People, Locations, Episodes

The First Black Actor Wins The Oscar for (Best Male Actor)

On this date in 1963, the Oscar for best actor by the Academy of Motion Pictures was given to an African American for the first time.

Sidney Poitier won the honor for his performance in Lilies of the Field.

Martin Luther King Jr. Writes the “Letter Frome a Birmingham Jail”

On this date in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama.

While incarcerated there, he wrote, smuggled out of jail, and had printed his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” a moving justification for the moral necessity of non-violent resistance to unjust laws.

The Children’s Crusade Begins in Alabama

*The Children’s Crusade of the American Civil Rights Movement’s began on this date in 1963. This was a march by hundreds of school students in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2, May 3, May 4, and May 5, 1963, during the Movement’s Birmingham Campaign.

Youth Protest in Birmingham, Alabama Occurs

On this date in 1963, young demonstrators marched on the Birmingham, AL City Hall for civil rights.

Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the protest began in the middle of bomb blasts and police brutality. City Commissioner of Public Safety, “Bull” Connor, ordered the arrest of 900 young people in two days. Later, police attacked the youths with high-pressure fire hoses and dogs.

Despite pleas for non-violent demonstration, rioting continued for days when a truce was declared. A settlement desegregating some city facilities was announced later in that month.

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 main heads of the OAU’s establishment.   Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and economic integration among member states and to eradicate colonialism […]

The University of Alabama Integrates

On this date in 1963, Vivian Malone and James Hood integrated the University of Alabama.

Accompanied by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, their attempt to register at the University of Alabama was temporarily blocked by Governor George Wallace. The governor (physically) bodily blocked their entrance to the University with his “stand in the schoolhouse door.” In 2003, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., gave a keynote address at The University of Alabama’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the first successful enrollment of African American students.

Medgar Evers is Murdered

On this date in 1963, Civil Rights activist Medgar W. Evers was assassinated in front of his Jackson, Mississippi, home by a white segregationist.

The 37-year-old Evers was an NAACP field secretary at the time. A statue honoring him (shown) was erected in his adopted hometown of Jackson on June 28, 1992.

The ‘Dizzy Land Restaurant’ Racial Incident occurs

*On this date in 1963, the Dizzy Land restaurant racial clash occurred. This segregation in public places occurred as protesters and police clashed outside the Dizzy Land restaurant in Cambridge, Maryland. African Americans faced discrimination throughout Cambridge, Maryland, even as protests led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the integration of public places, including restaurants. […]

The American Post office Issues its First Black Designed Stamp

*On this date in 1963, the first US postage stamp designed by an African American was issued.

Graphic artist George Olden conceived the stamp that commemorated the 100th year of the emancipation proclamation.

The stamp featured a severed link in a large black chain against a blue background.

The First Black Graduates From the University of Mississippi

*On this date in 1963, the first African American graduated from the University of Mississippi.

James Meredith received his bachelor’s degree from the (then) 115-year-old academic institution. His initial attempt to attend the school brought on race riots on their Oxford campus that left two people dead and Federal troops were stationed on the campus to protect him until he graduated.

The March on Washington, “I Have A Dream” Occurs

The 1963 March on Washington occurred on this date. It attracted an estimated 250,000 people for a peaceful demonstration to promote Civil Rights and economic equality for African Americans.

Church Bombing in Alabama Kills Four Black Children

*On his date in 1963, four African American schoolgirls were killed in a bombing at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Addie Collins, Denise McNair, Carol Robertson and Cynthia Wesley were the victims.

This act of racial violence galvanizes the civil rights movement. Two of the murderers are dead (one while in prison for the crime), the other two were indicted earlier this year.

The Free Southern Theater is Formed

*The Free Southern Theater (FST) is celebrated on this date in 1963. FST was a community theater group founded in 1963 at Tougaloo College by Gilbert Moses, Denise Nicholas, Doris Derby, and John O’Neal.  In White America, their first production toured 16 towns and cities ranging in size from Mileston in Holmes County, Mississippi, to New Orleans. Gilbert Moses […]

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 […]

The First Black Player Wins Baseball’s American League MVP Award

On this date in 1963, Elston Howard became the first African American to win the American League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Howard was the starting catcher for the New York Yankees.

Neither Mickey Mantle (who was hurt most of the season), nor Roger Maris got a single vote as Howard was crucial in helping the Yanks win their 4th consecutive AL pennant.

That season, Howard hit for an average of 287 with 28 home runs and 85 runs batted in (RBI) and solidifying a sturdy pitching staff.