People, Locations, Episodes

Barbados Gains Independence From Britain

On this date in 1966, Barbados gained independence from Britain. The country has been a member of the Unit (OAS) ever since.

In 1973, Barbados helped form the Caribbean Community, an organization that promotes social and political cooperation and economic integration. Barbados has enjoyed a stable democratic government and a smooth transfer of power between the two major political parties.

The Republic of Biafra is Founded

*Biafra was founded on this date in 1967. Officially, the Republic of Biafra was a partially recognized state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Early modern maps of Africa from the 15th to the 19th centuries, drawn from accounts written by explorers and slave traders, show references. According […]

Loving v. Virginia is Decided

On this date in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Loving v. Virginia.

Black History and the Vietnam War, a story

*On this date in 1967, Black history in the Vietnam War is briefly written about. The Vietnam War was the first American war in which Black and white troops were not formally segregated, though de facto segregation still occurred. American troops arrived in 1961.  Blacks were more likely to be drafted than whites. Though 11% […]

The First Black Judge On The United States Supreme Court is Appointed

On this date in 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in and became the first African American judge on the U.S. Supreme Court.

It was a signal moment in U. S. history when African Americans everywhere realized that one of their own was seated on the highest court in the land. Thurgood Marshall, who had been in the forefront of legal battles on behalf of civil rights and the destruction of segregation, was now going to have a direct role in influencing and interpreting the country’s laws.

Green v. School Board of New Kent County is Decided

*On this date in 1968, Green v. School Board of New Kent County, 391 U.S. 430, was decided.  This was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with the freedom of choice plans created to avoid compliance with the Court’s mandate in public school segregation, Brown II.   The Court held that New Kent County’s freedom of choice plan did not adequately comply with […]

The National Conference of Black Lawyers is Formed

*This date in 1968 affirms the beginning of the National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL). This African American association was originally formed to offer legal assistance to black civil rights activists; it comprises judges, law students, lawyers, legal activists, legal workers, and scholars.   That founding year, young people of African descent in America were growing impatient with the slow […]

Swaziland Gains Independence from Britain

*On this date in 1968, Swaziland gained its independence from Britain.   This was another step for African countries’ self-rule after the white European invasion resulting from the Berlin Conference of 1884.  Following the 1967 elections, Swaziland was a protected state until independence was regained the following year. Following the elections of 1973, the constitution […]

The National Black Law Students Association is Formed

*The National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) is celebrated on this date in 1968. NBLSA is a nationwide organization formed to articulate and promote the needs and goals of black law students and effectuate change in the legal community. 1968, Algernon Johnson Cooper Jr. founded the first Black American Law Students Association at the New […]

The Congressional Black Caucus is Formed

This date is the anniversary of the origin of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969.

It is a group of African American members of the United States Congress who focus on issues of particular interest to Black Americans. Newly elected African American representatives of the 77th Congress joined six incumbents to form the “Democratic Select Committee” which began the organization. The committee was renamed the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in 1971 .

Nyamko Sabuni, Politician born

*Nyamko Sabuni was born on this date in 1969. She is an Afro Swedish (Black Swede) politician and former government cabinet minister. Nyamko Ana Sabuni was born in Bujumbura, Burundi.  Her family relocated in exile after her father, Maurice Sabuni, a left-wing politician from Congo (formerly Zaire), had been frequently jailed. The Sabuni family is Muslim and […]

Cory Booker, Politician born

*Cory Booker was born on this date in 1969. He is an African American politician.

The United States v. Montgomery County Board of Education is Decided

*On this date in 1969, United States v. Montgomery County Board of Education was decided. In this action, the United States District Court in Montgomery, Alabama, ordered the local Montgomery County Board of Education to desegregate the county school system’s faculty and staff based on race.  This action commenced in May 1964 to end racial segregation in […]

Kramer v. Union Free School is Decided

*On this date in 1969, Kramer v. Union Free School District No. 15, 395 U.S. 621 was decided.   This was a United States Supreme Court decision in which the Court struck down a longstanding New York State statute requiring that to be eligible to vote in certain school district elections; an individual must either own or rent taxable real property within the school district, […]

Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education is Decided

*On this date in 1969, Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education, 396 U.S. 19 (1969), was decided.  It followed 15 years of delays to integration by most Southern school boards after the Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregated public schools were unconstitutional.  This was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ordered immediate […]