People, Locations, Episodes

The Scottsboro Boys Case, a story

*On this date in 1931, nine young Black men were arrested in Scottsboro, Alabama, and the case of the Scottsboro Boys trial began.

The Debut Performance of the Afro-American Symphony

*The first performance of the Afro-American Symphony, also known as Symphony No. 1, was celebrated on this date in 1931. It is the first symphony written by an African American and performed for a United States audience by a leading orchestra. “Afro-American” and Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major is a 1930 composition by William Grant Still.  […]

The Negro Formation Flying Group Performs

*On this date in 1931, the Negro Formation Flying Group performed in Los Angeles. This event occurred before the Tuskegee Airmen and served to demonstrate to the public that Blacks were skilled enough to handle an airplane. Put together by William Powell, who had set a date for Labor Day that year, these were three black airplane pilots flying […]

Ernest Avants, Segregationist, and Murderer born

*Ernest Avants is acknowledged on this date in 1932. He was a white-American segregationist and murderer. He was the reputed Ku Klux Klansman convicted in a 1966 murder that prosecutors say was part of a failed plot to assassinate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Avants was sentenced for his role in the murder of Ben Chester […]

New York Black Yankees Baseball Team formed

*On this date in 1932, we celebrate the forming of the New York Black Yankees. They were a Negro League Baseball organization.   Originally the New York Harlem Stars, they were co-owned by Tubby Scales. After the change, the owner was financier James “Soldier Boy” Semler and Dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The Black Yankees originated […]

Nixon v. Condon Is Decided

*On this date in 1932, Nixon v. Condon was decided. This voting rights case was decided by the United States Supreme Court, which found the all-white Democratic Party primary in Texas unconstitutional. Nixon v. Condon was one of four cases brought to challenge the Texas all-white Democratic Party primary. The National Association for the Advancement […]

Gospel Music in America is Unionized

*On this date in 1932, the first Gospel Choral Union was organized. This was one of the first organizations for the preservation and development of Gospel music.

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a story

On this date we remember the Tuskegee Syphilis study. This African American episode is part of the recurring chapter of racism against blacks in the United States.

In 1932, the American government promised 400 men, all residents of Macon County, Alabama, all poor, and all African American, free treatment for Bad Blood, a euphemism for syphilis which was epidemic in the county.

Powell v. Alabama is Decided

*On this date in 1932, Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, was decided. This was a landmark Supreme Court decision in which the Court reversed the convictions of nine young black men for allegedly raping two white women on a freight train near Scottsboro, Alabama. In March 1931, nine Black men—Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen […]

Black History in Nazi Germany, a story

*On this date from 1933, the Registry looks briefly into the Black history of Nazi Germany.

The Nazis seized power on January 30, of that year with Adolph Hitler’s appointment as chancellor. Following the Reichstag fire on February 27 basic civil rights were suspended. On February 28 the Nazis took control of the state apparatus. Leftist political parties were banned, Germany is declared a one-party state, Jews and leftists including Blacks are eliminated from the bureaucracy, and trade unions are dissolved and replaced with Nazi organizations.

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 […]

James Fowler, State Trooper, and Murderer born

*James Fowler was born on this date in 1933. He was a white-American, murderer, drug dealer, and state trooper.  James Bonard Fowler was born into a farming family in Geneva County, Alabama. He attended local schools, which were racially segregated, and played football in high school. After graduating, he served in the US Navy from […]

Richard Loving, Construction Worker born

*Richard Loving was born on this date in 1933.  He was a white-American construction worker.  Born in Central Point, Virginia, part of Caroline County, Richard Perry Loving was the son of Lola (Allen) Loving and Twillie Loving. His grandfather, T. P. Farmer, fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. The ancestor, Lewis Loving, was marked […]

A Black Woman Performs at the White House

*On this date in 1934, Etta Moten sang for President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt at a White House Dinner.

It was the first time in the 20th century an African American actress performed at the White House.

Claude Neal is Lynched (words and images are not for children)

*Claude Neal was lynched on this date in 1934.  His murder extended the American Red Summer episodes of assault on black men.   Claude Neal was a 23-year-old Black farmhand arrested in Jackson County, Florida, on October 19, 1934, for allegedly raping and killing Lola Cannady, a 19-year-old white woman missing since the preceding night. Circumstantial evidence was collected against him, but nothing directly […]