People, Locations, Episodes

Lynching Monument Opens in Duluth, Minnesota

On this date in 2003, a monument dedicated to three lynched Black men was unveiled in Duluth, MN.

On a June night in 1920, Black circus workers Elmer Jackson, Elias Clayton, and Issac McGhie were hanged in Duluth while a white mob of 10,000 looked on.

The Louis Armstrong House Opens to the Public

On this date in 2003, The Louis Armstrong House opened to the public for the first time as a historic house museum.

The residence was the long-time home of the internationally acclaimed black jazz musician Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. The house, a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark, underwent a $1.6 million restoration and renovation.

Black Sniper is Convicted of Murder

On this date in 2003, a jury convicted John Allen Muhammad of capital murder. The verdict was handed down in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The jury concluded he used a rifle, a beat-up car, and a teenager who idolized him to kill randomly and terrorize the Washington D.C. area during the previous year’s sniper spree.

On November 24, 2003, the jury decided Muhammad should be executed for masterminding those sniper attacks that terrorized the Washington area for three weeks in the fall of 2002.

Another Black Man Dead From Police Brutality

On this date in 2003, another black man died after being beaten by police in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nathanial Jones, 41, died at the hands six white officers during a traffic stop earlier that week. The officers asserted their constitutional right to remain silent while being investigated.

At the time of his death, the 342-pound Jones did have an excessive amount of drugs in his system but the city coroner confirmed that his death was the result of the beating from the nightsticks (formally known as PR-24 batons).

Life Sentence for Black Florida Boy is Changed

On this date in 2003, A Florida appeals court threw out a African American boy’s conviction for beating a 6-year-old playmate to death.

The case spotlighted a Florida law that says child murderers must be locked away for the rest of their lives. In West Palm Beach, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Lionel Tate, now 16, saying his mental competency should have been evaluated before his trial. He was tried as an adult and is serving life without parole at a maximum-security juvenile prison.

The Second Liberian Conflict, a story

On this date in 2003, the Liberian conflict continued. In Monrovia, peace keepers confronted gunmen on a rampage of burning, shooting and looting.

Lehman Brothers Financiers Acknowledge Its ‘Slavery Past’

*On this date in 2003, Lehman Brothers became the first contractor with the city of Chicago to acknowledge past ties to slavery. This admission was under a law requiring disclosure. Lehman Brothers is a finance corporation that works with business governments, municipalities, institutional clients, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. An affidavit filed by the financial services firm […]

Strom Thurmond’s Family Verifies His Black Daughter

On this date in 2003, Strom Thurmond’s family acknowledged a California woman’s claim that she was his illegitimate Black daughter.

This announcement came from Columbia, S.C., where the former South Carolina senator’s family lawyer, J. Mark Taylor, said: “As J. Strom Thurmond has passed away and cannot speak for himself, the Thurmond family acknowledges Ms. Essie Mae Washington-Williams’ claim to her heritage. We hope this acknowledgment will bring closure for Ms. Williams.”

Young Black Sniper Sentenced to Prison

On this date in 2003, a Virginia jury in the Washington-area sniper case sentenced Lee Boyd Malvo (a young African American) to life in prison.

This spared him from the death penalty, the fate awaiting his mentor John Allen Muhammad. Malvo’s lawyers had portrayed him as an impressionable boy who had fallen under Muhammad’s murderous spell. The two were convicted of a series of capital murders in a 2002 killing spree.

New York City Settles Amadou Diallo Police Brutality Case

On this date in 2004, the city of New York agreed to pay $3 million to the family of Amadou Diallo.
He was an unarmed West African immigrant shot to death by police nearly five years earlier.

Representing New York, Michael Cardozo, corporation counsel for the city, said in a statement announcing the settlement: “The mayor, the police department and the city deeply regret what occurred and extend their sympathies to the Diallo family.”

American Marines Land in Haiti

*On this date in 2004, Fifty U.S. Marines were headed to Haiti to protect their American Embassy and diplomats.

This occurred at Cap-Haitien, Haiti after rebels overran Haiti’s second-largest city and began detaining supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Western diplomats said the Marines were requested after rebels threatened to attack the capital, Port-au-Prince. Two police stations outside Port-au-Prince were attacked the day before (shown), and Aristide supporters began building barricades to protect the city.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide Flees Haiti

*On this date in 2004, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled Haiti.

He was bowing to pressure from a rebellion at home and governments out of the country. Hundreds of angry Aristide militants armed with old rifles and pistols converged on the Haitien National Palace in Port-au-Prince. It was not immediately clear who was in charge, but Aristide’s Prime Minister Yvan Neptune called a news conference.

In Cap-Haitien, the northern port that has become a base for the rebels, crowds danced and sang in the street ready to disarm once a new government was in place. “Aristide’s gone!

Paul Hornung Makes Academic Racial Comment

*On this date in 2004, former Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung made a racial comment about Blacks.

The former Green Bay Packers star said his alma mater, Notre Dame, needed to lower its academic standards to “get the black athlete.” “We can’t stay as strict as we are as far as the academic structure is concerned because we’ve got to get the black athlete,” Hornung said. “We must get the black athlete if we’re going to compete.” This happened during a radio interview in Detroit on WXVT-AM before the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame banquet.

White Judge Resigns After His Racist Remarks

*On this date in 2004, racism caused a Richmond, Virginia General District Judge to step down.

White judge Ralph B. Robertson resigned after the disclosure of racially charged comments he wrote in an Internet chat room. These included statements suggesting that Blacks have a biological tendency toward violence. He stopped hearing cases last week and filed for retirement, which is to take effect April 1st of 2004 after 19 years on the bench.

Condoleezza Rice Refuses Participation in 9/11 Testimony

*On this date in 2004 National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said she will not testify publicly in front of the independent September 11th commission. Rice continued a vigorous defense of her actions in every other public forum over the issue. The Sept. 11 commission is one where she would be questioned about the Bush administrations failure to prevent the terrorist attacks before 9/11/2001.