Honoring those we lost on August 1 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind. Joseph Rainey Full name: Joseph Hayne Rainey Born Jun 21, 1832 — died Aug 1, 1887 Reconstruction-era congressman, barber, businessman, and political trailblazer. Rainey became the first Black person to serve in the United States House […]
What happened on this day. These are the August 1 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1834 — Slavery Abolition Act takes effect across much of the British Empire On August 1, 1834, Britain’s Slavery Abolition Act took effect, legally emancipating hundreds of thousands of enslaved people across much of the […]
Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on August 1 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history. Benjamin E. Mays Full name: Benjamin Elijah Mays Born August 1, 1894 — died March 28, 1984 Educator, minister, theologian, civil rights leader, and longtime president of Morehouse College. Mays […]
Claude McKay “Into the darkness we must go, bearing our light.” — Claude McKay Claude McKay, a Harlem Renaissance poet, believed that art and courage illuminate even the darkest struggles. His words remind us that truth and resilience are the light we carry forward.