James A. Healy, first African American Roman Catholic Bishop, consecrated in the cathedral at Portland, Maine.

Kenneth Irvine Chenault  is an American business executive. Chenault has been the CEO and Chairman of American Express since 2001and is the third black CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

On this date in 1967 – A Race riot in the Roxbury section of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury was a predominantly Black section of the city, which was one of the few northern areas that in the early 60’s, that had not experienced race riots. However, that all changed on this day in 1967 when mothers on welfare staged a sit-in that later turned into a violent three-day riot fueled by the city’s festering racial divide.

On this day ion 1943, the Ninety-ninth Pursuit Squadron flew P-40 Warhawks over the Mediterranean Sea for their first combat mission, strafing enemy positions on the heavily fortified Italian Island of Pantelleria.

ON this day in 1899, Black Americans observed day of fasting and prayer called by National Afro-American Council to protest lynching and racial massacres.

On this day in 1875, James Augustine Healy, the first African American Roman Catholic Bishop, born in Macon, Georgia.

On this day 1868 – John Hope was born on this day in Augusta, Georgia. John Hope was an African American educator and political activist, the first African-descended president of both Morehouse College in 1906 and of Atlanta University in 1929, where he worked to develop graduate programs.

On this day in 1854 – Fugitive slave Anthony Burns was returned to the South from Boston. In 1854, Burns took steps to find freedom. While working in Richmond, he boarded a ship heading north, to the city of Boston. Burns arrived in Boston in March a fugitive, but free. It was however, short lived. Burns was convicted of being a fugitive slave on June 2, 1854. That same day, an estimated 50,000 lined the streets of Boston, watching Burns walk in shackles toward the waterfront and the waiting ship. It cost the federal government $100,000 to return Burns. A black church soon raised $1300 to purchase Burns’ freedom. In less than a year Anthony Burns was back in Boston a free man.

On this date in 1834, the Fifth National Black convention met in New York with 50 delegates from eight states.

On June 2, 1863, Harriet Tubman became the first woman in U.S. history to lead a military raid when she guided Union troops in the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina. Partnering with Colonel James Montgomery and the 2nd South Carolina Colored Infantry, Tubman helped liberate over 700 enslaved people by navigating river waters filled with Confederate torpedoes. Her intelligence work and deep knowledge of Southern terrain proved invaluable. Tubman had previously served as a nurse and spy for the Union, but this mission marked her direct combat leadership. The raid also struck a critical blow to Southern infrastructure, torching plantations and securing supplies. Despite her contribution, Tubman received no formal recognition or pension for her service. This event highlights her overlooked yet pivotal military role during the Civil War, expanding her legacy far beyond the Underground Railroad.