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Malcolm X leaves the Nation of Islam (an organization of African-American Muslims) and denounces their ideas, saying that their leader was deceptive. He makes this decision after making the traditional Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca, Hajj.
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Three gunmen rush Malcolm X on the stage before a speaking engagement for his organization in Manhattan and is shot 15 times. The gunmen were members of the Nation of Islam.
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James Meredith was the first African American to enroll in the University of Mississippi. He was shot during his March Against Fear and inspired the Black Power Movement.
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A march on Washington lead by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy in an effort to gain economic justice for poor people in America. The campaign fought not only for African Americans but for all poor people in America.
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200 Protesters had demonstrated against racial segregation at a local bowling alley. 3 protesters were killed (all black), and 27 injured.
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Black sanitation workers in Memphis strike due to poor working conditions. MLK joined the strike in March (a month in) as well as leading a march. This was the last event he participated in as he was killed 12 days before it ended.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis.
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Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists in a black power salute during the national anthem at the Olympics. Peter Norman wears a badge in support.
