People, Locations, Episodes

The 1935 Harlem Race Riot Occurs

*The Harlem Riot of 1935 took place on this date, 1935. It has been described as the first “modern” race riot in Harlem because it was committed primarily against property rather than persons.   At 2:30 in the afternoon on March 19, 1935, an employee at the Kress Five and Ten store at 256 W. 125th Street  (just across the street from […]

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 […]

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) is Created

On this date in 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created.

This organization helped provide economic relief to the citizens of the United States who were suffering through the Great Depression. Established by the Roosevelt administration, by the time it ended in February 1943, it had allocated 11 billion dollars and employed more than 8 million people. Jobs formed by the WPA included a variety of construction, clerical, professional, and arts endeavors. The WPA came at a time of critical need for African-

The Federal Writers Project, a story

On this date we celebrate the Federal Writers Project (FWP). FWP was an extension of the New Deal’s Works Project Administration (WPA) that gave employment between 1935 and 1939 to about 4,500 American writers, 106 of these were African Americans.

The National Youth Administration Begins

*On this date in 1935, we celebrate the creation of the National Youth Administration (NYA). Franklin Roosevelt signed the executive order establishing the NYA, a New Deal program explicitly designed to address the problem of unemployment among (then) Depression-era youth. The number of unemployed youths in the 1930s drew attention to several fears adults had […]

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 […]

The Federal Theatre Project Begins

*On this date, 1935, the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was formed.  This theatre program was established during the Great Depression as part of America’s New Deal.   Referred to as part of the Second New Deal, it funded live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal Project Number One projects the Works Progress Administration sponsored. It was created not […]

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War Begins

*The Second Italian-Ethiopian War began on this date in 1935. Also known as the Second Italian-Abyssinian War, it was a colonial war fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and those of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia).   Italy and Ethiopia were members of the League of Nations. Yet, the League could not control Italy or protect Ethiopia […]

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.

Voodoo Macbeth Debuts on Stage

*Voodoo Macbeth opened on this date in 1936. This play was a New York William Shakespeare’s Macbeth production through the Federal Theatre Project.   Orson Welles adapted and directed the show, moved the play’s setting from Scotland to a fictional Caribbean Island, and recruited an entirely Black cast. It earned the nickname for his production from the […]

The Hall of Negro Life debuts

*On this date in 1936, The Hall of Negro Life debuted at the Texas Centennial Exposition. The Hall of Negro Life was a popular attraction and is believed to be the first recognition of African American culture at a World’s Fair. This world’s fair exhibit ran until November 29, 1936, at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. […]

The Green Book is Published

*The Negro Motorist Green Book is celebrated on this date in 1936.   Also called The Negro Motorist Green Book, The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, or simply the Green Book) It was an annual guidebook for African American vacationers. It was originated and published by Black, New York City mailman Victor Hugo Green until 1966, […]

A Stunning Victory at the Olympic Games

*On this date in 1936, “the most daring move seen in track” happened at the Olympic games. It was here that African American John Woodruff won the 800-meters Gold Medal in Berlin.

The Southern Negro Youth Congress is Founded

*On this date in 1937, The Southern Negro Youth Congress (SNYC) was founded. Established in 1937 at a conference in Richmond, Virginia, the Southern Negro Youth Congress consisted of young leaders participating in the National Negro Congress.  The first gathering of the SNYC consisted of a wide range of individuals. Such individuals as representatives from almost all the HBCUs […]

The Homer G. Phillips Hospital Opens

*Homer G. Phillips Hospital is celebrated on this date in 1937. It was the first and only hospital for Blacks in St. Louis, Missouri.  Located at 2601 N. Whittier Street in The Ville neighborhood, it was the first teaching hospital west of the Mississippi River to serve Blacks. Between 1910 and 1920, the Black population […]