On June 5, 1973, Doris A. Davis won the election to become mayor of Compton, California—making her the first African American woman to lead a major U.S. city. Her victory followed years of civic engagement and came during a transformative period for Black political leadership in urban America. Davis helped usher in reforms in education and public safety and served as a symbol of possibility for future generations of Black female leaders nationwide.

Federal Court Rules that racial segregation on Montgomery City buses violated Constitution.

On this day in 1973, Cardiss R. Collins of Chicago was elected to Congress. She succeeded her late husband.

On this date in 1969, there a Race riot occurred in Hartford, Connecticut.

On this day in 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded his doctorate from Boston University.

While not decided on June 5, the landmark case Sweatt v. Painter was argued and progressed during this time, laying groundwork for desegregation. Heman Marion Sweatt, a Black postal worker, was denied entry to the University of Texas Law School due to segregation. On June 5, the Court examined the \”separate but equal\” doctrine and found the alternative law school for Black students unequal. The eventual ruling (delivered later that month) declared that intangible factors—like reputation and networking—rendered segregated legal education unconstitutional, setting a precedent for Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

On this day 1945, Olympic track and field star John Carlos born in New York City. John Carlos would become famous at the 1968 Olympic Summer Games for raising a black gloved fist during the playing of the American anthem.

On this day in 1940, the American Negro Theater was organized by Frederick O’Neal and Abram Hill.

On this day in 1894, G.W. Murray patents Fertilizer Distributor Patent No. 520,889

On this day in 1894, G.W. Murray patents Cotton Chopper, Patent No. 520,888.

On thus day in 1894, G.W. Murray patents Planter, Patent No. 520,887

On this day in 1872, the Republican National Convention met in Philadelphia with substantial Black representation from Southern States. For the first time in American History, three Blacks addressed a major national political convention: Robert B. Elliot, Chairman of the South Carolina delegation; Joseph H. Rainy, South Carolina delegate; John R. Lynch, Mississippi delegate.

On this day in 1783, Oliver Cromwell, soldier in the Revolutionary War, receives an honorable discharge and the Badge of Merit from George Washington

James Meredith, the first Black student to integrate the University of Mississippi, was shot and wounded by a white sniper near Hernando, Mississippi. Meredith was on a solo 220-mile \”March Against Fear\” from Memphis to Jackson to encourage Black voter registration and protest racial violence. His shooting galvanized civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and Floyd McKissick, who continued the march with thousands of supporters. This march became a pivotal moment in the movement, marking the first public use of the slogan \”Black Power\” by Carmichael. Meredith recovered and rejoined the march on its final day.

On June 5, 1872, over 100 African American delegates gathered in Little Rock, Arkansas, for a statewide political convention. The event was a key example of Black political mobilization during Reconstruction. Delegates discussed civil rights, education, and economic opportunities. They demanded equal access to public institutions and condemned discriminatory laws. This Congress also helped to organize Black voters and increase representation in local and state government. Though short-lived, such conventions displayed the strength and vision of post-Civil War Black political agency in the South.

On June 5, 1989, F.W. de Klerk won the leadership of South Africa’s National Party, setting the stage for the dismantling of apartheid. Though not Black himself, this transition marked a turning point in Black South African liberation. De Klerk would later free Nelson Mandela and work with the African National Congress to end apartheid. His leadership ushered in legal reforms that began to unravel decades of racial oppression. This moment is part of the broader timeline of Black liberation struggles across the African continent.

On June 5, 1928, poet and civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson released God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse. The collection celebrated the power of Black spiritual oratory and reflected Johnson’s deep reverence for the African American church tradition. By capturing the cadence, rhythm, and style of Black preachers, Johnson elevated vernacular expression into formal poetry. This work remains a cornerstone of the Harlem Renaissance and showcased how Black spirituality could be translated into enduring literary art.

On June 5, 2001, the U.S. House of Representatives held a formal session acknowledging the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. It followed a detailed report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot, which had been released earlier that year. The congressional recognition helped bring national attention to the destruction of Black Wall Street and the hundreds of lives lost. The hearing marked a milestone in historical justice and memory, as survivors\’ testimonies were included in the Congressional Record.

Though the exact day is often debated, Tubman’s initial escape attempt is traditionally commemorated around early June. By June 5, 1849, she was reportedly planning her escape from the Brodess plantation in Maryland. She fled with her brothers but turned back after they lost nerve. Undeterred, she later escaped alone and became the most famous “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Her bravery and strategic genius led more than 70 enslaved people to freedom and inspired thousands more.

On June 5, 1967, Israel launched a preemptive strike on Egypt, starting the Six-Day War. Among U.S. military support and intelligence efforts, African American servicemen played key roles, particularly in naval and communications divisions. This participation highlighted both their loyalty and the complex position of Black soldiers during the Civil Rights era—serving a country still struggling with racial justice at home. Their stories contribute to the global narrative of Black military excellence.

On June 5, 1984, Jesse Jackson finished his groundbreaking presidential primary campaign with more than 3 million votes—roughly 18% of the total. Though he didn’t win the nomination, his campaign broke barriers by making issues like racial justice, poverty, and economic inequality central to a national platform. Jackson\’s Rainbow Coalition attracted a diverse base of supporters and laid the groundwork for future Black candidates, including Barack Obama. His June 5 delegate count marked the highest ever for a Black presidential candidate at that time.

On this date, South Africa\’s Parliament repealed the Population Registration Act, a cornerstone of apartheid that classified citizens by race. This was a pivotal moment in dismantling the apartheid regime. The act’s repeal was hailed globally, especially by Caribbean and African nations who had long pressured the international community to sanction and isolate the apartheid regime. June 5, 1991, marked a significant milestone in the global Black freedom struggle.

Although his formal release had occurred months earlier, on June 5, 1963, Jomo Kenyatta was officially confirmed as the future Prime Minister of an independent Kenya. This announcement was celebrated by anti-colonial leaders and movements across Africa and the Caribbean. Kenyatta’s leadership symbolized a major victory in the pan-African movement and inspired Black nationalist leaders worldwide in their struggles against imperial domination.

As the United Nations Charter was finalized on June 5, 1945, several African and Caribbean representatives—though mostly under colonial mandates—began quietly pushing for anti-colonial language and principles. Their advocacy laid groundwork for later U.N. resolutions on decolonization. Although not yet heads of independent states, these Black diplomats sowed seeds that would later transform global politics through collective African action.

On June 5, 1981, Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings led a successful coup in Ghana, the second in three years. While controversial, Rawlings gained a reputation for anti-corruption and pan-Africanist rhetoric, aligning Ghana with other non-aligned and Black-majority states. His coup emphasized frustrations with neocolonial elites and economic dependency. The event was closely watched by Black political theorists and revolutionaries across the diaspora.

Just after delivering a speech lauding social justice and addressing racial inequality in the U.S., Robert F. Kennedy was shot on June 5, 1968. Kennedy had emerged as a critical white ally to Black Americans and anti-apartheid activists. His death was mourned not only in the U.S. but in Jamaica, South Africa, and Ghana, where many saw him as a global figure for racial reconciliation and progress.

On June 5, 1989, the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris hosted a retrospective celebrating Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Haitian-Puerto Rican American artist whose influence extended globally. His neo-expressionist style fused African diasporic symbolism with urban critique, gaining massive followings in France, Senegal, and Brazil. This Paris exhibition solidified Basquiat’s legacy as a transnational Black icon and cultural innovator.

On June 5, 1893, British colonial forces initiated a crackdown on the Matabele Kingdom (in present-day Zimbabwe), leading to the First Matabele War. The invasion aimed to crush resistance against the British South Africa Company. King Lobengula’s warriors fought valiantly, and though defeated, their resistance became a symbol of African resilience and anti-colonial courage, celebrated in later Zimbabwean liberation struggles.

On June 5, 1963, Ghana’s Parliament unanimously passed a motion supporting full African political and economic unification, just days after the historic founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa. This act, championed by Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, reflected his radical pan-African vision of a “United States of Africa.” While many African leaders preferred a gradualist approach, Ghana took the bold step of codifying continental unity as national policy. Nkrumah believed that only a politically united Africa could withstand neocolonial pressures, protect its resources, and secure global influence. Though rarely highlighted today, this legislative act positioned Ghana as the ideological spearhead of African liberation and integration. It also underscored the political courage of a newly independent nation willing to challenge global power structures in favor of Black sovereignty. The motion remains a symbol of Africa’s unrealized potential for continental federation.