Kofi Annan began his term as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, making history as the first Black person and the first sub-Saharan... Continue →
A law took effect in Arkansas prohibiting the employment of free Black individuals on boats and ships navigating the state's rivers. This legislation... Continue →
On this day, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all enslaved people in Confederate states to be free. However,... Continue →
On this day in 1961, James B. Parsons made history as the first African American appointed to a lifetime position on the federal bench in the United... Continue →
On this day, a federal law went into effect prohibiting the importation of enslaved Africans into the United States. While slavery itself remained... Continue →
On January 1, 1808, the African Benevolent Society for Education was founded in New York City. Created by free African Americans, the society aimed... Continue →
On January 1, 1960, Cameroon gained independence from France, becoming the Republic of Cameroon. This marked a significant moment in the broader wave... Continue →
On January 1, 1956, Sudan officially declared its independence from joint British-Egyptian rule. The event marked the emergence of Sudan as a... Continue →
On this date in 1990, David Norman Dinkins officially began his tenure as the 106th mayor of New York City, making history as the city's first... Continue →
Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of the District of Columbia. Dixon succeeded Marion Barry who was convicted of cocaine possession in the... Continue →
On this day, free Black residents of Philadelphia, led by Reverend Absalom Jones and joined by 70 other free Black men, submitted a historic petition... Continue →
On this date in 1970, Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, a prominent educator, minister, and civil rights leader, was named president of the Atlanta Board of... Continue →
On this date in 1915, Historian John Hope Franklin was born. He was a highly influential historian, scholar, and educator, best known for his work on... Continue →
On this date in 1872, the Mississippi Legislature convened, and John R. Lynch, at the age of 24, was elected Speaker of the Mississippi House of... Continue →
On this date in 1898, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was born on, in Philadelphia, PA, and she made history as a trailblazing African American woman... Continue →
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