*The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws began on this date in 1952. The Campaign was the first “large-scale, multi-racial political mobilization against apartheid laws under a common leadership.” This Campaign was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in December 1951. The South African police were alerted […]
learn more*The birth of Sally Motlana is celebrated on this date in 1927. She was a Black African activist. Born in Pilgrim’s Rest in the then Eastern Transvaal, South Africa, Sally Maunye came to Johannesburg in 1931. She stayed in Vrededorp initially and moved to Sophiatown in 1933. After gaining her junior certificate, she was unable […]
learn more*The birth of Diogo de Azambuja is celebrated on this date in 1432. He was a white European Portuguese noble, slave trader, and explorer. He was born at Montemor-o-Velho and became a knight of the Order of Aviz in the service of the son of the Regent Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra. After Peter’s defeat […]
learn more*The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) was founded on this date in 1944. As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NWC). ANCYL is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). The formation of the ANC Youth […]
learn more*Dr. Nthato Harrison Motlana was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black South African businessman, physician, and anti-apartheid activist. He was born in Marapane, near Pretoria, South Africa. He attended Kilnerton High School in Pretoria and the University of Fort Hare, where he obtained a B.Sc. degree. He also took medicine at […]
learn more*The Sowetan newspaper was founded on this date in 1981. This is an English-language South African daily newspaper that began publication following the end of apartheid, marking the culmination of the liberation struggle. It belonged to Dr. Nthato Motlana, a South African businessman, physician, and activist, who played a leading role in the formation of […]
learn more*Braden v. United States, 365 U.S. 431, was decided on this date in 1961. In this case, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the petitioner, Carl Braden, ‘s conviction, based on his refusal to answer questions posed by the House of Representatives, did not violate his First Amendment rights and was therefore […]
learn more*Ytasha L. Womack’s birth is celebrated on January 22, 1965. She is a Black writer, filmmaker, and cultural critic. Womack was born and raised in Chicago. After graduating from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Womack attended Clark Atlanta University, where she received a bachelor’s in mass media arts. Womack continued her education at Columbia […]
learn more*Ebrahim Rasool was born on July 15, 1962. He is a Coloured South African politician and diplomat. Ebrahim Rasool was born in District Six, Cape Town, to a Muslim family of mixed English-Javanese-Dutch-Indian heritage. Since he was classified as Coloured by the apartheid system at nine years old, he and his family were forcefully evicted […]
learn more*Alondra Nelson was born on this date in 1968. She is a Black academic, policy advisor, nonprofit administrator, and writer. Raised in Southern California in 1994, Nelson earned a Bachelor of Science in anthropology from the University of California, San Diego. While there, she was an early leader in dialogue on Afrofuturism, was elected to […]
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