The Registry

Julian Bond, Activist born

Julian Bond, an African American Civil rights activist and politician, was born on this date in 1940, in Nashville, TN.

Harvey Gantt, Architect, and Politician born

*Harvey Gantt was born on this date in 1943. He is a Black architect and politician. Harvey Bernard Gantt was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to Wilhelminia and Christopher C. Gantt, a shipyard worker. He started to participate in the American Civil Rights movement in high school. In 1963, he was the first Black student at Clemson […]

Vonetta McGee, Actress born

*Vonetta McGee was born on this date in 1945. She was an African American actress.

Lawrence Vonetta McGee (named after her father) was born in San Francisco. Her family planned for her to have a career in law, and she began studying pre-law at San Francisco State College, but she became involved in amateur theater and was bitten by the acting bug. McGee left college without graduating and joined the many American actors who moved to Rome in the 1960s to find work at the Cinecittà film studios.

The N.A.A.C.P. v. Button Case is Decided

*On this date in 1963, the NAACP v. Button case was decided.   This was a 6-to-3 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States which held that the reservation of jurisdiction by a federal district court did not bar the U.S. Supreme Court from reviewing a state court’s ruling. It also overturned certain laws enacted […]

Kimberly Bryant, Electrical Engineer born

*Kimberly Bryant was born on this date in 1967. She is a Black electrical engineer, expert in the biotechnology field. Bryant was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee by a single mother amidst the Civil Rights Movement. She self-described as a “nerdy girl,” excelling in mathematics and science in school. She earned a scholarship to […]

Students Boycott The University of Minnesota

On this date in 1969, students took over Morrill Hall at the University of Minnesota.

The Morrill Hall takeover was the result of many decades of neglect and discrimination of Black students by the University. Despite an increase in Black students at thre University and in colleges and universities nationwide, the faculty and administration had remained indifferent to their cultural and racial needs. The two-day siege, orchestrated by nearly 70 people, was spearheaded by the African American students at the school.

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association is Founded

*The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) is celebrated on this date in 1970. They are an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA) that focuses on the needs of African American library professionals by promoting careers in librarianship, funding literacy initiatives, and providing scholarships. While work began to organize a Black Caucus […]