Black History Knowledge
Black History Knowledge — June 12
What happened on this day. These are the June 12 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.
1945 — Niecey Brown dies after being beaten by a white police officer
On June 12, 1945, Niecey Brown, a 74-year-old Black woman in Selma, Alabama, died after an off-duty white police officer forced his way into her home and beat her with a bottle. This event exposes how racial violence could enter Black homes through the people sworn to enforce the law.
1963 — Medgar Evers is assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi
On June 12, 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was shot outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Evers had been organizing against segregation, fighting for voting rights, and challenging white supremacy as the NAACP’s Mississippi field secretary.
1967 — The Supreme Court decides Loving v. Virginia
On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Loving v. Virginia that laws banning interracial marriage violated the Constitution. The decision struck down anti-miscegenation laws and became a major victory against state-enforced racial control over family life.
