People, Locations, Episodes

The Windrush Generation, a story

*On this date in 1948, the Windrush Generation began.  These were Black individuals from British colonies who journeyed to Europe in the 20th century.  After World War II, many Afro Caribbean people migrated to North America and Europe, especially the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands. Due to the losses during […]

The Bob Howard TV Show Debuts

On this date in 1948, Bob Howard became one of the first Black male hosts on television. The New York CBS affiliate hired the Black entertainer to star in The Bob Howard Show.

White Journalist Reports Facts on the Segregated American South

*On this date in 1948, a white man’s account of being Black in the segregated south was published. Ray Sprigle a white reporter with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette set out to document his experiences of being Black in “Jim Crow” South.

Brown v. Baskin is Ruled

*On this date in 1948, Brown v. Baskin was ruled.  This was one of the legal building blocks against voter suppression against Black citizens in the United States.  One month after the South Carolina General Assembly repealed all statutes related to party primaries in the state to maintain its white primary, Black leaders formed the […]

The Martinsville Seven, a story

*On this date in 1949, the Martinsville Seven episode began. They were a group of seven Black men from Martinsville, Virginia, who were convicted and executed in 1951 for raping a white woman in 1949. The rapes occurred after Ruby Stroud Floyd, a 32-year-old white woman, entered a black neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia, to collect […]

The Durban Riots Begin

*The Durban riots began on this date in 1949. This was a three-day anti-Indian riot between Black South Africans and South African Indians. The riots, the second deadliest massacre during Apartheid, occurred in Durban, South Africa. On the evening of January 13, the riots began at Victoria Street in the middle of the Indian commercial […]

The First Black Student Graduates From Annapolis

On this date in 1949, the first Black man graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

The Peekskill, N.Y. Riot Occurs

*The Peekskill riot occurred on this date in 1949. This was an incident of hate-filled racial slurs and insults from angry white locals from Westchester County, New York towards Blacks.

The First Black Wins The Pulitzer Prize For Poetry

On this date in 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry, “Annie Allen.”

Briggs v. Elliott is Filed

On this date in 1950, Briggs v. Elliott, a civil Rights case was filed. This legal maneuver assisted the groundwork for Brown v. the Board of Education 4 years later, was filed.

Sweatt v. Painter is Ruled

*Sweatt v. Painter, 339 U.S. 629 (1950) was decided on this date in 1950.   This U.S. Supreme Court case successfully challenged the “separate but equal” doctrine of racial segregation established by the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson. Four years later, the case was influential in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. The case involved a Black man, Heman Marion […]

Apartheid, Africa’s ‘Jim Crow’ Becomes Law

*On this date in 1950, the Population Registration Act No 30 of 1950 began in South Africa; the beginning of South African Apartheid.

This law required people to be identified and registered from birth as one of four distinct racial groups: White, Colored, Bantu (Black African), and other. It was one of the ‘pillars’ of Apartheid. Race was reflected in the individual’s Identity Number.

The First Black Person Receives the Nobel Peace Prize

*On this date in 1950, Ralph Bunche received the Nobel Prize. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his successful mediation of a series of armistice agreements between the (then) new nation of Israel and four Arab neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

It was the first, and to date it remains the only, time that all the parties to the Middle East conflict signed armistice agreements with Israel. In being awarded the Peace Prize, Bunche became the first African American and the first person of color in the world to be so honored.

The First Black Man Plays In The National Basketball Association

On this date in 1950, Earl Lloyd became the first African American to play in an NBA game.

The contest was between the Washington Capitols and the Rochester Royals with Rochester winning 78-70.

The First Black Hockey Player Signs an NHL Hockey Contract

On this date in 1950, the first African American signed a professional hockey contract.

Arthur Dorrington, a native of Nova Scotia, served with the U.S. Army and after service, signed with one of the New York Rangers farm clubs in 1950. He chose instead to play for the Atlantic City Seagulls of the Eastern League, leading them to a league championship in 1951.

After a career-ending injury, he built a second profession as an officer in the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Department.