*On this date in 1963, Simkins v. Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital was decided. This federal case reached the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that “separate but equal” racial segregation in publicly funded hospitals violated equal protection under the United States Constitution. George Simkins, Jr. was a dentist and NAACP leader in Greensboro, North Carolina. One of his African American patients developed an abscessed tooth, and […]
learn more*On this date in 1963, the NAACP v. Button case was decided. This was a 6-to-3 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States which held that the reservation of jurisdiction by a federal district court did not bar the U.S. Supreme Court from reviewing a state court’s ruling. It also overturned certain laws enacted […]
learn more*The Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established on this date in 1963. Formed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana was one of the main heads of the OAU’s establishment. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and economic integration among member states and to eradicate colonialism […]
learn more*On this date in 1963, Michelle Bernard was born. She is an African American author, journalist and lawyer.
learn more*Keith Ellison was born on this date in 1963. He is an African American lawyer, and politician.
Keith Maurice Ellison is one of five boys, was raised in a Roman Catholic home in Detroit, Michigan. Ellison’s father was a psychiatrist and his mother was a social worker. Growing up Ellison was influenced by the involvement of his family in the civil rights movement, including the work of his grandfather as a member of the NAACP in Louisiana. He converted to Islam at 19 while attending Wayne State University.
learn more*On this date in 1963, the Rivonia Trial in South Africa began. The Rivonia Trial led to the imprisonment of the accused, who were convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life at the Palace of Justice, Pretoria. Charges were: · Recruiting persons for training in the preparation and use of explosives and guerrilla warfare for […]
learn moreOn this date in 1963, Zanzibar gained its independence from Britain.
The history of Zanzibar is out of proportion with its size. Simply to mention the name Zanzibar is to conjure up an air of mystery. Sultans, ivory, slaves, spices, navigators, and explorers–words that start to tell the story of Zanzibar.
learn more*Wilhelmina Wright was born on this date in 1964. She is a Black lawyer, professor, and Judge. Wilhelmina Marie Wright was born in Norfolk, Virginia. She studied literature at Yale University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree and graduating cum laude in 1986. Wright received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1989. Wright served on […]
learn more*Michelle Obama was born on this date in 1964. She is an African American attorney, administrator community advocate and wife of Present Barack Obama.
Born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in Chicago, Illinois, she is the daughter of Fraser Robinson III, a city water plant employee and Democratic precinct captain, and Marian Shields, a secretary at Spiegel’s catalog store. She grew up in a two-story house on Euclid Street in Chicago’s South Shore. They attended services at nearby South Shore Methodist Church.
learn more*On this date in 1964, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was formed. Also referred to as the Freedom Democratic Party, it was an American political party created as a branch of the populist Freedom Democratic organization in Mississippi during the 20th-century American Civil Rights Movement. Blacks and whites organized it from Mississippi to challenge the established power of the Mississippi Democratic Party, which at the time allowed participation only […]
learn moreOn this date in 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.
John F. Kennedy had argued for a new Civil Rights Act during the 1960 presidential election. But for the next two years, over 70 per cent of the African American vote went to Kennedy, the new president did nothing to promote this legislation.
The Civil Rights bill was brought before Congress in 1963. Kennedy presented arguments in favor of it on June 11 in a speech on television. Kennedy’s Civil Rights bill was still being debated by Congress when he was assassinated in November 1963.
learn moreOn this date in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was enacted into law in America. The first of three such legislations was an attempt to deal with the increasing demands of African Americans for equal rights.
learn more*On this date in 1964, Malawi gained independence from Britain. This occurred almost 80 years after the European invasion and the Berlin Conference. In 1961, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) gained a majority in the Legislative Council elections, and Banda became Prime Minister in 1963. The Federation was dissolved in 1963, and the following […]
learn more*On this date in 1964, the Gambia Independence Act 1964 was issued. This was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave independence to The Gambia with effect from February 18, 1965. This episode happened 80 years after the Berlin Conference convened. It marked the high point of white European competition […]
learn more*The birth of Elaine Weddington Steward is celebrated on this date in 1964. She is a Black Lawyer and administrator. Born in New York City, Steward was hired by New York Mets, where she won the Jackie Robinson Foundation program scholarship in sports management to attend St. John’s University and graduated with honors earning a […]
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