Omega Psi Phi, the first international fraternal organization founded on the campus of a historically Black college, was incorporated on this day.... Continue →
James Meredith became the first Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, marking a significant milestone in the American Civil... 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 1970, Clifton Reginald Wharton Jr. made history on January 2, 1970, when he became the president of Michigan State University (MSU).... 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 1898, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was born on, in Philadelphia, PA, and she made history as a trailblazing African American woman... Continue →
On this date in 1966, Sammy Younge Jr. was a 21-year-old civil rights activist and a student at Tuskegee Institute who was tragically shot and killed... Continue →
Nearly 1,500 African American students in Selma, Alabama, boycotted classes to protest the dismissal of Norward Rousell, the city's first Black... Continue →
Archie A. Alexander, architectural engineer and former governor of the Virgin Islands, died on this day in 1958 at the age of 69. He had been... Continue →
C.L.R. James, a Trinidadian historian, journalist, and socialist, was born on this day. He is best known for his influential work The Black Jacobins... Continue →
On January 5, 1943, George Washington Carver Day was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt following Carver’s death. This day honors the... Continue →
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was founded at Indiana University by Elder W. Diggs, Bryan K. Armstrong, John M. Lee, Harvey T. Asher, Marcus P.... Continue →
The Peabody Fund was established by philanthropist George Peabody to support education in the post-Civil War Southern United States, particularly for... Continue →
On this day, Yale University opened the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of African American Arts and Letters at the Beinecke Rare Book &... Continue →
The original lawsuit was filed in 1952 by John Hall and supported by the NAACP, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education... Continue →
Fannie M. Jackson (later Coppin), a trailblazing educator and missionary, was born. In 1865, she became the first African American woman to graduate... Continue →
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by three African American students: A. Langston Taylor, Leonard... Continue →
George Washington Carver, a pioneering Black scientist, inventor, and agricultural chemist, was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri. He became... Continue →
On this day, scientists publicly announced findings supporting the theory of Mitochondrial Eve, a woman who lived in Africa around 150,000 to 200,000... Continue →
A violent riot erupted at the University of Georgia after the admission of its first two Black students, Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes. The... Continue →
On this day, the University of Tennessee admitted its first Black student, marking a pivotal moment in the desegregation of higher education in the... Continue →
On this day, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma that states must provide equal... Continue →
Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, a prominent educator and minister, was born on this day in Paris, Tennessee. He became the first Black president of Howard... Continue →
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Howard University by 22 collegiate women committed to public service, with a primary... Continue →
The Colored National Labor Union (CNLU) convened its first national meeting in Washington, D.C. Founded by Isaac Myers, the CNLU became the first... Continue →
James Frank, then president of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, was installed as the first African American president of the National... Continue →
Harvey B. Gantt, born on this day in 1943, became the first African American student to enroll at Clemson University in South Carolina in 1963. He... Continue →
On this day, renowned biologist Dr. Ernest E. Just was elected Vice President of the American Society of Zoologists. A pioneer in the field of cell... Continue →
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first historically Black Greek-letter sorority, was founded on this date at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by... Continue →
A federal lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court accusing the New York City Board of Education of using “racial quotas” in a way that... Continue →
Jewel Plummer Cobb, a pioneering cancer research biologist and the first African American woman to serve as president in the California State... Continue →
Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was temporarily closed after student demonstrations erupted in protest of the expulsion of classmates... Continue →
On this day, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) honored diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ralph Bunche by naming a campus... Continue →
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., with support from Robert Samuel Taylor of Phi Beta... Continue →
Student activists at the University of Chicago, supported by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), launched demonstrations from January 23 to... Continue →
On January 24, 1885, Martin Delany, a pioneering African American abolitionist, physician, and military officer, died in Xenia, Ohio. Delany was one... Continue →
Angela Davis, prominent political activist, scholar, and author, was born on January 26, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama. Known for her involvement in... Continue →
On January 28, 1963, Harvey Gantt became the first Black student to enroll at Clemson College in South Carolina, peacefully integrating the last... Continue →
On January 29, 1908, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was officially incorporated at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Founded in 1906 and... Continue →
On January 29, 1913, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority was officially incorporated. Founded at Howard University in 1908, it is the first Greek-lettered... Continue →
On January 30, 1858, William Wells Brown—abolitionist, novelist, and dramatist—published Leap to Freedom, the first known play written by an... Continue →
Richard Theodore Greener, who would later become the first African American to graduate from Harvard University, was born on January 30, 1844. He... Continue →
On January 31, 1920, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, which was founded at Howard University on January 9, 1914, was officially incorporated. The... Continue →
On February 3, 1964, an estimated 464,000 Black and Puerto Rican students boycotted New York City public schools in one of the largest civil rights... Continue →
On February 3, 1956, Autherine J. Lucy became the first Black student to attend the University of Alabama, breaking a significant racial barrier in... Continue →
On February 5, 1990, Barack Obama was elected president of the Harvard Law Review, becoming the first African American to hold the prestigious... Continue →
On February 5, 1962, a federal lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court challenging the racial segregation of elementary schools in Englewood, New... Continue →
Melvin B. Tolson, acclaimed author, educator, and poet, was born on February 6, 1898. Known for his powerful works blending modernist style with... Continue →
On February 6, 1867, philanthropist George Peabody established the Peabody Education Fund to support public education in the Southern United States,... Continue →
On February 7, 1872, Alcorn A&M College officially opened in Mississippi. It was the first Black land-grant college in the United States and is... Continue →
On February 8, 1968, South Carolina Highway Patrol officers opened fire on unarmed students during a peaceful protest at South Carolina State College... Continue →
America's first public school, the Boston Latin School, opened in Boston, Massachusetts. While it marked a significant development in American... Continue →
Morehouse College was organized in Augusta, Georgia, on February 14, 1867. Originally named the Augusta Institute, it was established to train... Continue →
On this day, five-year-old Sarah Roberts was barred from attending a whites-only public school in Boston. Her father, Benjamin Roberts, filed Roberts... Continue →
Mary Frances Berry was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She would go on to become a pioneering educator, civil rights advocate, and historian. Berry... Continue →
An institution that would eventually become Morehouse College was founded in Augusta, Georgia. Originally established to educate freedmen and train... Continue →
State troopers used tear gas to suppress student demonstrations at Alcorn A&M College (now Alcorn State University) in Mississippi. The protests... Continue →
John Hope, the first Black president of both Morehouse College and Atlanta University, passed away on this day. A prominent educator and advocate for... Continue →
Historian Carter G. Woodson initiated the first Negro History Week to promote the study and celebration of Black history in the United States. Timed... Continue →
On this day, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, often called the "Father of Black History," founded Associated Publishers to promote and preserve African... Continue →
Anna Julia Cooper, an educator, scholar, and advocate for the rights of Black women, died at the age of 105. Born into slavery in 1858, she went on... Continue →
Award-winning journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault was born in Due West, South Carolina. She became one of the first two Black students to integrate the... Continue →
Maria W. Stewart, a free Black woman, became the first American-born woman to speak publicly to a mixed audience of men and women, Black and white.... Continue →
Elias Neau, a French Huguenot and religious reformer, opened a school for Black students in New York City. Despite laws and social barriers against... Continue →
Beginning on March 1, 1960, approximately 1,000 students from Alabama State College marched on the state capitol in Montgomery to protest racial... Continue →
Montgomery police broke up a peaceful protest on the Alabama State College campus, arresting thirty-five students, a teacher, and her husband. The... Continue →
In response to the growing student-led sit-in movement across the South, police in Tallahassee, Florida, used tear gas to disperse peaceful Black... Continue →
The NAACP launched one of its first coordinated legal challenges against educational segregation by filing a lawsuit on behalf of Thomas Hocutt, a... Continue →
Over 267,000 Black and Puerto Rican students boycotted New York City public schools in a powerful follow-up to the February boycott. The protest... Continue →
West Virginia State College was established in Institute, West Virginia, as a land-grant institution for Black students under the Second Morrill Act... Continue →
Ralph Waldo Tyler, journalist and civil servant, was born—likely in Ohio—as the oldest of 12 children. Tyler became one of the most influential... Continue →
On this day, students at Howard University seized the administration building in protest, demanding a more Black-oriented curriculum and greater say... Continue →
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in Boston, quickly becoming a bestseller and a powerful tool in the... Continue →
Black students at the University of Michigan, supported by faculty and allies, launched a campus-wide strike demanding increased Black student... Continue →
State troopers were mobilized to suppress a student rebellion at Cheyney State College (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), one of the nation's... Continue →
Ida B. Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931), a fearless anti-lynching crusader, journalist, and suffragist, passed away on this day. Born... Continue →
Dr. James A. Harris, a pioneering African American nuclear chemist, was born on this day. During his tenure at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Harris... Continue →
Over 1,000 students at Howard University staged a sit-in and protest demanding greater emphasis on African American history and culture in the... Continue →
Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, former president of Morehouse College and a towering figure in American education and the civil rights movement, passed... Continue →
On this day, celebrated Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen received the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa award for poetry while a student at New York... Continue →
In protest of poor campus conditions and lack of institutional support, Black students at Bowie State College (now Bowie State University) seized the... Continue →
On March 31, 1960, eighteen students were suspended by Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after organizing a boycott of classes in... Continue →
On this day, Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College formally affiliated, creating a new cooperative entity known as Atlanta... Continue →
Hampton University was founded on April 1, 1868, in Hampton, Virginia, as Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, a school dedicated to the... Continue →
John Mercer Langston was elected clerk of Brownhelm Township in Ohio, making him one of the first African Americans ever elected to public office in... Continue →
Carter G. Woodson, the pioneering historian and educator known as the “Father of Black History,” died at the age of 74 in Washington, D.C.... Continue →
Booker Taliaferro Washington was born on this day in Hale's Ford, Virginia. Born into slavery, he would become one of the most influential African... Continue →
On May 6, 1967, approximately 400 students at Cheyney State College (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), the nation’s oldest historically... Continue →
William Monroe Trotter, a pioneering African American journalist and civil rights activist, was born on this day in Chillicothe, Ohio. A Harvard... Continue →
Dr. Nathan Hare was born in Slick, Oklahoma. A trailblazing educator, sociologist, and publisher, Hare became known as the "father of Black Studies"... Continue →
Paul Bustill Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey. A brilliant scholar and All-American football player at Rutgers University, Robeson graduated... Continue →
Spelman College opened in Atlanta, Georgia, as a seminary for Black women, originally founded by Sophia Packard and Harriet Giles with support from... Continue →
Black students at Boston University occupied the administration building to demand the creation of Afro-American history courses and the admission of... Continue →
Richard Harvey Cain was born on this day in Greenbrier County, Virginia (now West Virginia). A prominent African Methodist Episcopal (AME) bishop,... Continue →
Nella Larsen, a pioneering writer of the Harlem Renaissance, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Known for her novels Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929),... Continue →
Members of Columbia University's Student Afro-American Society (SAS) seized the Columbia College admissions office to protest the university’s lack... Continue →
James Hutton Brew, often called the "Pioneer of West African Journalism," died on this day in 1915. A lawyer, politician, and journalist from the... Continue →
On this day, young Black activists gathered at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and formally established the Student Nonviolent... Continue →
Norma Merrick Sklarek was born on this day in Harlem, New York. She became the first African American woman licensed as an architect in the United... Continue →
Elizabeth Catlett, a renowned African American lithographer and sculptor, was born in Washington, D.C. She became the first woman to teach sculpture... Continue →
Booker T. Washington became the first African American to receive an honorary degree from Harvard University. The degree recognized his leadership in... Continue →
On April 17, 1758, Francis Williams—an Afro-Caribbean scholar, educator, and poet—published a collection of Latin poetry that demonstrated the... Continue →
On April 19, 1960, a landmark study by the National Education Association (NEA) revealed that more than 30,000 Black teachers and principals had lost... Continue →
On April 19, 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was established as the Institute for Colored Youth, making it the first Historically Black... Continue →
On April 22, 1981, Brailsford Reese Brazeal, a pioneering African American economist and longtime dean of Morehouse College, passed away at the age... Continue →
On April 22, 1970, thousands of students at Yale University joined a growing national movement to protest in support of the Black Panther Party. The... Continue →
On April 22, 1964, students at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, staged a bold sit-in by occupying the administration building to protest... Continue →
On April 22, 1950, Charles Hamilton Houston passed away at age 54 in Washington, D.C. Often referred to as “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow,” Houston... Continue →
On April 23, 1971, a coalition of Black and white students at Columbia University occupied five buildings on campus, effectively shutting down... Continue →
On April 23, 1951, more than 450 Black students at Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia, staged a courageous walkout to... Continue →
On April 24, 1950, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) was officially founded to provide financial support to historically Black colleges and... Continue →
On April 24, 1972, James M. Rodger Jr. became the first African American to be honored as the National Teacher of the Year during a White House... Continue →
On April 25, 1944, Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, president of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), published an open letter in the Pittsburgh... Continue →
On April 26, 1968, Black students at Columbia University in New York City took over Hamilton Hall in protest of the university’s ties to military... Continue →
On April 26, 1785, John James Audubon was born in Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), to a French naval officer and an African Caribbean mother.... Continue →
On April 27, 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois published The Souls of Black Folk, a groundbreaking collection of essays that reshaped the national dialogue on... Continue →
On April 27, 1883, Hubert Henry Harrison was born in St. Croix, then part of the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands). A brilliant... Continue →
On April 28, 1957, W. Robert Ming—a prominent civil rights attorney and World War II veteran from Chicago—was elected chairman of the American... Continue →
On April 30, 1863, Sarah Thompson Garnet made history by becoming the first African American woman principal in the New York City public school... Continue →
On May 1, 1981, Dr. Clarence A. Bacote, a pioneering African American historian and political scientist, passed away in Atlanta at the age of 75. A... Continue →
On May 1, 1866, just after the Civil War, Fisk University was founded in Nashville, Tennessee by the American Missionary Association. Created to... Continue →
On May 1, 1924, Evelyn Boyd Granville was born in Washington, D.C. She would go on to become one of the first African American women to earn a Ph.D.... Continue →
On May 1, 1867, Howard University officially opened its doors in Washington, D.C. Named after Union General Oliver O. Howard, a key figure in the... Continue →
On May 1, 2003, Annette Gordon-Reed received the Pulitzer Prize for her book Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, a work that... Continue →
On May 2, 1872, the Freedmen’s Bureau oversaw the completion of a school for African Americans in Galveston, Texas, furthering its mission to... Continue →
On May 2, 1974, after a high-profile trial, Black activist and scholar Angela Davis was acquitted of all charges related to a 1970 courtroom... Continue →
On May 2, 1967, more than 100 Black students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, seized the Bursar’s (Finance) Office in a bold... Continue →
Septima Clark was born on May 3, 1898, in Charleston, South Carolina. A pioneering educator and activist, she understood that literacy and education... Continue →
Though the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria, occurred on April 14, the #BringBackOurGirls movement reached peak global... Continue →
On May 4, 1969, tensions were high at historically Black Jackson State University in Mississippi, part of the nationwide wave of student activism... Continue →
On May 4, 1988, Bill and Camille Cosby announced a historic $20 million donation to Spelman College, the prestigious historically Black women's... Continue →
On May 4, 1969, Fred Hampton, charismatic leader of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, delivered a stirring speech at the University of... Continue →
On May 4, 1978, Senegalese scholar and activist Alioune Diop died. Diop founded Présence Africaine, a Paris-based journal and publishing house that... Continue →
Mary Prince, born on May 5, 1809, in Bermuda, became the first Black woman to publish an autobiography in Britain, titled The History of Mary Prince... Continue →
On May 5, 1949, Martiniquan poet and politician Aimé Césaire released his seminal work, Discourse on Colonialism. In this fiery essay, Césaire... Continue →
On May 5, 1985, Gladys Merritt Ross, an influential African American educator and co-founder of the Phi Delta Kappa sorority for Black women... Continue →
On May 6, 1957, amidst heavy resistance, African American students known as the “Clinton 12” continued attending Clinton High School in Tennessee... Continue →
On May 6, 1963, as part of the Birmingham Campaign, thousands of young African American students continued marching for civil rights, confronting... Continue →
On May 7, 1963, thousands of Black schoolchildren in Birmingham, Alabama, continued to march for civil rights, following the first mass arrests the... Continue →
On May 8, 1871, Robert Tanner Freeman graduated from Harvard Dental School, becoming the first African American to earn a dental degree in the United... Continue →
On May 8, 1970, escalating tensions at Jackson State University in Mississippi culminated in student protests against racial injustice and the... Continue →
On May 8, 1866, Fisk University was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, to provide higher education for newly freed African Americans after the Civil... Continue →
John Brown Russwurm, born May 9, 1800, in Jamaica, became one of the first African American college graduates in the United States and a co-founder... Continue →
On May 10, 1962, Southern School News reported that 246,988 Black students—just 7.6% of the Black public school population—were attending... Continue →
On May 10, 1905, Anna Julia Cooper earned her Ph.D. from the University of Paris (Sorbonne), becoming one of the first African American women to... Continue →
On May 10, 1974, Angela Davis resumed her academic career by accepting a teaching position at Claremont College, following years of political... Continue →
On May 10, 1981, Hoyt W. Fuller, a prominent literary critic and editor, passed away at the age of 57 in Atlanta, Georgia. Fuller was a pioneering... Continue →
On May 11, 1895, Reverend R.H. Boyd founded the National Baptist Publishing Board in Nashville, Tennessee. At a time when Black churches were largely... Continue →
On May 11, 1946, Ruben Um Nyobé, a Cameroonian teacher and nationalist, presented a petition to the United Nations on behalf of Cameroon’s... Continue →
On May 11, 1921, Sir W. Arthur Lewis was born in Castries, Saint Lucia. He would go on to become the first Black person to win the Nobel Memorial... Continue →
In the early hours of May 14, 1970, officers from the Jackson Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol opened fire on a women’s dormitory... Continue →
Born on May 14, 1913, Clara Stanton Jones would go on to break historic barriers in library science and public service. In 1970, she became the first... Continue →
On May 14, 1890, Rosa Jinsey Young was born in Rosebud, Alabama. The daughter of a Methodist circuit rider, Young became one of Alabama’s most... Continue →
On May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition officially began its journey to explore the vast, uncharted lands of the Louisiana Purchase. Among... Continue →
On this day, Stokely Carmichael was named chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), marking a shift toward more radical Black... Continue →
On this day, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring racial segregation in public schools... Continue →
Mary McLeod Bethune, one of the most influential educators and civil rights leaders in American history, died on this day at age 79 in Daytona Beach,... Continue →
On this day, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its landmark decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation... Continue →
On May 21, 1970, the National Guard was mobilized to respond to escalating protests at Ohio State University. Both Black and white students united in... Continue →
Police and National Guardsmen opened fire on student demonstrators at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. The... Continue →
On this day, Mary Jane Patterson became the first African American woman in the United States to earn a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. She received... Continue →
On May 21, 1833, Oberlin College in Ohio took a groundbreaking step toward educational equality by enrolling Black students in its academic programs.... Continue →
On May 23, 1953, Dr. Rufus E. Clement, then president of Atlanta University, was elected to the Atlanta Board of Education, becoming the first... Continue →
On May 27, 1958, Ernest Green became the first African American student to graduate from Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. As a member of... Continue →
On May 30, 1965, Vivian Malone became the first Black student to graduate from the University of Alabama. Her graduation marked a historic victory... Continue →
On May 29, 1914, Henry Ransom Cecil McBay was born in Mexia, Texas. A brilliant chemist and influential educator, McBay earned his Bachelor of... Continue →
Sparked by the arrest of two Florida A&M University students who refused to give up their seats on a segregated bus, the Tallahassee Bus Boycott... Continue →
On May 31, 1961, U.S. District Judge Irving Kaufman ordered the Board of Education of New Rochelle, New York, to integrate its public schools. This... Continue →
On this day, General Samuel C. Armstrong recommended Booker T. Washington to become the founding principal of the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored... Continue →
On this date in 2001, the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 was amended in 1998 to include a provision that denied federal financial aid to students... Continue →
On this date in 1987, or the first time in U.S. history, three African American women were serving simultaneously as presidents of four-year colleges... Continue →
On this date in 1873, Henry Ossian Flipper became the first African American cadet to be admitted to the United States Military Academy at West... Continue →
On this date in 1870, James Webster Smith became the first Black cadet to enter the United States Military Academy at West Point. However, he faced... Continue →
On this date in 1775, Prince Hall founded Africa Lodge No. 1 in Boston, Massachusetts, marking a pivotal moment in history as it became the first... Continue →
On this date in 1936, John Hope, who was the president of Atlanta University, was honored in New York City by the NAACP (National Association for the... Continue →
On this date in 1881, the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) was established in Tuskegee, Alabama. This institution,... Continue →
On this date in 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum officially opened at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, marking a significant moment in... Continue →
On this date in 1881, Booker T. Washington officially opened Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. Washington, an influential... Continue →
On this date in 1853, William Wells Brown published Clotel; or, The President's Daughter, which is widely regarded as the first novel written by an... Continue →
On this date in 1940, Aubrey F. Lowe, a prominent financial analyst from Suffolk, Virginia, was born. His contributions to the field of finance are... Continue →
ON this date in 1915, Margaret Walker, the famous American writer, was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She is best known for her novel "Jubilee", which... Continue →
On this date in 1943, Faye Wattleton was born. She is a notable activist, nurse, and the first African American president of Planned Parenthood.... Continue →
On this date in 1979, Dr. Walter E. Massey was appointed as the director of Argonne National Laboratory, making him the first African American to... Continue →
On this date in 1875, Mary McLeod Bethune was born in Mayesville, South Carolina. She was a pioneering educator, civil rights leader, and founder of... Continue →
On this date in 1954, the first White Citizens’ Council (WCC) was established in Indianola, Mississippi. This organization was created by white... Continue →
On this date in 1766, Olaudah Equiano, an African man who had been enslaved, purchased his freedom. Equiano had been born in what is now Nigeria,... Continue →
On this date in 1980, John W. Davis dies at the age of 92 in Englewood, New Jersey. John W. Davis was a notable civil rights activist and an... Continue →
On this date in 1941, Maulana Karenga, originally named Ronald Everett, was born. He is best known as the founder of Kwanzaa, a week-long celebration... Continue →
On this date in 1822, Philadelphia opened its public schools for Black children, which was a significant moment in American history. This move marked... Continue →
On this date in 1862, Ida B. Wells Barnett, a pioneering African American journalist, educator, and civil rights activist was born. She is best known... Continue →
On this date in 1911, Frank Snowden, a pioneering scholar on the history of Black people in ancient times, was indeed born. His work focused on... Continue →
On this date in 1864, the first daily Black newspaper, The New Orleans Tribune, is published in English and French. The New Orleans Tribune was the... Continue →
Mary Church Terrell, a prominent African American activist and educator, passed away on July 24, 1954. She made history as one of the first Black... Continue →
Charles S. Johnson, born on July 24, 1893, was a prominent African American sociologist, educator, and civil rights leader. He is perhaps... Continue →
Alexandre Dumas was born on July 24, 1802, in Villers-Cotterêts, France to a Haitian mulatto, Thomas Alexandre Dumas, and Marie Labouret Dumas, a... Continue →
On July 26, 1926, Carter G. Woodson was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP. Woodson, known as the "Father of Black History," received the... Continue →
Spottiswood W. Robinson, born on July 26, 1916, was an American educator and innovator in the field of education. He was particularly influential in... Continue →
On July 26, 1865, Patrick Francis Healy became the first African American to be awarded a Ph.D. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from the... Continue →
Frederick Douglass was indeed a key figure in the first Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. While he is best known for... Continue →
Louis Lomax, the influential African American journalist and author, passed away on July 30, 1970. He was known for his groundbreaking work in the... Continue →
Patrick Francis Healy, S.J., was a trailblazer, not only as the first Black man to earn a Ph.D. but also as the first Black president of Georgetown... Continue →
Benjamin E. Mays, often hailed as "the greatest school master of his generation," was appointed president of Morehouse College on August 1, 1940. His... Continue →
Benjamin E. Mays was actually born on August 1, 1894 in Ninety Six, South Carolina. He was a prominent African American minister, educator, scholar,... Continue →
On August 1, 1879, Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African American woman to graduate from a nursing program in the United States. She completed... Continue →
On August 1, 1869, Augustus Nathaniel Lushington made history as the first African American to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree.... Continue →
On the night of August 7, 1930, James Cameron’s life took a dramatic and traumatic turn. As a teenager, he and two other young Black men—Thomas... Continue →
Matthew A. Henson was born on August 8, 1866. He was an African American explorer who is best known for being one of the first people to... Continue →
The Boston African Society was established on August 8, 1796, by a group of free African Americans in Boston. It was founded with 44 members... Continue →
The specific incident took place in Canaan, New Hampshire, in August 1835. A mob of white citizens, driven by racial animus, forcibly removed... Continue →
Carl Thomas Rowan was born on August 11, 1925, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a prominent American journalist, author, and civil rights advocate.... Continue →
On August 13, 1881, Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, established the first African American nursing school. This was a significant moment in... Continue →
On August 14, 1970, the City University of New York (CUNY) implemented an open admissions policy, marking a significant shift in higher... Continue →
On August 14, 1876, Prairie View State University (now Prairie View A&M University) was founded. Located in Prairie View, Texas, it is the... Continue →
Charles H. Wesley, an influential African American historian, passed away on August 16, 1987. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of... Continue →
On August 18, 1963, James Meredith became the first African American to be admitted to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). This milestone was a... Continue →
Charles F. Bolden Jr. was born on August 19, 1946, in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a former NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Marine Corps major... Continue →
Wilberforce University was established on August 20, 1856, in Ohio. It is the first private historically Black college and university (HBCU) in the... Continue →
Fisk University, founded in 1865 and officially incorporated on August 22, 1867, is one of the oldest historically Black colleges and universities... Continue →
On August 22, 1844, a significant event took place in Boston when a mass meeting of African Americans gathered to protest the segregation of public... Continue →
On this date inn 1826, Edward A. Jones received B.A. degree from Amherst College.
John Brown Russwurm's graduation from Bowdoin College in 1826 is indeed a significant milestone in American education, as he is often credited as the... Continue →
Jean-Baptiste Lislet-Geoffrey was an important figure in the history of science and a trailblazer in the French Academy of Sciences. On August 23,... Continue →
Jean Baptiste Lislet-Geoffroy was born on August 23, 1755, in France. He was a notable French geographer and cartographer, particularly recognized... Continue →
Kentucky State College (now known as Kentucky State University) was founded on August 25, 1886. It was established as a historically black college... Continue →
Katherine G. Johnson was a pioneering mathematician and aerospace technologist whose work at NASA was crucial in the success of several space... Continue →
Hale Woodruff, born on August 26, 1900, was an influential African American artist and educator. He is best known for his role in founding the... Continue →
W.E.B. Du Bois was a trailblazer in the fight for civil rights, education, and social justice. His contributions to both the academic world and the... Continue →
On August 30, 1956, a white mob in Mansfield, Texas, attempted to prevent the enrollment of Black students at Mansfield High School. This occurred... Continue →
On September 4, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus deployed the National Guard to prevent nine Black students from entering Central High School in... Continue →
On September 4, 1865, Bowie State College (now known as Bowie State University) was established in Bowie, Maryland. It is one of the oldest... Continue →
Our Nig: Or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black was published on September 5, 1859. Written by Harriet E. Wilson, it is considered the first... Continue →
On this date in 1871, Fisk Jubilee Singers began first national tour.
On this date in 1934, Playwright Imamu Amiri Baraka born Everett LeRoi Jones in Newark, New Jersey.
On this date in 1873, Henry E. Hayne, secretary of state, accepted as the first student of color at the University of South Carolina medical school.... Continue →
On this date in 1901, Frederick Douglass Patterson, veterinarian and founder of the United Negro College Fund, born
On this date in 1916, Sophomore tackle Paul Robeson is excluded from the Rutgers football team when Washington and Lee University refused to play... Continue →
On this date in 1902, William Boyd Allison Davis, a leading social anthropologist and educator, challenged the cultural bias of standardized... Continue →
ON this date in 1849, Charles L. Reason named professor of belles-lettres and French at Central College, McGrawville, New York. William G. Allen and... Continue →
ON this date in 1849, Avery College established in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.
On this date in 1969, Dr. Clifton R. Wharton Jr. elected president of Michigan State University and became the first Black to head a major,... Continue →
On this date in 1787, Prince Hall submitted, to the State Legislature of Boston, Massachusetts, a petition asking for equal educational rights. His... Continue →
On this date in 1951, Novelist, editor, and educator Terry McMillan was born on this day. Ms. McMillan will reach acclaim for her books "Mama",... Continue →
On this date in 1948, Born Paulette Williams, she graduated from Barnard College in 1970, and later earned an MA from the University of Southern... Continue →
On this date in 1859, Co-founder of Virginia State College, Byrd Prillerman, born.
On this date in 1994, Charles Edward Anderson the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in Meteorology; dies. In 1960, Charles Edward Anderson... Continue →
On this date in 1980, Valerie Thomas invented the illusion transmitter. Patent #US4229761.
ON this date in 1963, some 225,000 students boycotted Chicago schools in Freedom Day protest of de facto segregation.
On this date in 1958, ten thousand students, led by Jackie Robinson, Harry Belfonte and A. Phillip Randolph, participated in the Youth March for... Continue →
ON this date in 1925, Emmett W. Chappelle was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a Bachelor of Science in 1950 from the University of California,... Continue →
On this date in 1977, Dr. Clifford R. Wharton Jr. named chancellor of the State University of New York.
On this dated in 1806, Benjamin Banneker, inventor and scientist, dies at the age of 74. In 1753, he borrowed a pocket watch from a well-to-do... Continue →
On this date in 1914, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity incorporated,founded at Howard University.
On this date in 1969, U.S. Supreme Court said school systems must end segregation "at once" and "operate now and hereafter only unitary schools." In... Continue →
On this date in 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale students at a California college create the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.
On this date in 1945, Educator, Booker T Washington, inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.
On this dated in 1820, The "Emancipator," the first anti-slavery magazine, was issued monthly from April 30 to October 31, 1820. It was edited and... Continue →
On this date in 1796, an African Free School opened in New York. It was the the first school for Blacks in America opened. The African Free School... Continue →
On this date in 1964, Dr. Charles S. Johnson became the first Black president of Fisk University.
On this date in 1896, South Carolina State College established.
On this date in 1935, Maryland Court of Appeals ordered the University of Maryland to admit Donald Murray.
On this date in 1973, Spingarn Medal presented to Wilson C. Riles, superintendent of public instruction, California, "in recognition of the stature... Continue →
ON this date in 1973, Marcus A. Foster, superintendent of schools in Oakland, Calif., killed in ambush after Board of Education meeting. Two members... Continue →
On this date in 1928, Spingarn Medal presented to Charles W. Chestnutt, the first Black to receive widespread critical recognition as a novelist. He... Continue →
The Black Student Movement (BSM) was established at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to address issues of Black student... Continue →
On November 7, 1876, Meharry Medical College was founded as the medical department of Central Tennessee College in Nashville, Tennessee. It became... Continue →
On November 7, 1876, Edward Alexander Bouchet made history by earning a Ph.D. in physics from Yale University, becoming the first African American to... Continue →
On November 8, 1932, Robert Russa Moton, the second president of Tuskegee Institute, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP. Who was... Continue →
The Bethune Museum and Archives was founded on this day as the first institution in the United States dedicated to African American women's history.... Continue →
Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black Roman Catholic university in the United States, was founded on this day in New Orleans.... Continue →
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on November 12, 1922, at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, by seven African American... Continue →
On this day, U.S. Marshals escorted four six-year-old Black girls—Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost, and Gail Etienne—into McDonogh 19 Elementary... Continue →
Booker T. Washington, one of the most prominent African American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, died at age 59 in Tuskegee,... Continue →
Mother Mathilda Beasley, born Mathilda Taylor on November 14, 1832, in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a pioneering African American educator and the... Continue →
Sir W. Arthur Lewis, a professor at Princeton University, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, becoming the first Black person... Continue →
Langston University was established in Langston, Oklahoma, as a land-grant institution under the Morrill Act of 1890. It is Oklahoma’s only... Continue →
On November 16, 1972, a tragic incident unfolded at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Student protests concerning the university's... Continue →
Richard T. Greener, the first African American graduate of Harvard University (Class of 1870), was appointed professor of metaphysics and logic at... Continue →
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., becoming the first international fraternal... Continue →
Robert Edward Chambliss, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, was convicted of first-degree murder for his role in the 1963 bombing of the 16th... Continue →
Ten members of the First Congregational Society of Washington, D.C. gathered for a missionary meeting and resolved to establish a seminary to train... Continue →
Shaw University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, was founded on this day by Henry Martin Tupper, a Union Army chaplain. It holds the distinction... Continue →
Alrutheus Ambush Taylor, a pioneering African American historian and educator, was born on this day in Washington, D.C. Taylor was instrumental in... Continue →
On this day, the Alice Freeman Palmer Institute in Sedalia, North Carolina, founded by educator and activist Charlotte Hawkins Brown, was officially... Continue →
John Lee Love, an African American inventor, received U.S. Patent No. 594,114 for his design of a portable pencil sharpener. Known as the "Love... Continue →
Shortly after the Civil War, on November 24, 1865, Mississippi became the first former Confederate state to pass the so-called Black Codes. These... Continue →
Southern University was officially established in Louisiana on November 24, 1880, by the state legislature as a public institution for the education... Continue →
Richard Nathaniel Wright, acclaimed American author of Native Son and Black Boy, died in Paris, France, at the age of 52. Wright was a trailblazing... Continue →
Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, students at Merritt College in Oakland, California, founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The... Continue →
James Baldwin, born August 2, 1924, in Harlem, New York, passed away on this day in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France. A brilliant novelist, essayist, and... Continue →
?In 1873, several historically significant educational institutions were established, each playing a pivotal role in advancing education for African... Continue →
On this day, Dial Press published Judas, My Brother, a novel by Frank Yerby, one of the first Black American authors to gain international acclaim... Continue →
The institutions you mentioned—North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T), Delaware State University, and... Continue →
On December 2, 1891, Charles Harris Wesley was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He became a distinguished historian, educator, minister, and author,... Continue →
Helen Gray Edmonds was born in Lawrenceville, Virginia. She went on to become a distinguished educator, historian, and civic leader. Edmonds was the... Continue →
On this day, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) organized nationwide protests against the film The Birth of a... Continue →
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, was founded at Cornell... Continue →
On this day, Alexandre Dumas, the renowned French author of African descent, passed away at the age of 68. Dumas is best known for his literary... Continue →
On this day, educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) in New York City. The... Continue →
Mary McLeod Bethune, renowned educator and civil rights leader, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for her outstanding achievements in... Continue →
Elbert Frank Cox was born in Evansville, Indiana on this day. In 1925, he made history by becoming the first African American in the world to receive... Continue →
Alexandre Dumas, the renowned French novelist and playwright, died on this day in 1870. Born in 1802, Dumas was of Afro-Caribbean descent—his... Continue →
Phillis Wheatley, the first African American to publish a book of poetry, died in poverty at the age of 31 in Boston. Enslaved as a child and brought... Continue →
William Stanley Braithwaite was born in Boston, Massachusetts. A poet, literary critic, and editor, Braithwaite played a pivotal role in shaping... Continue →
Frantz Fanon, the Martinican-born psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary, and author, passed away from leukemia at age 36. He is best known for his... Continue →
On this day, Tougaloo College was established in Tougaloo, Mississippi, by the American Missionary Association. It became a center for African... Continue →
The NAACP presented the prestigious Spingarn Medal to novelist Richard Wright for his groundbreaking contributions to American literature. He was... Continue →
On this day, John Hope was posthumously awarded the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor, recognizing outstanding achievement by an African... Continue →
Henry Hugh Proctor was born in Fayette County, Tennessee. He became a prominent African American minister, educator, and writer, known for his work... Continue →
On this day, Lucy Ann Stanton made history by becoming the first African American woman to complete a college-level course of study. She graduated... Continue →
John E. Bush, born into slavery, rose to become a respected teacher, real estate developer, and civic leader in Arkansas. In 1898, he was appointed... Continue →
On December 12, 1938, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a pivotal decision in Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, marking a significant step toward... Continue →
Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, born on this day in Paris, Tennessee, became the first African American president of Howard University, serving from 1926 to... Continue →
The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) is the nation's longest-running voluntary school desegregation program. Established in... Continue →
The San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University) student strike of 1968–1969 was a pivotal moment in the history of American... Continue →
John Mercer Langston, a pioneering lawyer, educator, and politician, was born on this day in Louisa County, Virginia. Born free in a slaveholding... Continue →
William Augustus Hinton, a pioneering African American bacteriologist and pathologist, was born on this day. He is best known for developing the... Continue →
Kenneth B. Clark, a pioneering psychologist and educator, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for his groundbreaking work on the... Continue →
On December 15, 1943, the Spingarn Medal was presented to William H. Hastie in recognition of his distinguished career as a jurist and his unwavering... Continue →
On December 15, 1934, William Taylor Burwell Williams was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for his exceptional contributions to education.... Continue →
On this day in 1933, Charles L. Blockson was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. A renowned author, historian, and collector, Blockson became one of... Continue →
On this day, three historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were founded or formally chartered: Alabama A&M University... Continue →
On this day, the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) was officially organized in Jackson, Tennessee, by 41 freedmen and former slaves. The... Continue →
William Cooper Nell was born on this day in Boston, Massachusetts. Recognized by Carter G. Woodson as the first African American historian, Nell... Continue →
On December 18, 1996, the Oakland School Board in California made a groundbreaking decision by passing a resolution that recognized Ebonics, also... Continue →
Henry A. Hunt, a pioneering Black educator and agricultural leader, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for his outstanding contributions to... Continue →
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, originally founded on January 13, 1913 at Howard University by 22 collegiate women, was officially incorporated on... Continue →
On this date, South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, was officially designated a state-supported land-grant institution for... Continue →
On this day, Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the first influential Black poets in American literature, published his debut poetry collection, Oak and... Continue →
Allen University Founded: 1870 Location: Columbia, South Carolina Wikipedia Background: Established by ministers of the... Continue →
On December 21, 1972, Horace Mann Bond, an influential African American educator, historian, and college administrator, died. Bond was known for his... Continue →
James Amos Porter, a pioneering African American art historian and artist, was born on this date in Baltimore, Maryland. Porter was instrumental in... Continue →
W.E.B. Du Bois, a pioneering sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist, was elected to the prestigious National Institute of Arts and... Continue →
Dr. Chancellor Williams, renowned historian and author of The Destruction of Black Civilization, was born. His influential work challenged mainstream... Continue →
Charles Lenox Remond, a pioneering abolitionist and orator, died on this day in 1873. He was the first Black lecturer employed by the Massachusetts... Continue →
Octavia V. Rogers Albert, an African American author and former enslaved woman, was born. She is best known for her influential book The House of... Continue →
Henry McKee Minton was born on this day in Columbia, South Carolina. A pioneering African American physician and pharmacist, Minton co-founded Sigma... Continue →
On Christmas Day 1865, three prominent historically Black universities were founded: Atlanta University (now part of Clark Atlanta University), Shaw... Continue →
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the oldest historically Black university in the United States, was established as the Institute for Colored Youth... Continue →
Jean Toomer, a pioneering African-American writer and the grandson of P.B.S. Pinchback—the first African-American governor of a U.S. state—was... Continue →
With the support of his wife, Work went on to publish The Negro Year Book, an annual encyclopedia of African American achievement. In 1928, he... Continue →
Livingstone College and Biddle College (now Johnson C. Smith University) played the first recorded football game between African American colleges.... Continue →
William A. Harper, one of the most gifted African American artists of the early 20th century, was born in Ontario, Canada. A student of renowned... Continue →
William Stanley Braithwaite, renowned poet, literary critic, and editor, received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP for distinguished achievement in... Continue →
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., a historically African American Greek-lettered sorority, was officially incorporated on this date in 1929. Founded on... Continue →
On this day, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was honored with the prestigious Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, recognizing his significant contributions to... Continue →
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) held its first nationally televised telethon, An Evening of Stars, which raised $14.1 million to support... Continue →
Sculptor and educator Selma Burke was born on this day in Mooresville, North Carolina. She gained national recognition after being commissioned to... Continue →
Annie Wealthy Holland, an influential African American educator, was born on this day. She is best known for founding the Parent Teacher Association... Continue →
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