People, Locations, Episodes

Senate Overrides President Reagan’s Apartheid Veto

On this date in 1986, the United States Senate overrode President Ronald Reagan’s veto of legislation imposing economic sanctions against South Africa.

The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 is Passed

*On this date in 1986, The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was passed and enacted by the United States Congress.   The act was initiated in 1972 by Congressman Ronald Dellums in reaction to the plight of blacks in South Africa and demanded the end of apartheid.  The bill was re-introduced in 1986 and brought up for a vote despite Republican efforts to block it to give […]

The First Black Texas Ranger in America is Hired

On this date in 1988, Lee Roy Young became the first African- merican Texas Ranger in the 20th Century.

The history of the Texas Rangers began in 1820 when the Mexican Government gave permission for 300 families to enter the territory of Texas. On August 10, 1823, permission was granted to employ ten men from a group of volunteers to protect the new Texas frontier.

Lee Roy Young was the first Black in the police force’s 165-year history.

The First African American Reparations Bill is Brought to Congress

On this date in 1989, House Resolution (H.R.) 40 was brought before the 1st Session of the 105th Congress.

John Conyers, Black Democrat from Michigan, presented it in the House of Representatives, the first formal attempt to obtain reparations to compensate African Americans for slavery since Reconstruction. This act was cited as the “Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act.”

Reparations for American Slavery, H.R.3745, an Article

*Reparation’s for America slavery against African’s in America is this date’s subject on The Registry.

America Elects Its First Black Governor

On this date in 1989, Virginia became the first state in America to elect a Black man as its governor. Lawrence Douglas Wilder, a Richmond native, ran the state from 1990 to 1994. State law limits each governor’s service to one four-year term.

Wilder, a graduate of Virginia Union and Howard University, also was the first Black elected to the Virginia Senate in 1969.

Marion Barry is Arrested

On this date in 1990, the FBI and D.C. police arrested Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.

He was charged with possession of cocaine at the downtown Vista International Hotel after an undercover investigation.

The mayor was arrested shortly after 8 p.m., in a sting operation; he was smoking crack cocaine in the hotel room. The mayor was with a longtime female friend who agreed to work with federal authorities.

The outcome was one count of misdemeanor cocaine. After he was convicted of the charges, Barry served six months in a federal prison, but was elected to the D.C.

Namibia Gains Independence from Germany

*On this date in 1990, Namibia gained independence from colonial rule. Formerly SouthWest, Africa, Namibia’s population is 86 percent Black Africans.

A Black Woman Mayor of Washington D.C. is Elected

On this date in 1990, Sharon Pratt Dixon was elected as the mayor of Washington D.C.

Dixon was sworn in to the position on January 2, 1991, and became the second African American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city. Carrie Saxon-Perry of Hartford, CT was the first in 1987.

The Population Registration Act, Act No 30, is Repealed

*On this date in 1991, the Population Registration Act, Act No 30 of 1950, was repealed. The Act was a pillar of the Apartheid system. It required people to register from birth as belonging to one of four different racial groups, White, Black, Coloured, and Indian. The Act was repealed by the Population Registration of the South […]

The United States v. Fordice is Decided

On this date in 1992, The United States Supreme Court ruled on United States v. Fordice.

In this case, the Supreme Court held that states with officially sanctioned segregated higher education systems must do more than employ race neutral access. They must permit students freedom of choice to meet their duty to break down their dual system under the Equal Protection Clause. This decision has raised questions regarding the existence and future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

The First Black Secretary of Agriculture in America is Appointed

On this date in 1992, Mike Espy then a U.S. Congressman from Mississippi was appointed to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

The appointment by Bill Clinton made Espy the first African American to hold that position in American government.

South Africa Holds Its First All-Race Elections

*On this date in 1994, South Africa held its first all-race elections. This historic moment effectively dissolved the last pieces of apartheid in that country.

Close to 22.7 million eligible voters took part in the four days of polling. Many of the voters stood in line for over 12 hours to cast their ballots for the first time. The election spotlighted the end of years of struggle led by Black organizations such as the African National Congress (ANC), which sought to put an end to over 300 years of White-minority rule.

Maxwell Frost, Activist and Politician born

*Maxwell Frost was born on this date in 1997. He is an Afro Cuban American activist and politician. From Miami, Florida, Maxwell Alejandro Frost is the son of a Puerto Rican woman of Lebanese descent and a Haitian man. His biological mother had several children and had been experiencing violence. He was adopted as an infant; his […]

The Florida Central Voter File is Formed

*The Florida Central Voter File is affirmed on this date in 1998.  This was a private internal list of legally eligible voters used by the US Florida Department of State Division of Elections to monitor the official voter lists maintained by the 67 county governments in the State of Florida between 1998 and January 1, […]