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BHM Events and timelineOpen Mic Nights co-sponsored with SEB and MCC: Feb. 7/12/21/26th in Jazzman’s @ 8 p.m. This is also a part of our Black History Month Celebration.
My History, Your History, Our HistoryHow will you contribute to the Legacy? Black History Timeline1619- The First African SlavesThe first Africans as slave labor are introduced in America. A Dutch trader exchanges his cargo of 20 Africans for food in Jamestown Virginia, in August of 1619. It is believed that these Africans were sold into conditions similar to indentured servitude - a common practice in England and colonial America. The American slavery system became more developed and codified in its inhumane treatment around 1680. 1773- Phyllis Wheatley Poetry Published The US bans the import of slaves, but not the sale and practice of slavery. Ohio's original constitution outlawed slavery in 1802. Ohio also aggressively barred black immigration. This was known as the Three-Fifths Compromise. 1831 Nat Turner Slave Revolt Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) launches an abolitionist newspaper The North Star. Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838 by posing as a free black seaman on a train ride to the north and became an infamous speaker on the abolitionist lecture circuit and an important political figure. He served as president of the Freedman's Savings Bank during Reconstruction and penned his autobiography "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" in 1845. 1849 Harriet Tubman The Underground Railroad is started by William Still. It is a network of secret routes, way-stations, safe havens and meeting points in which thousands of African-Americans will escape from slavery in the south. Some routes on the Underground Railroad traveled as far north as Canada and as far south as Mexico. William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879) a white abolitionist and editor of the abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, privately publishes the memoirs of Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), a former slave, abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, and a preacher and advocate of women's rights. It is entitled The "Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave". 1852 Uncle Tom’s Cabin"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is published by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a white abolitionist. It is the first major American novel to feature an African-American hero and becomes one of the most influential works to stir anti-slavery sentiments by shedding light on the horrors of slavery. Uncle Tom's Cabin is the best-selling novel of the 19th century and the second best-selling novel of the century, with the bible holding steady at number one. 1857 Dred Scott Decision The Civil War begins when South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as their president. Later in the year Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia join them. Virginia was divided up - with the eastern portion seceding to the Confederacy and West Virginia remaining with the Union. It is the bloodiest war in American history, being fought entirely on American soil and resulting in the death of about 600,000. 1863 Emancipation Proclamation In 1865 the Civil War ends and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishes slavery. The Reconstruction Era, a 12 year span where important laws and gains were made to improve the lives of newly freed slaves.Congress establishes The Freedmen's Bureau to protect the rights of newly emancipated African-American slaves. In 1865, southern states passed Black Codes, laws to restrict the civil rights and liberties of newly freed African-Americans. 1866-1875 Civil Rights Act Passed In 1868 the 14th Amendment to the Constitution grants citizenship to former slaves. In 1870 the 15th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits states from denying the right to vote because of race.In 1870 Hiram Rhodes Revels (1822 - 1901) of Mississippi is elected the country's first African-American Senator 1881 Tuskegee Institute FoundedThe Tuskegee institute is founded by former slaves Lewis Adams and George W. Campbell under the leadership of Booker T. Washington (1856 -1915) as a teacher training school. 1896 Segregation is Legalized The Supreme Court decides in the Plessy Vs. Ferguson case that "separate but equal" satisfies the 14th amendment which gives legal sanction to "Jim Crow" segregation laws. Also This Year: George Washington Carver is appointed director of agricultural research at Tuskegee Institute. His innovations with peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes, helped to revolutionize agriculture in the South. He received the NAACP Medal in 1923. 1909 NAACP FoundedThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, is founded by W.E.B Dubois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Henry Moscowitz , Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villard, and William English Walling as an interracial organization "to promote equality of rights and to eradicate caste or race prejudice among the citizens of the United States; to advance the interest of colored citizens; to secure for them impartial suffrage; and to increase their opportunities for securing justice in the courts, education for the children, employment according to their ability and complete equality before law." 1919 Harlem Renaissance Begins Marcus Garvey (1887 - 1940) an entrepreneur, journalist and proponent of Black nationalism, encourages Black Americans to return to their African homeland and establishes the Black Star Line, a fleet of Black owned steamships that serviced the Caribbean Islands, America, and Africa. W.E.B. DuBois organizes the first Pan-African Congress in Paris, France. He is elected executive secretary of the organization, and upon his return writes about the treatment of African-American soldiers for The Crisis. Oscar Micheaux, becomes the first African-American to make a film when he writes, directs and produces the feature film, The Homesteader. 1932 Tuskegee Experiment BeginsThe Tuskegee Experiment, a forty year-long experiment in which 399 African-American men infected with Syphilis, near Tuskegee, Alabama are denied treatment in order to study the effects of the disease begins. The experiment is leaked to the press by Peter Buxton, a Public Health Service investigator and is subsequently ended in 1972. 1952 Brown versus the Board of Education Rosa Parks, a seamstress and NAACP secretary, refuses to give up her seat to a white patron on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She is arrested and tried sparking a much publicized and highly organized year-long boycott of the Montgomery buses. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a 26 year old Baptist minister, leads the boycott and gains national attention. A U.S. Supreme court ruling prompts Montgomery to desegregate its buses in 1956. The Supreme Court orders schools to desegregate with "deliberate speed". 14 yr. old Emmett Till is kidnapped, brutally beaten shot and dumped in the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. 1960 SNCC Founded/ Freedom Riders CORE - The Congress of Racial Equality begins sending student volunteers on bus trips to test the implementation of new laws prohibiting segregation in interstate travel facilities. They are known as "Freedom Riders." 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and FreedomOver 200,000 people March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, convening at the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes a famous speech about racial harmony that begins with "I have a dream…" The 24th Amendment abolishes the poll tax, which was originally instituted in 11 southern states to make it difficult for poor African-Americans to vote. Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins, ranging in age from 11 to 15 years old, are all killed in a terrorist bomb explosion at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama (a popular civil rights meeting place), sparking riots. Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to receive an Academy Award when he is wins for best actor in "Lilies of the Field". 1965 Malcolm X assassinatedMalcolm X is assassinated on Feb. 21st 1965 at the Audobon ballroom in Harlem, New York. On March 7, 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. along with the SCLC leads protesters in support of voting rights, across a bridge in Selma Al. and are attacked -police use tear gas, whips and clubs - it is remembered as Bloody Sunday. Congress passes the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - making literacy tests, poll taxes and other requirements used to restrict blacks from voting, illegal. Rioting breaks out in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in L.A. due to unfair police treatment. Thirty-five people are killed and 883 injured in the Watts Riot. President Johnson -issues Executive Order 11246 in 1965, which enforces Affirmative Action for the first time, asserting that civil rights laws alone are not enough to remedy discrimination.1966-1967 Thurgood Marshall Appointed to Supreme Court In 1966 the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense is founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland Ca. based upon a socialist doctrine. Kwanzaa, a week-long holiday honoring African heritage, started by Dr. Maulana Karengais is first celebrated by a small number of African-American families in Los Angeles, CA. Stokely Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) coins the phrase "black power" in a speech in Seattle on April 19th. 1968 The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is AssassinatedDr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis TN. marking the end of the Civil Rights era. President Johnson signs the Civil rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. Shirley Chisholm becomes the first African-American woman elected to Congress. 1980 Robert Johnson Launches BET (Black Entertainment Television) Oprah Winfrey becomes the first African-American woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show when "The Oprah Winfrey Show" debuts. She is now the Richest Black Person and Women in America. She also is the first African American women to own her own major production company. Martin Luther King Jr. day is celebrated as a national federal holiday in the U.S. The bill in favor of honoring King's birthday was originally introduced four days after his assassination in 1968 and was signed by Ronald Reagan in 1983. 1989 General Colin Powell Appointed Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of StaffGeneral Colin Powell (1937 - ) is appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becoming the first African-American to achieve the highest military ranking in the U.S. Armed Forces. Ronald H. Brown (1941 - 1996) is elected as the first African-American chair-person of the Democratic National Committee. Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African-American Governor. (Virginia) 1991 Clarence Thomas Appointed to the Supreme CourtClarence Thomas (1948 - ) is appointed Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Whoopi Goldberg, an actress and comedian, wins an Academy Award for her supporting role in the film "Ghost". Julie Dash releases "Daughters of The Dust" about the Gullah people on the South Carolina Islands. It is the first feature film by and African-American woman. Rodney King, is beaten by four Los Angeles police officers, after being stopped for a speeding violation. The incident is captured on videotape by a bystander and is shown on national television sparking outrage. 1992 Carol Mosely Braun Elected to the SenateCarol Moseley Braun of Illinois becomes the first African-American woman elected to the United States Senate. Mae Jemison is an astronaut on the Space Shuttle Endeavor and becomes the first African-American woman to orbit space. A 23 year old John Singleton becomes the first African-American director and the youngest person to be nominated for an Academy Award for best direction for his film, "Boyz N the Hood". Race riots erupt in South Central L.A. after a jury acquits four white police officers for the videotaped beating of Rodney King Jr. 1993 Toni Morrison Awarded Nobel PrizeToni Morrison is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature becoming the first African-American to win the highest literary honor in the world. Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders becomes the first African-American and the first woman to be named United States Surgeon General. Rita Dove is named Poet Laureate of the United States, becoming the youngest to hold that position. 1995 Million Man MarchThe Million Man March, organized by Louis Farrakhan, brings together thousands of African-Americans to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for a day of unity and a show of strength of character. Despite the name, women are present both in the crowd and on the podium, including civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. NASA astronaut Bernard Harris becomes the first African-American to walk in space. 2001 Colin Powell Appointed Secretary of State Halle Berry and Denzel Washington win Academy Awards for best actress in "Monster's Ball" and best actor in "Training Day" respectively. The Slavery Reparations Coordinating Committee, led by prominent African-American lawyers and activists, announce plans to sue companies that profited from slavery. Beyonce’ Knowles is the second female and the First African American woman to win ASCAP award 2003 Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative ActionIn Grutter v. Bollinger, the most important affirmative action decision since the 1978 Bakke case, the Supreme Court (5–4) upholds the University of Michigan Law School's policy, ruling that race can be one of many factors considered by colleges when selecting their students because it furthers "a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body." 2004 Barack Obama Elected Senator Condoleezza Rice is appointed Secretary of State. She is the first African-American woman, second African-American (after Powell), and second woman (after Madeleine Albright) to serve as Secretary of State. 2007 Barack Obama makes a run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America Tony Dungy Indiana Colts and Lovie Smith Chicago Bears Head Coaches share a historic place as the first African American coaches to reach the NFL's championship game (Super Bowl). Submitted By Travaras Geter, West Campus Residence Coordinator Ext 7170 |
