Black History Knowledge — June 3

What happened on this day. These are the June 3 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1893 — Samuel J. Bush is lynched in Decatur, Illinois

On June 3, 1893, a mob of about 1,500 white people lynched Samuel J. Bush on the courthouse lawn in Decatur, Illinois. This belongs in the Knowledge track because it is not an ordinary death mention; it is a racial terror event that shows how lynching was used to deny Black people due process and safety under the law.

1949 — Wesley A. Brown graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy

On June 3, 1949, Wesley A. Brown became the first African American graduate of the United States Naval Academy. His graduation broke a major barrier at Annapolis and opened a path inside an institution where earlier Black midshipmen had faced intense racism and exclusion.

1963 — Savannah theaters briefly open to Black and white patrons

On June 3, 1963, three movie theaters in Savannah, Georgia, opened their doors to patrons regardless of race. The move was short-lived, but it showed the pressure civil rights activists were placing on segregated public spaces across the South.