*On this date in 1935, Grovey v. Townsend was decided. This United States Supreme Court decision held a reformulation of Texas’s white primaries system to be constitutional. The case was the third in a series of Court decisions known as the “Texas primary cases.” In Nixon v. Herndon (1927), Lawrence A. Nixon sued for damages under federal civil rights […]
learn more*The establishment of Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School is celebrated on this date in 1901. The fort was a military base and training facility on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa. There have been three forts called Fort Des Moines. Fort Des Moines No. 1 (1834–1837), a U.S. Army post that […]
learn more*On this date in 1932, Nixon v. Condon was decided. This was a voting rights case decided by the United States Supreme Court, which found the all-white Democratic Party primary in Texas unconstitutional. Nixon v. Condon was one of four cases brought to challenge the Texas all-white Democratic Party primary. The National Association for the […]
learn more*Carter Wesley was born on this date in 1892. He was a Black lawyer, newspaperman, and political activist. Carter Walker Wesley was born in Houston, Texas. He grew up in the city’s first and most successful black neighborhood, Freedmen’s Town. Shortly after completing high school, Westley moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and graduated magna cum laude in […]
learn more*Bennie Thompson was born on this date in 1948. He is a Black politician serving as the U.S. representative for Mississippi. His district includes most of Jackson and is the only majority-black district in the state. It is about 275 miles long, 180 miles wide, and borders the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Delta comprises most […]
learn more*Karen Bass was born on this date in 1953. She is a Black politician and social worker. Karen Ruth Bass was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Wilhelmina (née Duckett) and DeWitt Talmadge Bass. Her father was a postal letter carrier, and her mother was a homemaker. She was raised in the Venice […]
learn more*On this date in 1960, Burkina Faso gained independence from France. Starting in the early 1890s, during the white-European Berlin Conference, many white military officers attempted to claim parts of what is today Burkina Faso. At times these colonialists and their armies fought the local peoples; at times, they forged alliances with them and made treaties. […]
learn more*Cassius Marcellus Clay was born on this date in 1810. Nicknamed the “Lion of White Hall,” was a Kentucky planter, politician, and abolitionist. Cassius Marcellus Clay was born to Sally Lewis and Green Clay, one of the wealthiest planters and enslavers in Kentucky, who became a prominent politician. He was one of six children who survived […]
learn more*Sir James Douglas was born on this date in 1803. He was a Black Canadian Statesman. Born in Demerara, British Guiana, he was the son of John Douglas and Miss Ritchie, a “Creole” woman from Barbados. The couple had three children, Alexander, James, and Cecilia Eliza. John Douglas’ second family was with Jane Hamilton Douglas, and they had […]
learn moreEdward Wilson is a retired lawyer and judge. In this segment, he shares the life episode that channeled his career choice
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