People, Locations, Episodes

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.

The International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters is Founded

*The International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters (I.A.B.P.F.F.) was founded in Hartford Connecticut on this date in 1970.

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is Formed

*The founding of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is celebrated on this date in 1970.  This American political organization is comprised of African Americans who were elected to the Maryland General Assembly. Since incorporation, the Caucus membership has grown from 17 to 44 and is one of the country’s largest state legislative Black caucuses.   Lena King Lee founded the caucus […]

The Angola Three, a story

*The Angola Three are celebrated on this date in 1971. Three former Black prison inmates are Robert Hillary King, Albert Woodfox, and Herman Wallace. They were held for decades in solitary confinement while imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary (also known as Angola Prison). Wallace and Woodfox were each sent to Angola Prison in 1971: Wallace […]

Idi Amin Takes Over Uganda

*On this date in 1971, Idi Amin Dada became president and ruler of Uganda. He was the deputy commander of Uganda’s armed forces ousted President Obote to get control of the country.

The one-time heavyweight-boxing champion’s erratic and brutal rule of eight years left the country in disarray. A year after becoming president, he expelled non-Africans, mostly Asians, some 40 to 50 thousand people, from the country. He nationalized foreign companies and killed as many as 300,000 Ugandans who opposed his policies. The Ugandan economy collapsed.

The Wilmington Ten, a story

*On this date in 1971, the Wilmington Ten are remembered. Nine young men and a woman were wrongfully convicted in Wilmington, North Carolina, of arson and conspiracy.   On February 6, 1971, a white-owned business, Mike’s Grocery, was firebombed. Firefighters responding to the fire said snipers shot at them from the nearby Gregory Congregational Church […]

Griggs v. Duke Power Co. is Decided

*On this date in 1971, Griggs v. Duke Power Co. was decided.  This court case was argued before the United States Supreme Court on December 14, 1970. It concerned employment racial discrimination and the adverse impact theory.  It is generally considered the first case of its type.  The Supreme Court ruled that the company’s employment […]

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg B. O. E. is Decided

*On this date in 1971, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education was decided. This was a landmark United States Supreme Court case dealing with busing students to promote integration in public schools.   The Court held that busing was an appropriate remedy for the problem of racial imbalance in schools, even when the imbalance resulted from the selection of students based […]

The Attica Prison Riot Begins

On this date in 1971, 1,300 prisoners took over Attica Prison in Western New York State. The mostly Black prisoners rebelled against their guards, took over the facility, and held 40 guards hostage.

The First National Black Political Convention is Held

*On this date in 1972 the first National Black Political Assembly was held.

Some eight thousand African Americans (three thousand of whom were official delegates) arrived in Gary, Indiana, to attend their first convention, which was more commonly known as the “Gary Convention.” A sea of Black faces chanted, “It’s Nation Time! It’s Nation Time!” No one in the room had ever seen anything like this before. The radical Black nationalists clearly won the day; moderates who supported integration and backed the Democratic Party were in the minority.

The Soledad Brothers (Prison Inmates) are Acquitted

*The two surviving Soledad Brothers were acquitted on this date in 1972. An all-white jury cleared Fleeta Dumgo and John Cluchette of murder charges.

They had been charged with killing a white guard at Soledad Prison in 1970. The third Soledad Brother, George Jackson, was killed in the August 1971 alleged escape attempt.

The Black People’s Convention is formed.

*The Black People’s Convention (BPC) was formed on this date in 1972. This group was a national coordinating body for the Black Consciousness movement in South Africa. With the influence of the growing South African Students’ Organization (SASO), Black Consciousness leaders called for forming a new Black Consciousness political organization to engage and mobilize a broader civil society outside […]

African Liberation Day in America, a story

*On this date in 1972, America affirmed its first African Liberation Day. The event took place in Washington D.C.

Angela Davis is Acquitted on Gun Charges

On this date in 1972, Angela Davis was acquitted of all charges stemming from a failed escape and kidnap attempt in the Marin County, CA’s Hall of Justice two years earlier.

Curt Flood’s Court Suit Against Baseball is Ruled

On this date in 1972, Curt Flood lost his suit against Major League Baseball’s (MLB) anti-trust statute.