Z. Alexander Looby, a pioneering civil rights attorney and the first African American to serve on the Nashville City Council, passed away on this day. Born in the British West Indies, Looby became a key legal defender of civil rights activists in the South, including students involved in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins. His home was bombed in 1960 due to his activism, but he remained undeterred. His legacy lives on through his contributions to desegregation and political representation for African Americans in the South.

Dorothy Irene Height was born in Richmond, Virginia. A towering figure in the civil rights and women’s rights movements, Height served as president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) for over 40 years. She was instrumental in organizing the successful campaign to place a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune in a Washington, D.C. park—making it the first public statue honoring an African American in the nation’s capital. Height’s lifelong dedication to social justice earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal.

On March 24, 1837, Black men in Canada were officially granted the right to vote. This milestone followed the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834, which recognized formerly enslaved individuals as British subjects entitled to civil rights, including suffrage. However, voting rights at the time were limited to property-owning men, effectively excluding many Black Canadians due to economic disparities.

Despite these legal advancements, Black Canadians often faced systemic barriers and discrimination that impeded their ability to exercise this right. For instance, in 1848, Black men in Colchester, Canada West (now Ontario), were physically blocked from voting. They successfully challenged this suppression in court, leading to the restoration of their voting rights and the prosecution of those who had obstructed them.

It’s important to note that while Black men gained the right to vote in 1837, Black women, like all women in Canada, were largely excluded from voting until the early 20th century. Some Black women could vote in school trustee elections starting in 1850, but full suffrage was not achieved until 1918.

This 1837 enfranchisement marked a significant step in the ongoing struggle for racial equality and civil rights in Canada.