People, Locations, Episodes

Tanzania Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1961, Tanzania gained independence from Britain.   In 1954, Julius Nyerere, a schoolteacher who was then one of only two Tanganyikans educated to the university level, organized a political party—the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). Through that party, Tanganyika became independent, retaining the British monarch as Queen of Tanganyika, and Nyerere became Prime Minister under a new constitution. The […]

Burundi Gains Independence From Belgium

*This date in 1962 celebrates Burundi’s independence from Belgium.  Burundi is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge. It borders Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The capital cities are Gitega and Bujumbura.   Burundi began its drive for independence on January 20, […]

Rwanda Gains Its Independence From Belgium

*Rwanda gained independence from Belgium on this date in 1962. Separated from Burundi, the episode is commemorated as Independence Day, a national holiday. This came after decades of colonial strife following the Berlin Conference of 1884. Modern human settlement in what is now Rwanda dates back to at least the last glacial period, either the […]

Ebrahim Rasool, South African Diplomat born.

*Ebrahim Rasool was born on July 15, 1962. He is a Coloured South African politician and diplomat. Ebrahim Rasool was born in District Six, Cape Town, to a Muslim family of mixed English-Javanese-Dutch-Indian heritage. Since he was classified as Coloured by the apartheid system at nine years old, he and his family were forcefully evicted […]

Jamaica Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1962, Jamaica celebrates its independence from British colonial rule.  The Caribbean island was settled first by hunter-gatherers from the Yucatan and then by two waves of Arawak people from South America. Christopher Columbus arrived in Jamaica in 1494 and took it for the Crown of Castile. At this time, over two […]

Trinidad and Tobago Gain Independence from the UK

*Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from the United Kingdom on this date in 1962.   Trinidad, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago and numerous much smaller islands. It shares maritime boundaries with Barbados to the northeast, Grenada to the northwest, Guyana to the southeast, and Venezuela […]

Meredith v. Fair is Ruled

*On this date in 1962. Meredith v. Fair was ruled.  This was a desegregation suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on May 31, 1961. This involved the desegregation of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Plaintiff, transfer student, and activist James Meredith claimed he had been denied admission to Ole […]

Uganda Achieves Independence From Britain

On this date in 1962, Uganda achieved its independence from Great Britain. After much experimenting, a federal constitution was promulgated in April.

The Organization of African Unity (OAU) is Formed

*The Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established on this date in 1963. Formed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana was one of the key figures in the establishment of the OAU.   Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and economic integration among member states and to […]

Michelle D. Bernard, Journalist born

*On this date in 1963, Michelle Bernard was born. She is an African American author, journalist and lawyer.

Keith Ellison, Politician, and Activist born

*Keith Ellison was born on this date in 1963. He is an African American lawyer, and politician.

Keith Maurice Ellison is one of five boys, was raised in a Roman Catholic home in Detroit, Michigan. Ellison’s father was a psychiatrist and his mother was a social worker. Growing up Ellison was influenced by the involvement of his family in the civil rights movement, including the work of his grandfather as a member of the NAACP in Louisiana. He converted to Islam at 19 while attending Wayne State University.

The Rivonia Trial (South Africa) Begins

*On this date in 1963, the Rivonia Trial in South Africa began. The Rivonia Trial led to the imprisonment of the accused, who were convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life at the Palace of Justice, Pretoria. Charges were:  · Recruiting persons for training in the preparation and use of explosives and guerrilla warfare for […]

Zanzibar Gains Independence From Britain

On this date in 1963, Zanzibar gained its independence from Britain.

The history of Zanzibar is out of proportion with its size. Simply to mention the name Zanzibar is to conjure up an air of mystery. Sultans, ivory, slaves, spices, navigators, and explorers–words that start to tell the story of Zanzibar.

The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party is Formed

*On this date in 1964, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was formed.  Also referred to as the Freedom Democratic Party, it was an American political party created as a branch of the populist Freedom Democratic organization in Mississippi during the 20th-century American Civil Rights Movement. Blacks and whites organized it from Mississippi to challenge the established power of the Mississippi Democratic Party, which at the time allowed participation only […]

Malawi Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1964, Malawi gained independence from Britain.   This occurred almost 80 years after the European invasion and the Berlin Conference.  In 1961, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) gained a majority in the Legislative Council elections, and Banda became Prime Minister in 1963. The Federation was dissolved in 1963, and the following […]