People, Locations, Episodes

Dereck Chauvin, Policeman born

*Derek Chauvin was born on this date in 1976. He is a white-American former police officer and murderer. Derek Michael Chauvin was born in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. His mother was a housewife, and his father was a certified public accountant. At seven, his parents divorced and were granted joint custody of him. Chauvin attended Park […]

The Supreme Court Rules on the Bakke Case

On this date, we remember the Alan Bakke case. On June 28, 1978, the California Supreme Court, in a two-part ruling, ordered Alan Bakke (a white man) to be admitted to the University of California at Davis Medical School.

Reed v. Rhodes is Decided

*On this date in 1978. Reed v. Rhodes was decided. This was a desegregation case of the Cleveland Public School system. African American parents voiced the first rumblings of discontent in the late 1950s. The protests reverberated through the city streets during the early 1960s. Against this backdrop, the National Association for the Advancement of […]

Saint Lucia Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state from Britain.    Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean.   The island was previously called Iyonola, the name was given to the island by the native Arawaks, and […]

Knight v. Alabama is Filed

*On this date in 1981, Knight v. Alabama was filed in federal court. The suit, brought by John F. Knight and others associated with two Historically Black Colleges in Alabama (HBCU), held that Alabama’s higher education system utilized racially discriminatory practices in allocating funding and admissions. Those schools were Alabama A&M University and Alabama State […]

Diana Méndez, Lawyer born

*Diana Méndez was born on this date in 1981. She is an Afro Ecuadorian jurist and lawyer. Diana Salazar Méndez spent her childhood in her native Ibarra, Ecuador, before moving to Quito with her family at age 16. She was raised solely by her mother, Olivia Méndez, an educational psychologist, and three siblings. She holds […]

The Atlanta Child Killer is Arrested

On this date in 1981, the Atlanta child killer was arrested.

An undercover killer of Black children plagued Atlanta and the state of Georgia youth for almost two years. After 28 lives were lost, Wayne B. Williams, an African American man, was found to be guilty and is now serving two consecutive life terms.

The First Woman President of the National Bar Association is Installed

On this date in 1981, Attorney Arnette R. Hubbard was installed as the first woman president of the National Bar Association (NBA).

The NBA was formally organized in Des Moines, Iowa, on August 1, 1925.

Batson v. Kentucky is decided

*On this date in 1986, Batson v. Kentucky was decided. A landmark United States Supreme Court decision ruled that a prosecutor’s use of a peremptory challenge in a criminal case—dismissing jurors without stating a valid cause—may not be used to exclude jurors based solely on their race. The Court ruled that this practice violated the […]

The Supreme Court Favors Reverse Discrimination Decision

On this date in 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of reverse discrimination suits.

The establishment of racial quotas in the name of affirmative action brought charges of so-called reverse discrimination in the late 1970s. Although the U.S. Supreme Court accepted such an argument in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), it let existing programs stand and approved the use of quotas in 1979 in a case involving voluntary affirmative-action programs in unions and private businesses.

Rodney King is Beaten by Three White Police Officers

*This date marks the anniversary of the Rodney King beating. On March 3, 1991, white police officers in Los Angeles, California, stopped a car driven by a 34-year-old African American named Rodney King, who, they said, was speeding.

The Population Registration Act, Act No 30, is Repealed

*On this date in 1991, the Population Registration Act, Act No. 30 of 1950, was repealed. The Act was a pillar of the Apartheid system. It required people to register from birth as belonging to one of four different racial groups, White, Black, Coloured, and Indian. The Act was repealed by the Population Registration Act of the […]

The United States v. Fordice is Decided

On this date in 1992, The United States Supreme Court ruled on United States v. Fordice.

In this case, the Supreme Court held that states with officially sanctioned segregated higher education systems must do more than employ race neutral access. They must permit students freedom of choice to meet their duty to break down their dual system under the Equal Protection Clause. This decision has raised questions regarding the existence and future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 Takes Effect

*On January 1, 1995, The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) went into effect. Also known as the Motor Voter Act, it was a United States federal law signed on May 20, 1993. After Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to address rampant voting discrimination against racial minorities, voting rights advocates argued for federal […]

Shaw v. Reno is Ruled on by The Supreme Court

*On this date in1993, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Shaw v Reno. The Supreme Court’s position in this case was a troubled compromise on the issue of race and political redistricting.