BA from Wesleyan University in 1977 and her JD from the […]

The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde is Formed

*On this date in 1956, The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) began. PAIGC is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. Formed initially as a peaceful campaign for independence from Portugal, the party turned to armed conflict in the 1960s. It was one of the belligerents in the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence. […]

The South Africa Treason Trial Begins

*On this date in 1956, the South Africa Treason trial began.  This Treason Trial was a prosecution in Johannesburg in which 156 mostly Black citizens were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa. On December 5 of that year, the South African Police’s Security Branch raided and arrested 140 people from […]

Ghana Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1957, Ghana became the first African nation to achieve freedom from colonial rule.

British Parliament, in January 1957, passed the Ghana Independence Act, and the first week of March that year, the National Assembly of Ghana issued an independence proclamation, then joining the United Nations. The dominant political party of the new nation was the Convention People’s party (CPP), headed by Kwame Nkrumah, who was the country’s first prime minister. On February 24, 1966, Nkrumah, who was on a state visit to China, was overthrown in a military coup.

Simkins v. City of Greensboro is Decided

*On this date in 1957, Simkins v. City of Greensboro was decided.  This case required the City of Greensboro, North Carolina, to stop discriminating based on race at its Gillespie Park Golf Club, even though it was leasing the club to a private organization. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision.  In December 1955, […]

Michaelle Jean, Politician born

*Michaëlle Jean was born on this date in 1957.  She is a Black Canadian stateswoman and former journalist.  Michaëlle Jean was a refugee from Haiti coming to Canada in 1968 and was raised in Thetford Mines, Quebec. After receiving many university degrees, Jean worked as a journalist and broadcaster for Radio-Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), as well as charity work, […]

The American Civil Rights Act of 1957 is Signed

*On this date in 1957, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was signed.  It was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.   The Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education brought the issue of school desegregation […]

Marc Morial, Lawyer, and Civic Leader born

*Marc Morial was born on this date in 1958. He is an African American administrator, politician, civic leader and lawyer.

Marc Morial grew up in New Orleans, in the 7th ward. He is the son of Ernest N. Morial, New Orleans’ first African American mayor, and Sybil (Haydel) Morial, teacher. He is the second of five children. Morial graduated from Jesuit High School in 1976 and received a bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1980. After this he earned a J.D. degree in 1983 from Georgetown University.

Cooper v. Aaron is Ruled

*On this date in 1958, Cooper v. Aaron, 358 U.S. was decided.  This landmark United States Supreme Court decision denied the Arkansas School Board the right to delay desegregation for 30 months.  The Warren Court handed down a per curiam decision which held that the Court’s decisions bind the states and must enforce them even […]

Guinea Gains its Independence From France

*On this date in 1958, Guinea gain its independence from France.  Self-governing occurred 74 years after the 1884 invasion from the Berlin Conference, the high point of white-European competition for territory in Africa, a process commonly known as the Scramble for Africa.  That year the French Fourth Republic collapsed due to political instability and its failures in dealing with […]

Letitia James, Attorney, and Activist born

*Letitia James was born on this date in 1958.  She is a Black lawyer, activist, and politician.   Letitia Ann “Tish” James was born in Brooklyn. She is one of eight children born to Nellie James in Martinsville, Virginia, and Robert James. She attended New York City public schools and received her B.A. from the City University […]

Michael Steele, Public Policy Administrator, born

*Michael Steele was born on this date in 1958. He is a Black attorney, political commentator, teacher, and Republican Party politician. Michael Stephen Steele was born at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and was adopted as an infant by William and Maebell Steele. His father died in 1962. Born into a […]

Dorsey v. State Athletic Commission is Decided

*On this date in 1958, Dorsey v. State Athletic Commission was decided. The Louisiana decision stated that Joseph Dorsey, Jr., is a Negro prizefighter. He brings this suit on his behalf and behalf of all other Negro professional prizefighters similarly situated. He asks for a declaratory judgment and an injunction to restrain the Louisiana State […]

Jean Gregorie Sagbo, Russian Politician born

*Jean Sagbo, born on this date in 1959, is a Black Russian real estate agent and politician. Jean Gregoire Sagbo was born in Cotonou in the southern coastal region of the Republic of Dahomey (Benin). He immigrated to the USSR in 1982 to study economics in Moscow. He married a woman from Novozavidovo, a town […]

Loretta Lynch, Lawyer, and Prosecutor born

*Loretta Lynch was born on this date in 1959. She is an African American lawyer and prosecutor.