People, Locations, Episodes

Walter P. Manning, Military Officer born

*Walter P. Manning was born on this date in 1920. He was a Black military officer and pilot. Walter Peyton Manning was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When World War II started, Manning wanted to serve, but in 1942, he was rejected for military service because of a hammertoe. Manning […]

Sugar Ray Robinson, Boxer born

Sugar Ray Robinson was born on this date in 1921. He was an African American professional boxer, six times a world champion: once as a welterweight, from 1946 to 1951, and five times as a middleweight, between 1951 and 1960. He is considered by many authorities to have been the best fighter in history.

Clara Luper, Educator, and Activist born

*Clara Luper was born on this date in 1923. She was an African American schoolteacher, and a pioneering leader in the American Civil Rights Movement.

James Brown, Soul Singer born

On this date in 1933, James Brown was born. He was an African American singer, producer, and entertainer.

Born in Barnwell, S.C., Brown was raised in poverty 40 miles away in Augusta, GA. As a child, he picked cotton, danced for spare change, and shined shoes. At 16, he was caught for shoplifting, convicted, and landed in reform school for three years. While there he met Bobby Byrd, leader of a gospel group that performed at the prison. After his release, Brown tried his hand at semi-pro boxing and baseball. A career-ending leg injury inspired him to pursue music full time.

The Shelley House (St. Louis, MO), a story

The Shelley House is celebrated on this date for its role in the U. S. Supreme Court landmark 1948 case of Shelley v. Kraemer, that strengthened equal protection in housing.

Shelly v. Kraemer is Ruled

*On this date in 1948, the United States Supreme Court rendered its landmark decision in Shelley v. Kraemer. Holding, by a vote of 6 to 0 (with three judges not sitting), the court ruled that courts cannot enforce racially restrictive covenants since this would constitute state action denying due process of law in violation of […]

Jackie Robinson Receives The Congressional Gold Medal

*On This date in 2005, Jackie Robinson was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. This happened more than half a century after he broke baseball’s color barrier.

The Gullah/Geechee Corridor Act is Passed

*On this date in 2005, the Gullah/Geechee Corridor Act was signed into law. The Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act – Establishes the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (Heritage Corridor) to: (1) recognize the significant contributions made to American culture and history by African Americans known as the Gullah/Geechee, who settled in the coastal counties of South Carolina, […]

The Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia

*On this date in 2005, Italy returned the Obelisk of Axum to Ethiopia.  One of the African country’s most cherished relics, it was taken by Italian fascist invaders almost 70 years before. During Italy’s invasion in 1937, the 78-foot (24-meter), 160-tonne granite tower was stolen and placed in a square in Rome by the Italian […]