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Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown was a plaintiff who took the Board of Education to court for unconstitutional segregation in schools. In the verdict, Warren wrote that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place,” as segregated schools are “inherently unequal.” They said school segregation was a violation of the 14th Amendment, and had to be resolved. Even though they didn't integrate an immediate solution, they began seeking further arguments and ideas for solutions. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was a civil rights protest during which African Americans refused to ride the bus because of segregation in Montgomery Alabama. The protest took place from December 5, 1955, to December 20,1956. It was regarded as the first large-scale U.S. protest. Four days before the protest began a woman named Rosa Parks was arrested because she did not want to give up her seat she sparked the bus boycott. -
Emmet Till
Emmet Till was a 14 year old boy brutally murdered for flirting with a married white woman. After the woman's husband heard of the boy, he drove with his brother in-law, kidnapped the boy, and beat him, gouged out his eyes, and drowned him in a river. Once the body was found, the mother decided to have an open casket at the funeral. Photos of the casket went viral, and the men were tried but were pronounced "not guilty", and suffered no consequences for their actions. -
Little Rock Nine
They were a group of nine African Americans who enrolled at a formerly all white school. On the first day of school at Central High, governor Orval Faubus sent the National Guard to block the entrance of the school. Later that month, president Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the Little Rock Nine into the school. It drew so much national attention that the US Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. -
Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the US Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 9, 1957. This bill helped protect voter rights, so that no one could be prevented from voting based on their race. -
Greenboro Four
The Greensboro four included David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, and Jibreel Khazan. These men were four African American students from North Carolina State who staged a "sit-in" protest for racism awareness at a retail store called Woolworth. This protest spread throughout the nation in fame and popularity. Because of this, it accomplished its goal. -
Albany Movement
It was a desegregation movement formed in 1961 in Albany Georgia. It challenged all racial segregation and discrimination in the city. Intended to end all forms of racial segregation in the city, but it initially focused on desegregating travel facilities. It also formed a biracial committee to discuss further desegregation and called for the release of those jailed in earlier segregation protests. They used mass demonstrations like sit-ins, boycotts, jail-ins, and litigation. -
Bombing of Four African American Girls
On September 15, 1963, a bomb explodes during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls: Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11). Birmingham Alabama was one of the most opposed cities to integration. -
Civil Rights Act Passed
In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 88-352 (78 Stat. 241). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. The Act prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and federally funded programs. It also strengthened the enforcement of voting rights and the desegregation of schools. -
Malcom X Assassinated
Malcolm X was murdered February 21, 1965 in New York City. Malcolm was an African American Nationalist and religious leader. He was assassinated by rival African American muslims while addressing his organization of Afro American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. -
Leroy “Satchel” Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
1971, Leroy “Satchel” Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: On February 9, 1971, pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In August of that year, Paige, a pitching legend known for his fastball, showmanship and the longevity of his playing career, which spanned five decades, was inducted. -
Black Caucus founded
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) was established in 1971 to put forth policy and legislation that ensured equal rights, opportunity, and access to Black Americans and other marginalized communities. -
Equal Rights Amendment Passed in Congress
ERA was approved by the House in 1971. The Senate approved an identical version in 1972, sending the ERA to the states with a 7 year deadline for ratification. In 1978, with the seven-year deadline fast approaching, and the ERA lacking the required number of state ratifications, Congress extended the time limit to 1982. However, by the time the extended deadline arrived, the ERA had only been ratified by 35 states. -
Arthur Ashe becomes the first Black person to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon
1975, Arthur Ashe becomes the first Black person to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon: July 5, 1975, marks the day 31-year-old Arthur Ashe shocked the world. He defeated 22-year-old Jimmy Connors to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon. In 1968, Ashe became the first black man to win the U.S. Open. Two years later, he won the Australian Open for his second Grand Slam title. -
Faye Wattleton is the first Black woman to preside over Planned Parenthood Federation of America
1978, Faye Wattleton is the first Black woman to preside over Planned Parenthood Federation of America. As a nurse Faye Wattleton saw suffering and the consequences of poor health care. To help change this, she became one of the nation’s most effective advocates as president of the PPFA. Wattleton became president of Planned Parenthood in 1978, a position she held until 1992. As the first woman to serve as the organization’s president since its founder, Margaret Sanger. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (Affirmative Action)
1978, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (Affirmative Action): In Regents of University of California v. Bakke 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that a university's use of racial quotas in its admissions process was unconstitutional but a school's use of affirmative action to accept more minority applicants was constitutional in some circumstances. -
Muhammad Ali is the first heavyweight champion to win the title three times
1978, Muhammad Ali is the first heavyweight champion to win the title three times: On September 15, 1978, boxer Muhammad Ali defeats Leon Spinks at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans to win the world heavyweight boxing title for the third time in his career, the first fighter ever to do so. -
Recording artist Michael Jackson (1958–2009) releases "Thriller," which became the best selling album in music history.
1982, Recording artist Michael Jackson (1958–2009) releases "Thriller," which became the best selling album in music history: Thirty-six years ago, Michael Jackson released an album that cemented his status as the world's biggest pop star. “Thriller,” released on November 30, 1982, went on to become the world's best-selling music album in history. -
Guion S. Bluford, Jr. (b. 1942) becomes the first African American astronaut to make a space flight.
1983, Guion S. Bluford, Jr. (b. 1942) becomes the first African American astronaut to make a space flight: Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. In 1983, as a member of the crew of the Orbiter Challenger on the mission STS-8, he became the first African American in space as well as the second person of African ancestry in space, after Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez. -
Minneapolis Riot
2020, Minneapolis Riot: This was a violent protest in which for months people looted and burned building in the city of Minneapolis. What sparked these riots was the death of George Floyd, who became a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement. -
1st Main Person- Rosa Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005)
Rosa Parks was best known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of freedom. The boycott lasted more than a year during which she lost her job and ended only when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional. Rosa Parks life changed because over the next few years she became a nationally recognized symbol of dignity and strength in the struggle to end segregation. -
2nd Main Person P1- Roy Wilkins: (August 30, 1901 – September 8, 1981)
He was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930’s to the 1970’s. He was an activist in the NAACP and between 1931 and 1934 was assistant NAACP secretary under Walter Francis White. Wilkins directed the NAACP on course that sought equal rights for African Americans through redress. In August 1963 he helped organize the civil rights march on Washington. -
2nd Main Person P2- Roy Wilkins: (August 30, 1901 – September 8, 1981)
During his tenure, he was one of many that spearheaded the civil rights movement like Brown vs. Board of education, The Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965. That’s how his life changed personally and how he changed the lives of many. He gave African Americans the right to vote and earned rights that African Americans never had before. And that is how he changed many lives. -
3rd Main Person- Whitney Moore Young Jr: (July 31, 1921 – March 11, 1971)
Whitney was an American civil rights leader who trained as a social worker and spent most of his career trying to end employment discrimination in the US. In 1961, Whitney Young was named the President of the National Urban League. The organization's goal was to help African American immigrants in America. They would help them find jobs and find aid while they adjusted to their new northern industrial surroundings. From 1961-71, he became the head of the National Urban League. -
1st Primary Citation: Emmett Till
“After seeing the mutilated remains, she decided to have an open-casket funeral so that all the world could see what racist murderers had done to her only son.” Emmett till Is Murdered. 9 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-death-of-emmett-till. -
2nd Primary Source: Civil Rights Act Passed
“In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 88-352 (78 Stat. 241). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” “Legal Highlight: The Civil Rights Act of 1964.” U.S. Department of Labor Seal, www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/civil-rights-center/statutes/civil-rights-act-of-1964#:~:text=In%201964%2C%20Congress%20passed%20Public,hiring%2C%20promoting%2C%20and%20firing.