People, Locations, Episodes

The National Industrial Recovery Act is Passed

On this date in 1933, the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) was passed into law.  It was a US labor and consumer law passed by the US Congress to authorize the President to regulate the industry for fair wages and prices, thereby stimulating economic recovery. It also established a national public works program known as […]

E. Ginger Sullivan, Lawyer, and Administrator born.

*E. Ginger Sullivan was born on this date in 1933. She is a Black lawyer and civic health administrator. E. Ginger Williamson was born to Catherine Caesar and James Williamson in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She attended Cranville Elementary School and Pittsfield High School. In 1955, Sullivan received her B.A. degree from Northeastern University. She received her […]

Willie Brown Jr., Lawyer, and Politician born

*Willie Brown was born on this date in 1934. He is a Black lawyer, politician and businessman.

The Federal Housing Act is Passed

The Federal Housing Act was enacted on this date in 1934.  This American legislation marked the beginning of the modern federal government’s involvement in the American housing market.  The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was created from this legislation. It represented the early New Deal’s most significant attempt at short-term economic stimulus. Still, it also had long-term […]

Arnette Hubbard, Lawyer, and Judge born

*Arnette Hubbard was born on January 1, 1935. She is a Black lawyer, judge, and administrator. Born Arnette Rhinehart in Arkansas, she was an only child. Her grandfather encouraged her to become an outstanding lawyer and judge. Hubbard received her B.A. in mathematics and chemistry from Southern Illinois University. She graduated from the University of […]

Grovey v. Townsend Is Decided

*On this date in 1935, Grovey v. Townsend was decided. This United States Supreme Court decision held a constitutional reformulation of Texas’s white primaries system. The case was the third in a series of Court decisions known as the “Texas primary cases.” In Nixon v. Herndon (1927), Lawrence A. Nixon sued for damages under federal civil rights laws after […]

James Seale, Segregationist born

*James Seale was born on this date in 1935. He was a white farmer, police officer and Ku Klux Klan member.

The Wagner Act is Signed

*On this date, 1935, the Wagner Act was passed. This was a foundational statute of United States labor law that guaranteed the right of private-sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, and take collective action such as strikes.   The Wagner Act harmed Blacks by legalizing labor union monopolies, a Jim […]

Aubrey Lewis, FBI Official born.

*The birth of Aubrey Lewis is celebrated on this date in c. 1935. He was a Black athlete and government investigator. Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Lewis grew up in nearby Montclair and graduated from Montclair High School in 1954. During his high school career at Montclair, Lewis played basketball and won two state […]

Murray v. Pearson is Ruled

*On this date in 1935, the Maryland Supreme Court ruled against segregation at the University of Maryland Law School.

The case, Murray vs. Pearson had been attacking the school legally since that summer and successfully sued the University of Maryland to admit a young African American Amherst University graduate named Donald Gaines Murray.
Represented by Charles Houston of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP, his colleague and protégé’ Thurgood Marshall won his major first civil rights case in this ruling.

Ruben ‘Hurricane’ Carter, Boxer born

*Rubin Carter was born on this date in 1937. He was an African American professional boxer and criminal justice advocate.

Hazel O’Leary, Administrator born

*Hazel O’Leary was born on this date in 1937. She is an African American politician and administrator.

Hazel Rollins O’Leary was born in Newport News, Virginia; she graduated from the former segregated Huntington High School of Newport News. O’Leary received her Bachelor’s degree in history and government from Fisk University in 1959; and her law degree from Rutgers University in 1966. O’Leary worked as a prosecutor in the state of New Jersey and was later a partner in the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand. During the Jimmy Carter administration,

Bruce Boynton, Lawyer, and Activist born

*Bruce Boynton was born on this date in 1937. He was a Black lawyer and civil rights leader.  Bruce Carver Boynton grew up in Selma, Alabama. His parents were civil rights activists, known in their community as Mr. and Mrs. Civil Rights due to their active participation. He was named after his Godfather, George Washington […]

Breedlove v. Suttles is Decided

*On this date in 1937, Breedlove v. Suttles, 302 U.S. 277 (1937), was decided. This case was an overturned United States Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of requiring the payment of a poll tax to vote in state elections. At the time, Georgia imposed a poll tax of $1.00 per year, generally levied on all inhabitants. […]

Mary Frances Berry, Author, and Administrator born

*On this date in 1938 Mary Frances Berry was born. She is an African American lawyer, administrator, activist and author.

Berry was born in Nashville, Tennessee, where she attended public schools. She earned bachelors and master’s degrees at Howard University, a doctorate in history from the University of Michigan, and the jurist doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. She is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia.