People, Locations, Episodes

Kenya Achieves Independence From Britain

On this date Jomo Kenyatta was elected the first minister of the newly independent Kenya.

As an independent country, Kenya was initially a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch as its nominal head of state and a prime minister as head of the government. Although the British hoped to hand over power to moderates, when Kenya became independent, it was the Kenya African National Union (KANU) of Jomo Kenyatta that formed a government shortly before Kenya became independent in December 1963.

Heart of Atlanta Motel Inc. v. the United States is Decided

*On this date in 1964, Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. the United States was decided. This court case was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court. It held that the Commerce Clause gave the U.S. Congress power to force private businesses to abide by Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits […]

The First All-Black NBA Squad In America Plays

*On this date in 1964, the first all-Black National Basketball Association squad started a game. On Christmas Day of that year, the Boston Celtics defeated the Pistons 118-106. But the game produced an injury to Tommy Heinsohn. With a game against the St. Louis Hawks the following day, head coach Red Auerbach needed to replace […]

James Baldwin, and William F. Buckley Debate Race in America

*On this date in 1965, The University of Cambridge held a debate over race in America. The packed auditorium was hushed and witnessed Black author James Baldwin and William Buckley, a white-American conservative. The two men argued the motion, “The American Dream: Is it at the expense of the American Negro?”   Here was a clash of opposed titans: […]

Malcolm X is Killed

*On this date in 1965, Black Nationalist Malcolm X was shot and killed. This happened at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, while he was preparing to speak.

He was one of the most passionate and controversial people of the 20th century. Three of the men arrested were later identified as members of the Nation of Islam.

A week earlier, his home was firebombed; his wife and children escaped unharmed.

The Attack at Edmund Pettus Bridge Occurs

*On this date in 1965, the Edmund Pettus Bridge attack occurred. The incident began when about 600 Blacks left the Brown Chapel AME Church for a 50-mile march to Montgomery.

The Selma to Montgomery March Begins

*On this date in 1965, the Selma to Montgomery marches began. Lasting three weeks, there were three American Civil Rights protest marches held along the highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery (54 miles). Nonviolent activists organized the marches to demonstrate the desire of African American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote in defiance of segregationist repression; they were […]

Hicks v. Knight is Filed

On this date in 1965, Hicks v. Knight was filed.  The suit, aimed against Bogalusa Chief of Police Claxton Knight, argued that police “must protect black demonstrators instead of harassing them, beating them, arresting them, and leaving them at the mercy of white mobs.” The racial episode at Cassidy Park, especially the canine attack on […]

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (D.E.I.) in America, a story

*Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) in America is affirmed on this date in 1965. This is a policy that levels the presence of non-white, disabled, female, aged, and binary citizens. D.E.I. is in the private and public sectors of education and business. As educational subjects began to diversify more in the 1960s, student bodies did […]

The 1965 American Voting Rights Act is Passed

*On this date the American Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed into law. The most sweeping reforms were embodied in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Voting History of Black Women in America, a story

*On this date in 1965, Black women and voting history in America is briefly shared.  Black women in America began to agitate for political rights in the 1830s, creating Female Anti-Slavery Societies in New York and Philadelphia. These interracial groups were radical expressions of women’s political ideals, leading directly to voting rights activism before and after the […]

The Los Angeles Watts Riots Begin

*On this date in 1965 the Watts Los Angeles Riots began.

In six days of unrest, 34 people died, over 1,300 were injured and $35 million in property is lost.

The Black Arts Movement In America, a story

*The Black Arts Movement (BAM) is celebrated on this date in 1965. They were a Black-led art movement active during the 1960s and 1970s. BAM created new cultural institutions through activism and art and conveyed another message of black pride. The beginnings of the Black Arts Movement focus on when Amiri Baraka moved uptown to […]

Civil Rights Workers Attacked in Alabama

*On this date in 1965 Civil Rights demonstrators were attacked in Alabama.

One, Jonathan M. Daniels, a white Episcopal seminary student from Massachusetts had come to help with Black voter registration in Lowndes County. He was arrested at the demonstration, jailed in Hayneville and then suddenly released. Moments after his release, he was shot to death by a deputy sheriff.

Also Richard F. Morrisroe, white Roman Catholic priest from Chicago was seriously wounded by shotgun blasts fired by white special deputy sheriff in Alabama.

The Immigration and Nationality Act is Signed

*On this date in 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act was signed into law. Enacted on June 30, 1968 it is also known as the Hart–Celler Act. This law is one of the lesser-known triumphs of the 20th century civil rights movement.