People, Locations, Episodes

Eartha Kitt Confronts Lady Bird Johnson Regarding Race in America

*On this date in 1968, Eartha Kitt addressed racism in America at a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson. In early 1968, the First Lady hosted the first “Women Doer” luncheons to gather women leaders from around the country to address various growing or endemic problems. The first was titled “What Citizens Can […]

The Orangeburg Massacre Occurs

*On this date in 1968, The Orangeburg Massacre occurred. This was the shooting of protesters by South Carolina Highway Patrol officers in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on the campus of South Carolina State University.  The approximately 200 protesters had previously demonstrated against Jim Crow segregation at a local bowling alley. Three protestors, African American males, were killed, and twenty-seven other protesters were injured. […]

The Memphis Sanitation Strike Begins

*On this date in 1968, the Memphis Sanitation Strike began. Often called the “I Am a Man” strike, the Memphis sanitation workers went out that day. Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb claimed the strike was illegal but said his office was willing to talk. However, when an AFSCME union official met with him the next day, […]

The Kerner Commission Report is Finished and Made Public

On this date in 1968 the Kerner Report was made public. The civil Rights struggle of the 1960’ was making inroads, integration of southern school districts was progressing and by 1967, 22% of the black students in the 17 southern and Border States were in integrated schools.

Martin Luther King Jr. Delivers His Last Speech

*On this date in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the following speech; one that would be his last speech. It was in support of the striking sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN. the day before he was assassinated.

Here is a transcript of his speech:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is Assassinated

*This date marks the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

He was shot to death at the Loraine motel in Memphis, TN. He was there to support striking Black garbage workers. News of the assassination resulted in an outpouring of sorrow and anger all over the world. Riots broke out in more than 100 American cities.

In 1969, James Earl Ray pled guilty to the murder, though many believe he did not act alone.

The Washington D.C. Riots occur.

*On this date, 1968, the Washington D.C. riots occurred. Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Washington, D.C., experienced four days of violent civil unrest and rioting. Stokely Carmichael, who had parted with King in 1966 and was in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1967, led members of the SNCC to stores in the neighborhood, demanding that […]

Black Panther Activist Murdered

On this date in 1968, in west Oakland, Bobby Hutton, 17 years old, was shot dead by Oakland police.

In a 90 minute gun battle, the unarmed Hutton (one of the original Black Panthers) was shot ten times after his home was set on fire and he was forced to run into the streets and an imminent barrage of bullets.

Two days earlier Dr. Martin L. King Jr. was assassinated after re-thinking his own non-violence doctrine.

The Civil Rights (Fair Housing Act) of 1968 is Signed

*On this date in 1968, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was signed. This federal law prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing.   President Lyndon Johnson signed this landmark act into law almost immediately following the Martin Luther King assassination riots in America. It was the final primary legislation passed in the modern 20th-century American […]

The H.U.D. Act is Signed Into Law

*The Housing and Urban Development Act was enacted on this date in 1968.    President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this landmark law in the United States during the King assassination riots.   Titles II through VII comprise the Indian Civil Rights Act, apply to the Native American tribes of the United States, and make many but […]

The Poor Peoples Campaign Begins

*On this date in 1968, the Poor People’s Campaign began. Also called the Poor People’s March on Washington, it was an effort to gain economic justice for poor people in the United States. It was organized by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and carried out by Ralph Abernathy in […]

The Poor Peoples Campaign Arrives in Washington D.C.

The first phase of the Poor People’s Campaign began on this date in 1968. Convoys had started from different sections of America on May 2, picked up demonstrators along the way., and on this day, nine caravans of poor people arrived in Washington D.C.

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 […]

Franklin Meets Charlie Brown In The ‘Peanuts’ Cartoon

*On this date in 1968, Franklin appeared in the Peanuts cartoon. He was the first Black character created by Charles Shultz, the cartoonist who created Peanuts. In the episode, Charlie Brown lost his beach ball; it was found and returned to him by a Black boy named Franklin.  The episode ended with the two proceeding to […]

The First Miss Black America Pageant is Held

*On this date in 1968, the first Miss Black America Pageant was held.

Held in Philadelphia it was created by J. Morris Anderson. The Miss Black America (MBA) Pageant has always provided a stage on which the black woman could display her talent; where she could express her views; and, a pedestal where she could reign as a universal symbol of pride and dignity. Three decades of producing the Miss Black America Pageant has opened many avenues to black women and wiped away many negative images that have been beholden by the black community.