Harlem’s Cotton Club Closes

Heavy Weight Boxer Jack Johnson dies on this date.

Oscar Award Winning Actress Hattie McDanial born on this date.

African Methodist Episcopal Church founder Richard Allen was born on this date. Allen was born a slave near Philadelphia.

On this day in 1964, the U.S. Senate imposed cloture for first time on a civil rights measure, ending Southern Filibuster by a vote of 71-29. Civil rights bill, with public accommodation and fair employment sections, was signed by President Johnson on July 2.

On this day in 1941, Marcus Garvey (52) died in London, England.

On this day in 1910, Rhythm & blues singer Howlin’ Wolf is born Chester Arthur Burnett in West Point, Mississippi. His most popular and influential songs include “Smokestack Lightning” and “Killing Floor”.

On this day in 1899, the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks founded in Cincinnati.

On this day in 1854, James Augustine Healy, first Black American Roman Catholic bishop, ordained a priest in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

On June 10, 1946, Jackie Robinson met with Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey to discuss his future in Major League Baseball. Although Robinson had already signed with the Dodgers\’ minor league affiliate in 1945, this pivotal meeting began shaping the plan to bring him into the major leagues. Rickey was testing Robinson’s temperament as much as his talent, challenging him to withstand racial abuse without retaliation. This conversation laid the groundwork for Robinson’s debut in 1947 as the first African American in modern Major League Baseball. The June 10 meeting is widely seen as a milestone in sports integration, as Robinson\’s courage and discipline helped open the door for future Black athletes across all professional sports in America.

On June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, mandating equal pay for equal work regardless of sex. While this law was aimed broadly at gender discrimination, it had profound implications for Black women in the workforce, who faced both racial and gender-based wage gaps. The Act was signed during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, just weeks before Medgar Evers was assassinated and three months before the March on Washington. Though enforcement was weak initially, it signaled the federal government’s willingness to begin addressing structural inequities. Black civil rights leaders, including labor advocates like A. Philip Randolph, saw it as a companion piece to broader anti-discrimination legislation that would culminate in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

On June 10, 1977, James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee along with six other inmates. His escape triggered a massive manhunt, and he was recaptured three days later. The escape raised questions about security measures and reignited public conversation about the circumstances of King’s assassination. Many in the Black community already doubted the official version of events, and Ray’s escape intensified suspicions. The King family would later advocate for reopening the investigation into MLK’s murder. Though Ray claimed he was a scapegoat, he remained in prison until his death in 1998. The June 10 escape remains a controversial moment in the legal history surrounding King\’s death.

Prince Hall, a pioneer of African American Freemasonry and a Revolutionary War veteran, is believed to have died on June 10, 1806. Hall was a vocal advocate for Black education and civil rights in colonial America. He founded Prince Hall Freemasonry in the 1770s after being denied membership in white Masonic lodges. Through this network, he promoted literacy, civic engagement, and economic uplift among free Black communities in the North. Prince Hall Freemasonry grew into a vital institution that helped shape African American leadership throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. His death marked the end of a transformative life, but his vision lived on through generations of Black leaders who emerged from the fraternal and moral training halls he helped create.

On June 10, 1966, during the Meredith March Against Fear in Mississippi, Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) electrified the crowd by declaring, “We want Black Power!” The phrase captured a growing frustration with the slow pace of civil rights reform and the need for African Americans to define their own identities, control their own institutions, and assert political and economic autonomy. Carmichael’s call for Black Power marked a shift from integrationist rhetoric toward a more nationalist and self-determined framework for racial justice. The phrase sparked controversy but also energized a younger, more militant generation of activists. It eventually influenced the formation of the Black Panther Party and inspired global movements for African and Afro-Caribbean liberation.

On June 10, 1957, Althea Gibson won the French Open women\’s singles title, becoming the first African American to win a Grand Slam event. Her victory in Paris followed her historic integration of professional tennis just a year earlier, and she would go on to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Gibson’s triumphs broke racial barriers in an elite, white-dominated sport and inspired future athletes like Arthur Ashe, Venus and Serena Williams. A former Harlem resident and graduate of Florida A&M, Gibson was both a symbol of integration and a demonstration of Black excellence on the global stage. Her French Open win on June 10 became a powerful reminder of how talent and determination could transcend racial barriers.

On June 10, 1991, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA Championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the Finals. Jordan, who scored 30 points in the game, was named Finals MVP and cemented his status as the league’s premier athlete. The victory was more than a sports milestone—it was a cultural turning point. Jordan’s rise symbolized the global reach of Black athletic talent, and his brand influence reshaped sports marketing, fashion, and media. His first title launched a dynasty, with the Bulls going on to win six championships in the 1990s. June 10 marked the beginning of an era in which a Black athlete became one of the most recognizable and profitable figures in the world.

On June 10, 1970, the U.S. Postal Service honored Dr. Robert Lee Vann with a commemorative stamp, recognizing his contributions as a journalist and civil rights advocate. Vann was the longtime editor and publisher of The Pittsburgh Courier, one of the most influential Black newspapers of the 20th century. Under his leadership, the Courier challenged segregation, promoted the Double V campaign during World War II (victory against fascism abroad and racism at home), and pushed for economic justice. Vann also served briefly as an Assistant Attorney General under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The 1970 stamp release symbolized a growing recognition of Black press and advocacy efforts that helped define the civil rights landscape of the 20th century.

On June 10, 1861, just two months into the Civil War, the U.S. Navy officially recorded the enlistment of William H. Brown, making him one of the first African Americans to join the Union’s naval forces during the conflict. Unlike the Army, which largely barred Black enlistment until 1863, the Navy had long accepted Black sailors in segregated but essential roles. Brown’s enlistment represented the beginning of broader African American military service in the Civil War, where nearly 180,000 Black soldiers and sailors would ultimately serve the Union cause. His record symbolized both the limits and the opportunities for Black Americans seeking freedom and citizenship through military service.

On June 10, 1793, Denmark officially enacted legislation abolishing its participation in the transatlantic slave trade, becoming the first European country to do so. The law, which took effect in 1803, marked a significant shift in international pressure against the brutal commerce of African lives. Though slavery itself continued in Danish colonies for several more decades, the decision was influenced by rising humanitarian and economic concerns. Denmark’s move predated Britain’s similar ban by more than a decade and set a precedent that abolitionists across Europe cited in their advocacy. However, while progressive on the surface, Denmark’s action was also shaped by diminishing profitability and fears of rebellion in colonies such as the Danish West Indies. Nonetheless, June 10 stands as a symbolic milestone in the international movement to end the slave trade and reflects growing Enlightenment-era calls for human rights and dignity across the Atlantic world.

Born on June 10, 1822, in Edenton, North Carolina, Harriet Ann Jacobs became one of the most powerful voices of the 19th-century Black liberation movement. Escaping the horrors of enslavement, she penned Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl—a groundbreaking narrative detailing her life under bondage, including years spent hiding in an attic crawlspace. Jacobs’ work uniquely focused on the sexual exploitation of enslaved women, a topic often neglected in male-dominated slave narratives. After gaining her freedom, she became active in abolitionist and humanitarian efforts, including aiding formerly enslaved people during and after the Civil War. Her life spanned both U.S. and international contexts, including travel to England, where her story found a broader abolitionist audience. Jacobs’ resilience and literary contribution remain vital to both African American history and global human rights struggles. Her birth on June 10 marks a turning point in the personal testimonies of the enslaved.

On June 10, 1848, Victor Schœlcher, the leading force behind the abolition of slavery in the French colonies, was elected to the French National Assembly. A staunch anti-slavery advocate, Schœlcher had championed the decree that ended slavery in France’s Caribbean colonies just weeks earlier on April 27. His election reflected public support for his progressive vision of equality and inclusion, even amidst revolutionary unrest. Schœlcher’s legislative power helped ensure the enforcement of emancipation in Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Réunion. Unlike some reformers, he also advocated for full citizenship rights for the formerly enslaved. His work reverberated across the Atlantic world, influencing abolitionist momentum in Latin America and Africa. Schœlcher’s rise on June 10 is a reminder that Black freedom was often won not just through resistance but through political strategy and moral leadership within imperial governments.

Born June 10, 1910, in Charleston, South Carolina, Dr. Robert Furchgott would go on to share the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998 for his work on nitric oxide as a signaling molecule. While often overlooked in Black history, Furchgott’s maternal lineage included prominent Black educators in the post-Civil War Reconstruction South. Though he identified as white in later life, his roots reflected the complex racial identities and contributions of mixed-heritage families during segregation. His research revolutionized cardiovascular medicine and inspired treatments for heart disease and erectile dysfunction. Furchgott’s birth on June 10 offers a lens into the quiet but profound scientific legacy of African-descended families whose impact extended globally—challenging fixed notions of race, lineage, and excellence in science.

On June 10, 1944, Eulalie Spence, a playwright of Caribbean descent and a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, passed away. Born in the British West Indies and raised in Harlem, Spence wrote over a dozen plays that centered the lives of everyday Black women—infusing wit, realism, and Caribbean cultural elements. Her works were performed by the Krigwa Players, a Black theater company founded by W.E.B. Du Bois. As one of the first Black female dramatists to gain recognition in the U.S., Spence used theater to question gender roles, respectability politics, and colorism within Black communities. Her death marked the loss of a trailblazer who bridged Caribbean and African American artistic expression. Today, her legacy lives on in the rich tapestry of diasporic Black literature and theater. June 10 honors her contributions to global Black cultural heritage.

On June 10, 1957, Ghana was formally admitted to the United Nations, just three months after becoming the first Sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from colonial rule. Led by Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana\’s entry signaled a new era of African sovereignty on the global stage. The move was not only symbolic but strategic, as Ghana became a voice for African decolonization, Pan-African solidarity, and non-aligned diplomacy during the Cold War. Its admission also paved the way for a wave of newly independent African nations to join international institutions in the following decade. Nkrumah used the platform to call for global support for African unity and economic justice. June 10 thus marks a milestone in the reassertion of African nations in world politics and the diplomatic roots of Pan-African leadership in global governance.

On June 10, 1981, Dr. Walter Rodney—a world-renowned Guyanese historian, activist, and author of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa—was assassinated in Georgetown, Guyana. Rodney, an outspoken critic of neocolonialism and capitalism, had returned to his homeland to participate in radical political change. A graduate of SOAS in London and former lecturer in Tanzania, Rodney’s scholarship connected Caribbean Marxism with African liberation theory. He was killed by a bomb believed to have been planted by agents of the Guyanese government, making him a martyr for the global Black freedom struggle. His death reverberated throughout Africa and the Caribbean, igniting protests and sharpening debates on state repression. June 10 marks the silencing of one of the most intellectually rigorous voices for Pan-African unity, class justice, and historical accountability in the postcolonial world.

On June 10, 1990, South African leader Nelson Mandela, recently released from 27 years in prison, was honored at a massive rally and concert at Wembley Stadium in London. The event, attended by over 70,000 and watched by millions worldwide, celebrated Mandela’s freedom and intensified calls to dismantle apartheid. The concert featured artists like Tracy Chapman, Lou Reed, and Peter Gabriel, and Mandela delivered a powerful speech urging continued global pressure against racial injustice in South Africa. Coming just months after his release, the event marked Mandela’s re-entry onto the world stage and symbolized international solidarity with South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. June 10 thus stands as a day of global Black unity and cultural resistance, merging politics, music, and moral courage.

On June 10, 2007, e.tv launched South Africa’s first free-to-air digital satellite television service, enabling millions of underserved viewers—especially in rural and low-income communities—to access news, education, and entertainment. This move revolutionized media access across the continent, democratizing content delivery and challenging cable monopolies. With a strong emphasis on African-produced programming, local languages, and culturally relevant storytelling, e.tv’s platform disrupted traditional Western-dominated media flows. The expansion reflected a broader trend in post-apartheid South Africa to reclaim narrative agency and foster media equity. While not always categorized under typical \”Black history,\” this moment reflects the digital empowerment of Black communities across Africa. June 10, 2007, therefore, marks a technological and cultural turning point in the African information economy and public storytelling landscape.

On June 10, 1944, in Nazi-occupied France, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane was destroyed by the Waffen-SS, who murdered 642 inhabitants in one of the most infamous massacres of World War II. While the event is widely memorialized in Europe, lesser known is the presence and fate of African colonial soldiers from France\’s empire—particularly West African Tirailleurs Sénégalais—stationed near the region during this period. Many were captured or executed in preceding weeks, their deaths often unrecorded or dismissed in official accounts. These Black soldiers, conscripted from French colonies, fought and died for a nation that largely erased their sacrifice from the historical narrative. The Oradour massacre is emblematic not only of Nazi brutality, but of how African lives were devalued—even in resistance efforts. The racialized layers of remembrance in France have long obscured the contributions of African soldiers in the liberation of Europe. Their recognition remains overdue.