At the National Black Economic Development Conference in Detroit, civil rights activist James Forman presented the “Black Manifesto,” demanding $500 million in reparations from white churches and synagogues. The document called for restitution to Black communities for centuries of exploitation and enslavement, urging religious institutions to fund Black-controlled organizations in areas such as land acquisition, media, and cooperative businesses.

On May 25, 1961, the Freedom Ride Coordinating Committee was established in Atlanta, Georgia. This coalition of civil rights organizations—including CORE, SNCC, and SCLC—was formed to coordinate and sustain the Freedom Rides across the South. These rides challenged segregated bus terminals, bringing national attention to the violent resistance faced by Black and white activists fighting for desegregation.

On this day in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Pamala Suzette Grier was born. Known as Pam Grier, she rose to fame in the 1970s as one of the most important and groundbreaking African American actresses of the era. Grier starred in a series of iconic Blaxploitation films such as Coffy and Foxy Brown, where she redefined Black womanhood on screen—portraying bold, independent heroines with strength and sensuality. Her legacy continues to influence generations of actors and filmmakers.

On May 26, 1943, President Edwin Barclay of Liberia became the first African head of state to pay an official visit to a U.S. president at the White House. His meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt symbolized the strengthening of diplomatic ties between the United States and Africa during World War II.

Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin was born in Moscow on May 26, 1799. Of African descent through his great-grandfather Abram Petrovich Gannibal—an African nobleman brought to Russia and raised in the imperial court—Pushkin’s lineage played a vital role in shaping his identity. He was first published in The Messenger of Europe in 1814 and went on to revolutionize Russian literature through his poetry, prose, and drama. Today, Pushkin is widely celebrated as the Father of Russian Literature and a foundational figure in global literary history.