People, Locations, Episodes

The Casiville Bullard House is Preserved

*On this date in 1997, the home of Casiville Bullard was placed on the National Historical Records. The Casiville Bullard House is in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Bullard had a reputation as an expert in his field, and he applied all his skills, including carpentry, to his family’s second home, which he built of brick at 1282 Folsom Street in […]

Abner Louima Beaten by NYPD

*On this date in 1997, Abner Louima was beaten. Louima, a Black Haitian immigrant was arrested and brutally attacked by four New York City police officers.

The police officers beat Louima brutally in a police cruiser on the way to the police station. Once back at the station house one of the Officer (JustinVolpe) sodomized Louima with a broken broom handle while a fellow officer held him down.

The NAACP Request Merriam-Webster Dictionary to Revise its Definition of “Nigger”

On this date in 1997, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)called for a formal dictionary revision of the word “nigger.”

The NAACP publicly requested Merriam-Webster to revise its dictionary definition of the word. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s 9th and 10th editions (as well as online) define the word as “a black person…

The Million Woman March Takes Place

*The Million Woman March occurred on this date in 1997. Black Women who networked on grassroots and global levels implemented it.

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, […]

The Crown Heights Riot Sentencing Occurs

*On this date, in 1998, a Black man was sentenced for involvement in the Crown Heights riot. Lemrick Nelson Jr got 19 1/2 years in prison for his part in the 1991 stabbing death of a Jewish scholar during a race riot in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights section.

A Black Man is Dragged to Death in Jasper, Texas

On this date in 1998, a Black man was dragged to his death in Jasper, TX.

Three white men with suspected ties to the Ku Klux Klan chained James Byrd, Jr. (a Black hitchhiker), to the back of a pickup truck and dragged him to his death. His head, neck, and right arm were found about a mile from his mangled torso. A wrench with the name of one of the suspects on it was found near the body. Byrd had been dragged about two miles on a narrow, winding asphalt road.

Rev. Henry Lyons Pleads Guilty to Grand Theft

*On this date in 1999, Rev. Henry Lyons pled guilty to tax evasion, embezzlement and grand theft.

These charges were committed while he served as president of the National Baptist Convention, USA Inc., the largest Black denomination in America. Rev. Henry Lyons was a fraud and a thief.

The sordid tale began in 1997 when Lyons’ wife, Deborah, set fire to a home she discovered her husband had purchased with Bernice Edwards, a companion whom Lyon said was his mistress. Rev. Lyons was released from prison in December, 2003.

Another Black Man is Killed by American Police

*On this date in 1999, Amadou Diallo was killed by four New York City police officers from the NYPD Street Crime Unit.

He was from the village of Sinoe, Liberia, West Africa. That evening after midnight, Diallo had come home from work to his apartment at 1157 Wheeler Avenue in the Soundview Section of the Bronx and decided to go back out to get something to eat.

When he returned, he encountered NYPD police officers that ultimately fired a total of 41 shots, 19 of which perforated his body. Diallo died in the entrance hall of his apartment.

Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper is Pardoned

*On this date in 1999 President Bill Clinton posthumously pardoned Second Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper.

The First Black Chess Grand Master is Ranked

*On this date in 1999, the first African American chess player attained the rank of International Grand Master.
Maurice Ashley, a Jamaican immigrant, received the rank (given only to 500 worldwide).

A graduate of New York City College, Ashley learned chess with a chess group known as the Black Bears School of Chess.

Pigford v. Glickman is Decided

*On this date in 1999, Pigford v. Glickman was decided. This was a class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), alleging racial discrimination against Black farmers in allocating farm loans and assistance between 1981 and 1996.   After Shirley and Charles Sherrod lost their farm when they could not secure United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) loans, they became class action plaintiffs in the […]

Black Horse Jockey Rides In The Kentucky Derby After 79 Years

On this date in 2000, the first Black jockey in 79 years rode in the Kentucky Derby.

Marlon St. Julien was the first Black jockey since 1921 to ride in the world’s most famous horse race. St. Julien rode Curule, a 50-to-1 long shot who earned a spot in the 19-horse field when another horse, Harlan Traveler, pulled out.

Curule is owned by Godolphin Racing, which represents two sheiks who are members of Dubai’s ruling family. St. Julien finished 7th in the 2000 Kentucky Derby.

Aboriginal Rights Protested In Sydney, Australia

On this date in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, more than 200,000 demonstrators marched to support a campaign for social justice for Aborigines, Australia’s Black minority.

The Luba People, a story

*The Luba people are affirmed on this date in 2000 BCE.  The Luba or Baluba people are an ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Majority of the Luba live in this country, mainly in its Katanga, Kasai, and Maniema provinces. The Baluba consist of many sub-groups who speak various dialects of Luba (e.g., Luba-Kasai, Luva, a Bantu language, […]