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start of the civil rights era
In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Supreme Court rules unanimously against school segregation, overturning its 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. -
chuck berry
Musician Chuck Berry begins recording; his music will help shape rock-and-roll -
rosa parks
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white person, triggering a successful, year-long African American boycott of the bus system -
supreme court
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the segregation of Montgomery, Ala., buses is unconstitutional. -
nine african american students
For the first time since Reconstruction, the federal government uses the military to uphold African Americans' civil rights, as soldiers escort nine African American students to desegregate a school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Daisy Bates, an NAACP leader, advised and assisted the students and eventually had a state holiday dedicated to her. -
mlk jr
The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., helps found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to work for full equality for African Americans. -
althea gibson
Althea Gibson becomes the first African American tennis player to win a major title by winning both the women's singles and doubles championships at Wimbledon -
alvin ailey
African American ballet dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey founds the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, now world-renowned. -
miles davis records
Great jazz trumpeter Miles Davis records "Kind of Blue," often considered his masteriece. The saxophonist on the album is another jazz giant, John Coltrane. -
lorraine hansberrys
Lorraine Hansberry's "Raisin in the Sun" is the first play by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway.
