People, Locations, Episodes

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 […]

The Windrush Generation, a story

*On this date in 1948, the Windrush Generation began.  These were Blacks from British colonies who journeyed a generation 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 […]

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  One month after the South Carolina General Assembly repealed all statutes related to party primaries in the state to maintain its white primary, Black leaders formed the […]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 ‘Groveland Four’ Case Begins

*On this date in 1949, the episode and legal case of the “Groveland Four” began.  This was a wrongful arrest, murder, and conviction of four young Black men.  The episode played out when Norma Padgett, a 17-year-old white woman, and her husband Willie said that on that date, they had been attacked by four young Black men […]

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.