People, Locations, Episodes

The Black Economic Union is formed.

*The Black Economic Union (BEU) was formed on this date in 1965. Formerly known as the Negro Industrial and Economic Union (NIEU), it is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting self-reliance, supporting businesses, and fostering economic growth within the Black community. It was established by actor and social activist Jim Brown. Formed in Cleveland, Ohio, […]

The Maryland Freedom Union is Created

On this date in 1966, the Maryland Freedom Workers was formed.

The First Black Federal Reserve Governor is Appointed

*On this date in 1966, the first African American became the governor of the Federal Reserve Board.

He was Andrew Brimmer (at the time) an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and had established the central bank of the Sudan.

He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Soledad O’Brien, Journalist born

Soledad O’Brien was born on this date in 1966. She is an Afro Cuban American journalist.

David Adjaye, Architect born

*David Adjaye was born on this date in 1966. He is a Black Ghanaian-British architect. Sir David Frank Adjaye was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The son of a Ghanaian diplomat, he moved to Britain at the age of nine. Upon graduating with a B.A. in Architecture from London South Bank University in 1990, he […]

The New York Stock Exchange Admits its First Black Member

*On this date in 1967 The New York Stock Exchange (NYSEX) let in its first African American member, Clarence B. Jones.

The Black Panther Party Newspaper is Published

*On this date in 1967, The Black Panther Newspaper was published.  This was the official newspaper of the Black Panther Party (BPP). It began as a four-page newsletter in Oakland, California, and was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.   The newspaper distributed information about the party’s activities and expressed the ideology of the Black Panther Party through […]

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, […]

Van Jones, Environmental Activist born

*Van Jones was born on this date in 1968. He is an African American environmental and civil rights activist, and attorney.

The Black Mafia is formed

*The Black Mafia is affirmed on December 23, 1968. It was a Black Philadelphia-based organized crime syndicate. Also known as the Philadelphia Black Mafia (PBM), Black Muslim Mafia, and Muslim Mob, it began as a small criminal group known for holding up neighborhood crap games and dealing in illegal drugs. From its height of operation […]

Soul City, North Carolina, a story

Soul City was established on this date in 1969. It was a planned community first proposed in North Carolina by Floyd McKissick, a civil rights leader and director of the Congress of Racial Equality.    The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded Soul City as one of thirteen model city projects under the […]

Diversity Information Resources (DIR) is Founded

On this date in 1969, Diversity Information Resources (DIR) was incorporated.

This was one of the first business groups in America created to encourage Whites to do business with Black businesses. Known as “TRY US Resources” in its beginning, Diversity Information Resources was founded in Minneapolis in 1968 by H. Peter Meyerhoff. He was an aeronautics engineer at Honeywell. Personally affected by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. he sought to advance race relations by improving economic conditions for Blacks.

Jay-Z, Rapper, Producer, and Businessman born

*Jay-Z was born on this date in 1969. He is a Black rapper, songwriter, record executive, businessman, and producer. Shawn Corey Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Marcy Houses in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. After their father, Adnis Reeves, abandoned the family, Jay-Z and his three siblings were raised by their mother, […]

RAP, (Music, Business, Culture, and Heritage), a story

On this date we explore Rap music. RAP is urban music that grew out of the hip-hop movement of the South Bronx, New York, in the 1970s. It blends rhythmic instrumental tracks created by a disc jockey, with the spoken, rhyming lyrics of an MC, (Rapper).

Angela Barbee-Hatter, Engineer born

*Angela Barbee-Hatter’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1970. She is a Black engineer and corporate manager. From Milwaukee, WI, Angela Barbee fell in love with engineering through a middle school INROADS pre-college program. As the first Black female graduate of Milwaukee Trade & Tech High’s pre-engineering program, she faced a financial challenge in […]