People, Locations, Episodes

Tuskegee Airmen Heritage Becomes Certified Military Curriculum

On this date in 2006, the heritage of the Tuskegee Airmen became a component of the classroom curriculum of the United States Air Force Officers Training School.

Trainees attending Officer Training School to become future leaders of the Air Force will now visit the place where the Air Force’s first black pilots attended training more than 60 years ago. Officer trainees visit various historic sites in Tuskegee, AL, as part of an expanded curriculum to enhance trainee’s knowledge of Air Force history and heritage, particularly the service’s first black aviators, the Tuskegee Airmen.

America Elects Its First Muslim Congressman

On this date in 2006, Minneapolis, MN, elected the nation’s first Muslim member of Congress, and the state’s first nonwhite representative in Washington.

Massachusetts Elects its First Black Governor

On this date in 2006, Massachusetts elected the first black person to win the state’s highest office in its 218-year history. Deval Patrick defeated Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, the Republican nominee, as well as independent Christy Mihos and Grace Ross of the Green-Rainbow Party.

The victory made Patrick only the second African American governor in the nation since Reconstruction. The first, L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, left office in 1995.

The Ground is Broken for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

On this date in 2006, the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Martin Luther King Jr., National Memorial in Washington, D.C., took place.

To be located on the National Mall (Independence Avenue and West Basin Drive) it was planned by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to be constructed as a permanent testament to African American civil rights leader and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member Martin Luther King, Jr. The memorial will have three underlying themes: justice, democracy, and hope highlighted by the use of water, stone, and trees throughout the memorial.

A White Jewish Comedian Insults Blacks on Stage in Los Angeles

On this date in 2006, a popular White Jewish comedian openly, publicly, and repeatedly insulted Blacks at a comedy club in Los Angeles.

The Jena Six Teenagers, a story

*On this date in 2006, the Jena Six were convicted. They were six African American teenagers accused and convicted in the beating of Justin Barker, a white student at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana. Barker was injured in the assault by the members of the Jena Six, and received treatment for his injuries at an emergency room.

While the case was pending, some media commentators cited it as an example of racial injustice in the United States, due to a belief that the defendants had initially been charged with too-serious offenses and had been treated unfairly.

Virginia Legislator Publicly Makes Racist Remark

On this date in 2007, a Virginia state legislator said black people “should get over” slavery and questioned whether Jews should apologize “for killing Christ.”

Virginia’s Vote for an Official Apology for Slavery Passes

*On this date in 2007, the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously to express “profound regret” for the state’s role in slavery.

Frederick Douglass Honored By The American Press

*On this date in 2007, Frederick Douglass was honored as the first Black reporter allowed into the Capitol press galleries.

Brown University Reveals its Past Slavery History

*On this date in 2007, Brown University pledged to raise $10 million in amending its role in benefiting from American slavery of Africans.

The Cherokee Nation Rejects Tribal Citizenship to their former Black Slaves

*On this date in 2007, Cherokee Nation members voted to revoke the tribal citizenship of African descendants the Cherokee once owned as slaves.  At the time of that ruling, it affected an estimated 2,800 Blacks. With all 32 precincts reporting, 76.6 percent had voted in favor of an amendment to the tribal constitution limiting citizenship […]

Don Imus Makes a Racist Slur On His Radio Show

On this date in 2007, White radio personality Don Imus used racist and sexist statement towards Black women on his show.

Imus made his remarks during his show to describe the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. The team includes eight black women, who had had lost the day before in the NCAA women’s championship game. Imus was speaking with producer Bernard McGuirk about the game when the exchange began on “Imus in the Morning,” which is broadcast to millions of people on more than 70 stations and MSNBC.

The First Black Driver Wins The Formula 1 Motorsport Race

On this date in 2007, the first Black driver won a Formula One (F1) Motorsport Race.

The Original Amistad Voyage is Replicated

On this date in 2007, a ship bearing the name Amistad once again sailed the Atlantic. This voyage would trace, for the next 16 months, the 19th-century route of the slave trade.

The Freedom Schooner Amistad, a near-replica of the ship that housed a slave revolt, departed from its home port in New Haven for a 14,000-mile voyage to Nova Scotia, Britain, and Africa. “We believe that the Amistad story is a landmark case in American history and deserves to be told and recognized,” said William Minter, chairman of the project.

David Bowie Supports the ‘Jena Six.’

*On this date in 2007 David Bowie donated $10,000 to a legal defense fund for the “Jena Six”. The Jena Six are six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate in the central Louisiana town of Jena.