People, Locations, Episodes

Cudjo Lewis (the last African slave in America) born

*The birth of Cudjo Lewis, c 1840 is celebrated on this date. He was an African laborer in America, Historian and the last known survivor of the Middle Passage, the Atlantic slave trade between Africa and the United States. He was born Oluale Kossola in the present-day West African country of Benin to Oluale and his second wife […]

Juneteenth, National Freedom Day observed

This date marks the Juneteenth National Freedom Day. Celebrated on June 19, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It is the name given to Emancipation Day (or Freedam Day)_by African-Americans in in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in town and read General Order #3 to the people of Galveston.

Addison Scurlock photographed Black and White notables in D.C.

Addison Scurlock was born on this date in 1883. He was an African American photographer.

Born in Fayetteville, N.C., he graduated from high school there, and in 1900, moved with his family to Washington, D.C. His father, George Clay Scurlock, had run unsuccessfully for the North Carolina Senate. He also worked as a messenger for the U.S. Treasury Department, while studying law and he later opened a law office on the 1100 block of U Street.

Joe Thomas, a consistent musician

Joe Thomas, an African American musician, was born on this date in 1909.

Born in Uniontown, PA, he began his professional career in 1930 playing the alto saxophone with Horace Henderson. After a year, he changed to the tenor saxophone, the instrument with which he became famous after joining Stuff Smith in 1932. Jimmie Lunceford heard him play in Buffalo, N.Y., and asked Thomas to join his group. Thomas settled into the Lunceford band until Jimmie’s death in 1947.

Tennessee State University founded

On this date in 1912, Tennessee State University (TSU) opened its doors of higher learning. TSU is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Henry LeTang, a pioneer hoofer

*Henry LeTang was born on this date in 1915. He was an African American choreographer.

Delbert Tibbs born

*Delbert Tibbs was born on this date in 1939. He was an African American writer and anti-death penalty activist.

Texas talent and beauty, Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad, an African American actress. was born on this date in 1948.

Civil Rights Act passed in Congress

On this date in 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.

John F. Kennedy had argued for a new Civil Rights Act during the 1960 presidential election. But for the next two years, over 70 per cent of the African American vote went to Kennedy, the new president did nothing to promote this legislation.

The Civil Rights bill was brought before Congress in 1963. Kennedy presented arguments in favor of it on June 11 in a speech on television. Kennedy’s Civil Rights bill was still being debated by Congress when he was assassinated in November 1963.

America’s Black Holocaust Museum opens

On this date in 1988, America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) opened its doors in Milwaukee, WI. ABHM exists to educate the public about injustices suffered by people of African American heritage, while providing visitors with an opportunity to rethink their assumptions about race and racism. ABHM’s educational focus serves as a center for education related to the Black Holocaust and as a non-threatening forum for sharing thoughts about race and racism in America.