-
Black History Week
Carter G. Woodson 2nd African American to obtain a PhD from Harvard. He founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in Chicago. The NAACP describe the goal of the association as the scientific study of the “neglected aspects of Negro life and history.” Woodson was devoted to showing the contributions of the Black community and in 1926, he launched the Negro History Week as the second week in February. His concept was later expanded into becoming Black History Month. -
Brown v Board of Education
The Supreme Court overturned the “separate but equal” ruling of the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. Their ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education declared segregation unconstitutional in public schools. Brown's daughter, Linda Brown, was denied entrance to Topeka’s all-white elementary school. By the time of the ruling, Linda was in an integrated junior high school; however, the ruling changed her life and the life of many other African American students. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery to a white passenger. She was an African American civil rights activist and an established organizer and leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. Parks not only showed active resistance by refusing to move, but she also helped organize and plan the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The National Womens History Museum explains that she was jailed for refusing to give up her seat and lost her job for participating in the boycott. -
School Integration
Nine African American students went to an all-white school for the first time. Until that point, Little Rock Central High School had been an all-white school. The students encountered a white mob and soldiers from Arkansas National Guard as they tried to enter that school. They were sent home, protected by US soldiers, but they continued to face harassment. The confrontation drew the attention of the entire US and showed the conflict over civil rights and state v. federal power. -
Sit-ins
On February 1, 1960, a group of four African American college students, including John Lewis, from the A&TC of NC sat at the “whites only” lunch counter of F.W. Woolworth department store. After they were refused service, they sat at the counter until the store closed. The next day, they returned with 20 more students to continue this protest. Protestors started filling up stores and taking all the “white spots” and as students started to be arrested, more students would come fill their spots. -
Bloodshed of the Freedom Riders
13 Americans, 7 African American and 6 white Americans, arrive in Alabama. The end goal, of who we now call “The Freedom Riders”, was to reach New Orleans to celebrate the 7-year anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. An angry mob followed the bus the “Freedom Riders” were on. The tires of this bus blow out, allowing this mob to throw a bomb at the vehicle. The riders escaped the bus in time, but was met by the angry mod who beaten the men brutally. -
The March on Washington
The March on Washington is arguably the face of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. A quarter of a million of Americans joined together to end racism. African American and white Americans started at the Washington Monument and included a gathering at the Lincoln Memorial. Important civil rights activists gave speech's, including the famous Marten Luther King jr. Speech “I Have a Dream”. The march ended in the White House in a meeting between the march leaders and John F. Kennedy. -
Civil Rights Act
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the CRA into law on July 2, 1964. This legislation allowed the federal government to enforce the stop of racial discrimination in employment, voting and the use of public facilities. The act furthered the push to end segregation. -
Black Panther
The Black Panther Party was an African American revolutionary party, founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The purpose of the group was to protect African American neighborhoods against police brutality. Britannica says that the BPP launched “numerous community programs that offered tuberculosis testing, legal aid, transportation assistance, and free shoes to people who are less fortunate”. -
Chicago Freedom Movement
A Civil Rights march took place at Marquette Park, a white neighborhood in Chicago. Their focus was to change the racial inequalities around homeownership and rental injustices. The march was an aspiring and determined movement in the North. The protesters were attacked by an angry mob that used glass, rocks, and firecrackers. 30 people were injured including Martin Luther King jr. The Chicago Freedom Movement was credited to lead to the passing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968. -
Black History Month
Carter G. Woodson was one of the first African Americans to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. He committed his life to the study and discovery of African American History. In 1926 he launched the annual “Negro History Week” in February, where he promoted schools to talk about black history in America. Years later in the 60’s, many college campuses started to accept Black History Month as it evolved from NHW. This idea spread across the nation and is still celebrated today. -
Guion Bluford
Guion Bluford was the first African American in space. Prior to his time in orbit, Bluford was an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam War. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in aerospace engineering. Bluford was accepted with 34 individuals to join NASA Astronaut Training Program. He was launched into a low space orbit, the space shuttle named Challenger. He was a part of three other missions in space and became a vice president of an Engineerinng company. -
John Lewis
When Jimmy Carter became president, he made John Lewis, civil rights activate, to head the federal volunteer agency, ACTION. In 1986 he ran for Congress, and he was elected to U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Lewis served on the Subcommittee on Health, House Ways and Means Committee, and the House Budget Committee. He served in Congress until the day he died. -
Rosa Parks Foundation
The Rosa Parks Foundation was founded in February 1987 by Rosa Parks and Ms. Elaine Steele in honor of Raymond Parks. The purpose of this foundation was to educate and motivate people of all ages, specifically African Americans, to better themselves and their communities. They have multiple programs and many target community development. The programs have historically been five-week periods in the summer, where they teach things like black history, life skills, and community interaction. -
Obama Elected
Obama was the first African American president the Harvard Law Review. He worked at a small law firm that specialized in civil rights in Chicago for several years, before he ran for president. After he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he ran for office in 2008. Obama beat the Arizona senator that was running against him, John McCain, by electoral votes. He then became the 44th U.S. president, and the first African American to hold the office. -
The Beginning of Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter is a worldwide campaign to end racism. The phrase started as a hashtag on twitter after the death of Trayvon Martin. The political intervention is credited to three African American females, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. The goal is to reach justice for all African Americans, by organizing events to embrace and build a future that is for Americans who are black. -
Linda Carol Brown
Linda Brown was the center of the civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education. The lawsuit against segregation schools ultimately led to the overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson. Brown became an educator and civil rights advocate. Linda Brown's legacy includes the declaration of historic landmark status for both Sumner, the nearby whites-only school she sought to attend alongside her neighbors, and Monroe, a more distant, segregated elementary school. -
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris was born in California and lived with her two immigrant parents. Her mother always knew the Kamala was destined for greatness. She graduated with a degree in political science and economics from University of California and Howard University. In 1990 she joined a County District Attorney’s office and later was elected for the District Attorney of San Francisco. Harris made history as the first female vice president and first African-American and Asian-American vice president -
George Floyd
George Floyd was murdered outside of a small store in Minneapolis. Floyd had the cops called on him by the store clerk for trying to pay with a fake $20 bill. When the police came and tried putting him into the police car, George was resisted the arrest. One of the cops pinned George to the ground and started rolling his knee on the back of his neck. While the cop was doing this, George was saying “I can’t breathe”. The cop pinned him for nine and a half minutes, leading to his death. -
First Female Africain American Supreme Court Justice
Ketanji Brown Jackson made history in 2022 as the first female Africain American Supreme Court Justice. She received votes from 50 democratic senators and 3 republican senators. She graduated from Harvard Law in 1996 and work her way up in the US courts as a clerk from a variety of judges. She states, “It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it”.
