People, Locations, Episodes

A Riot in York, Pennsylvania Occurs

*On this date in 1969 in York, Pennsylvania the National Guard was called to suppress a race riot.

A white man shot Lillie Belle Allen (a young Black woman), the previous night. Earlier that day Robert and Arthur Messersmith were charged with criminal homicide in the shooting, nine other people were recommended for indictment in the case.

Allen was shot as she tried to drive past a group of white men. Witnesses said Messersmith ran into York’s Newberry Street with a group of armed white men the night of July 21, 1969, as a car carrying Allen approached.

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 […]

The ‘Black 14’ Episode Occurs

*On this date in 1969, the ‘Black 14’ episode occurred.  This racial incident began when white Wyoming University head coach Lloyd Eaton dismissed 14 Black football players from the team.  At the previous year’s win over BYU at Provo, the Wyoming Black players were subjected to racial epithets. They asked Eaton if they could wear […]

Black History and the Chicago Seven Trial, a story

*The Chicago Seven trial is affirmed on this date in 1969. Originally, the Chicago Eight (Conspiracy Eight/Conspiracy Seven) were the defendants, Bobby Seale, Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner. The United States federal government charged them with conspiracy, crossing state lines intending to incite a riot, and […]

The Police murder two Black Panthers Members

On this date in 1969, Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and Mark Clark, a fellow member were killed while sleeping by Chicago police.

The attack, aided by the help of an infiltrator, was masterminded by the city police force and the FBI’s powerful counter-intelligence program (COINTEL-PRO).

Black Panther Survives Police Raid in L.A.

On this date in 1969, Los Angeles police raided the Black Panther headquarters, in L.A., four days after police assassinated Black Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark in Chicago.

During the battle, the Panthers withstood the police attacks, including a bomb dropped on the roof of the building. Frustrated, the police arrested Elmer Geronimo Pratt, the Panther’s Deputy Minister of Defense, on a fabricated robbery and murder charge that was later dismissed.

Black History Month in America, a story

*This date from 1970 affirms Black History Month (BHM) in the United States. Black History Month is an annual observance originating in America, also known as African American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada and, more recently, has been observed unofficially in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It began as […]

Purlie (the musical) Debuts

*Purlie was first performed on stage on this date in 1970. It was a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell, and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis’s 1961 play Purlie Victorious, which became the 1963 film Gone Are the Days! The cast included Cleavon Little, John […]

Major League Baseball Game Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

*On this date in 1970, Major League Baseball honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In early December 1968, after King’s murder, a letter from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) sports project director Joseph Peters was sent to the (then) Commissioner of Baseball, William “Spike” Eckert, and members of the executive council. It read, in […]

The ‘Syracuse 8,’ Football Team, a story

This date in 1970 celebrates the “Syracuse 8” college football players.

These African American players at Syracuse University boycotted the 1970 football season in a collective effort to demand change and promote racial equality within the University football program. These student-athletes wanted better medical care for injured players and stronger academic support for African American student-athletes; the right to compete fairly for any position on the starting team; and racial integration of the football coaching staff.

The Augusta, Georgia Riot Occurs

*On this date in 1970, the Augusta Riot occurred. This was a collective three-day rebellion of Black citizens and the largest urban uprising in the Deep South during the 20th-century American Civil Rights era. Fueled by long-simmering grievances about racial injustice, it was sparked by white obstruction of Black citizens’ demand for answers about the […]

Killings at Jackson State University Occur

On this date in 1970, two Black students at Jackson State University were killed and many others injured by Jackson police. These killings were never as publicized as the Kent State shootings of four white students that had occurred only a few days earlier. It was a time of turmoil in campus communities across the country that were characterized by protests and demonstrations.

Black History and Gangs in America, a story

*Youth Gangs in African America, and urban America from 1970 is briefly discussed on this dates Registry.

A gang defined in the dictionary is groups of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. Usually, the word “gang” refers to street gangs (a.k.a. youth gangs), groups who take over territory (“turf”) in a particular city, sometimes simply for lack of something better to do. Gangs are often involved in “providing protection” (in fact, a thin cover for extortion), or in other criminal activity.

The Mangrove Nine Incident Occurs

*On this date in 1970, The Mangrove Nine incident began in the UK.  These were 150 Black protesters who marched peacefully on the police station in Notting Hill to demonstrate against racial harassment by the police. They were met by 500 officers, whose heavy-handed policing was designed to antagonize them. Nine protesters were charged with […]

Police Raid Black Panther Locations in Philadelphia, PA.

On this date in 1970, Philadelphia police confronted the Black Panthers.

With simultaneous raids on three locations, 15 Panthers were arrested, one policeman was killed, and seven were severely wounded.

According to the police, the group was out of business and never reorganized in the City of Philadelphia.