People, Locations, Episodes

Morgan v. Virginia is Ruled

On this date in 1946, the U. S. Supreme Court decided Morgan v. Virginia, a landmark case in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation in interstate bus travel was unconstitutional.

Bobby Rush, Politician born

*Bobby Rush was born on this date in 1946. He is a Black politician, activist, and pastor. Bobby Lee Rush was born in Albany, Georgia. When He was seven years old, his parents separated, and his mother took him and his siblings to Chicago, Illinois. In 1963, Rush dropped out of high school and joined […]

Jerry Rawlings, Soldier and Politician born.

*Jerry Rawlings was born on this date in 1947. He was a Black Ghanaian military officer, aviator, and politician. Jerry John Rawlings was born in Accra, Ghana, to Victoria Agbotui, an Anlo Ewe from Dzelukope, Keta, and James Ramsey John, a British chemist from Scotland. His father never lived with him and his mother and […]

Alexis Herman, Politician born

*Alexis Herman was born this date in 1947. She is an African American administrator, and politician.

The United Gold Coast Convention is Formed

*The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was formed on this date in 1947. The UGCC was a political party that aimed to bring about Ghanaian independence from its British colonizers after the Second World War. In the 1940s, African merchants, like George Alfred Grant and Joseph Danquah wanted to finance a political movement to ensure their […]

Carole Moseley Braun, Politician born

*Carol Moseley Braun was born on this date in 1947.  She is a Black diplomat, politician, and lawyer.  Carol Elizabeth Moseley was born in Chicago, Illinois.  Her father, Joseph J. Moseley, was a Chicago police officer and jail guard; her mother, Edna A. (Davie), was a medical technician in a hospital. Both her parents were […]

Mamphela Ramphele, Academic, and Activist born

*Mamphela Ramphele was born on this date in 1947. She is a Black South African activist, doctor, academic, and businesswoman. Mamphela Aletta Ramphele was born in the Bochum District in Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo, South Africa. Her mother, Rangoato Rahab, and her father, Pitsi Eliphaz Ramphele, were primary school teachers. In 1955, Ramphele witnessed a conflict […]

Bennie Thompson, Politician born

*Bennie Thompson was born on this date in 1948. He is a Black politician serving as the U.S. representative for Mississippi. His district includes most of Jackson and is the only majority-black district in the state. It is about 275 miles long and 180 miles wide, bordering the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Delta comprises most […]

Clarence Thomas, Conservative Judge born

Clarence Thomas was born on this date in 1948. He is an African American lawyer and associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Thomas was born in the Pin Point, GA, community near Savannah. His father left his family when he was two years old. His mother was eventually unable to make ends meet and he then was raised by his grandfather.

Black History and the American Korean War, a story

*Black History and the American-Korean War are affirmed on this date in 1948. U.S. President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, desegregating the armed forces on that date. Although he ordered the desegregation of the military, several all-Black units participated in the early stages of what some call “the forgotten war.” Highpoints of all-Black units […]

Kweisi Mfume, Policy Advocate born

*Kweisi Mfume was born on this date in 1948. He is a former African American politician and current administrator, and activist.

William Dawson is Elected as America’s First Black Standing Committee Chairman

On this date in 1949, Rep. William L. Dawson of Illinois was elected chairman of House Expenditures Committee in Congress.

He was the first African American chairman of a standing congressional committee in the United States.

Webb v. School District No. 90 is decided

*On this date in 1949, Webb v. School District No. 90 was decided. This Supreme Court case involved 39 Black students fighting for educational rights. Background Population growth after World War II prompted the construction of a new $90,000—South Park Elementary School near Merriam, Kansas. The district school board had unlawfully established Walker School for […]

Sahle-Work Zewde, Diplomat born

*Sahle-Work Zewde was born on this date in 1950. She is an Ethiopian politician and diplomat.  Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sahle-Work attended elementary and secondary school at Lycée Guebre-Mariam, after which she studied natural science at the University of Montpellier, France. She is fluent in Amharic, French, and English. A veteran in the Ethiopian foreign […]

Melanie Lomax, Lawyer and Activist born.

*Melanie Lomax was born on this date in 1950. She was a Black civil rights lawyer and former head of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. Melanie Elizabeth Lomax was the daughter of Lucius W. Lomax, Jr., an attorney, and Hallie Almena Davis Lomax, a civil rights activist and editor of the Los Angeles […]