People, Locations, Episodes

Suriname Gains Independence From The Netherlands

*On this date in 1975. Suriname gained complete independence from the Netherlands. During World War II, on November 23, 1941, under an agreement with the Netherlands government-in-exile, the United States sent 2,000 soldiers to Suriname to protect the bauxite mines from supporting the Allies’ war effort. In 1942, the Dutch government-in-exile reviewed the relations between […]

Dereck Chauvin, Policeman born

*Derek Chauvin was born on this date in 1976. He is a white-American former police officer and murderer. Derek Michael Chauvin was born in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. His mother was a housewife, and his father was a certified public accountant. At seven, his parents divorced and were granted joint custody of him. Chauvin attended Park […]

TransAfrica is Formed

*On this date in 1977, TransAfrica was formed.  This advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., seeks to influence the United States’ foreign policy concerning African and Caribbean countries and all African diaspora groups.   TransAfrica Forum was founded on July 1, 1977, after being conceived a year earlier at a Black Leadership Conference convened by the Congressional Black Caucus in September 1976. A committee consisting of Randall Robinson, Herschelle Challenor, and […]

William Hurd, Politician born

*William Hurd was born on this date in 1977.  He is a former Black CIA officer, author, and politician. William Ballard Hurdis, the son of Robert and Mary Alice Hurd. He is a 1995 John Marshall High School graduate in the San Antonio suburb of Leon Valley.  Hurd attended Texas A&M University and served as […]

The Supreme Court Rules on the Bakke Case

On this date, we remember the Alan Bakke case. On June 28, 1978, the California Supreme Court, in a two-part ruling, ordered Alan Bakke (a white man) to be admitted to the University of California at Davis Medical School.

The Martinican Independent Movement is Formed

*On this date in 1978, the Martinican Independence Movement, or M.I.M., was formed. This is a left-wing political party in the overseas department of Martinique, West Indies.   Alfred Marie-Jeanne founded it to secure “the decolonization and independence of Martinique.” Its secretary is the deputy and president of the Regional Council of Martinique. It has one […]

Reed v. Rhodes is Decided

*On this date in 1978. Reed v. Rhodes was decided. This was a desegregation case of the Cleveland Public School system. African American parents voiced the first rumblings of discontent in the late 1950s. The protests reverberated through the city streets during the early 1960s. Against this backdrop, the National Association for the Advancement of […]

The Full Employment Bill is Signed

On this date in 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the Hawkins-Humphrey Full Employment Bill.

Co-authored and sponsored by black Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins, with Minnesota Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, a leading champion of civil rights, this act was also called the “Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act.”

Dominica Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1978, Dominica gained Independence from Britain.  Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The island was settled by the Arawak indigenous people arriving from South America in the 5th century. The Kalinago displaced the Arawak by the 15th century.  It was later colonized by Europeans, […]

Paula Marcela Moreno Zapata, Engineer, and Public Policy Advocate born

*Paula Marcela Moreno Zapata was born on this date in 1978.  She is an Afro Colombian engineer, professor, and public policy advocate.   Born in Bogata, Paula Marcela Moreno Zapatais, the daughter of Armando Moreno, a retired civil servant of the Bogotá Aqueducts, and María Zényde Zapata, a lawyer.   In 1998, Moreno graduated with an Italian Language and Culture degree from Istituto Italiano di […]

Saint Lucia Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state from Britain.    Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean.   The island was previously called Iyonola, the name was given to the island by the native Arawaks, and […]

The American Marine Corps Promotes its First Black General

*On this date in 1979, the first African American man was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lt. General Frank E. Peterson, from Topeka, Kansas received the honor in Quantico, Virginia. Peterson spent 38 years in the Corp. He also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from George Washington University. He retired from the Corp in 1988.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Gain Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1979, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from Britain. This is an island country in the Caribbean. It is in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea, where the latter meets […]

Zimbabwe Gains Independence From Britain

Independence for Zimbabwe came on this date in 1980 from Britain. Prime Minister Robert Mugabe consolidated his power in 1982 and dismissed Joshua Nkomo from his government.

Mugabe’s party won a landslide victory in 1985, the first general election since independence. In late 1987 the constitution was amended to replace the position of prime minister with that of executive president, which combines the posts of head of state and head of government. At that time ZANU-PF and Nkomo’s Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) agreed to merge under the name of ZANU-PF.

Diana Méndez, Lawyer born

*Diana Méndez was born on this date in 1981. She is an Afro Ecuadorian jurist and lawyer. Diana Salazar Méndez spent her childhood in her native Ibarra, Ecuador, before moving to Quito with her family at age 16. She was raised solely by her mother, Olivia Méndez, an educational psychologist, and three siblings. She has […]