Harvey Gantt has a pair of notable historic triumphs under his belt. After he became the first Black student admitted to Clemson State University in 1963, and later went on to become Charlotte, N.C.’s first Black mayor. Today is his birthday. Born Harvey Bernard Gantt in 1943, he was raised in Charleston, S.C. After initially […]
Late U.S. Congressman Louis Stokes made history 50 years ago today when he was sworn in as the first Black congressman elected in the state of Ohio. Stokes was born February 23, 1925 in Cleveland. His young brother, late Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes went on to become the first Black mayor of a major U.S. […]
Earl Hines, better known as Earl “Fatha” Hines, was a pianist who was dubbed the “Father of Modern Jazz Piano.” Today is his birthday. Earl Kenneth Hines was born in 1903 in Duquesne, Pa., just 12 miles outside of Pittsburgh. At 17, he became a professional musician, joining singer Lois Deppe’s band at a Pittsburgh […]
From 1865 to 1966, the island nation of Barbados was occupied and colonized by the British and English. On November 30, 1966, Barbados became the fourth English-speaking nation to gain its independence. In the 1620s, English settlers arrived to the islands, which was occupied by natives of South America. By the 1640s, sugar cane production […]
Willie O’Ree, the first Black player to play in the National Hockey League, was recently inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame as a builder – a pioneering player of the sport. Today marks another major Black hockey milestone, as Art Dorrington became the first Black player to sign with the NHL. Dorrington, a native […]
While Juneteenth is largely celebrated as a holiday among African-Americans to signal the end of slavery, the practice did not officially end until December 6, 1865. Although the 13th Amendment was ratified that day, it essentially states that slavery is still legal as a form of punishment for a crime. But that is no longer […]
Benjamin McAdoo holds the distinction of being the first Black architect to open a firm in the city of Seattle, and is also is the first Black architect in Washington state. McAdoo was born on October 28, 1920 in Pasadena, Calif. He began his education in architecture at the University of Southern California, but transferred […]
New Orleans was the center of a pair of racially unified strikes that brought the city to a standstill and equality to the working class. After one strike in October, followed by another in November, it marked the first time Black and White workers carried out a strike together successfully. The so-called “Triple Alliance” – […]
The Chicago Public School Boycott of 1963, also known as “Freedom Day,” took place 55 years ago today. The protest involved some 200,000 students and tens of thousands of city residents united in solidarity, but it would take almost twenty years before the city acknowledged desegregation measures. Despite the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision “Brown […]
On September 29th, 1910, The Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes was formed. It was created in response to the great migration of African-Americans from the South to the North in the wake of the “Plessy V. Ferguson” U.S. Supreme Court decision that legally validated the concept of “separate but equal.” Eventually, the New York-based […]
Joe Morgan, a 1990 inductee of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, is celebrating his 75th birthday today. He is the first second baseman to win the National League Most Valuable Player honor back to back, and is considered one of the best to play the position. Joseph Leonard Morgan was born on this […]
Charles Evers took up the mantle left behind the tragic killing of his younger brother Medgar Evers in 1963, carving out his own path in the fight for civil rights. Evers, who was the first Black mayor in the state of Mississippi, celebrates a birthday today. James Charles Evers was born on this day in […]
