*Lillie Patterson was born on May 3, 1917. She was a Black writer and school and college librarian. Lillie Griselda Patterson was from South Carolina. She grew up listening to her grandmother telling stories in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Patterson received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Hampton University in the 1940s and a […]
learn more*On this date in 1986, Batson v. Kentucky was decided. A landmark United States Supreme Court decision ruled that a prosecutor’s use of a peremptory challenge in a criminal case—dismissing jurors without stating a valid cause—may not be used to exclude jurors based solely on their race. The Court ruled that this practice violated the […]
learn more*On this date in 1965, Swain v. Alabama was decided. This case was heard before the United States Supreme Court regarding the legality of a struck jury. Robert Swain, a Black man, was indicted and convicted of rape in the Circuit Court of Talladega County, Alabama, and sentenced to death by an all-white jury. The […]
learn more*Rickey Henderson was born on this date in 1958. He was a Black major league baseball player and coach. Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the back seat of an Oldsmobile on the way to the hospital. He was named after singer-actor Ricky Nelson, the son of John L. Henley and […]
learn more*On this date in 1969, The Coretta Scott King Award is celebrated. This annual award is presented by the Coretta Scott King Book Award Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, this award recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African Americans that reflect the Black experience. […]
learn more*Alfred King was born on this date in 1930. He was a Black Baptist minister and civil rights activist. Alfred Daniel King was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the son of Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He was the youngest of their three children (the other two being Willie Christine […]
learn more*Alonzo J. Aden was born on May 6, 1906. He was a Gay Black art historian and gallerist. Alonzo “Lonnie” Aden was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He was the oldest son of Ephraim Aden, a hotelier, and Naomi Barnett, a schoolteacher. Aden had blonde hair until early adulthood and green eyes. In 1920, Aden […]
learn more*On this date in 1936, The Hall of Negro Life debuted at the Texas Centennial Exposition. The Hall of Negro Life was a popular attraction and is believed to be the first recognition of African American culture at a World’s Fair. This world’s fair exhibit ran until November 29, 1936, at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. […]
learn more*The British Methodist Episcopal Church (BMEC) was organized on September 26, 1856. (BMEC) is a Methodist denomination based in Canada. The American Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) was formed in 1816 when several Black congregations joined under Richard Allen’s leadership. By the mid-1850s, it had seven conferences in the United States. AMEC preachers began to […]
learn more*P.K. Subban was born on this date in 1989. He is a Black Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman. Pernell-Karl Sylvester Subban was born in Toronto, Canada. In the 1970’s, his father immigrated to Ontario from Jamaica to Sudbury, and his mother, Maria, came from Montserrat to Hamilton. His father (Karl) is a retired school […]
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